Drilling

A look at the strengths and weaknesses of solid and indexable-insert drills.

The aircraft industry now has the means to precisely machine multilayer material combinations. These combinations, called stack materials, include several thin layers of different materials. Aircraft skin, for example, could consist of titanium, aluminum and composite layers, according to Lee Coleman, automation division manager for Suhner Manufacturing Inc., Rome, Ga.

A growing number of machine shops are switching from gundrills to solid-carbide drills for deep-hole applications.

END USER: Western Forge & Flange Co., (800) 352-6433, www.western-forge.com. CHALLENGE: Reduce tooling costs when drilling forged materials. SOLUTION: TiAlN-coated drills with two square indexable inserts. SOLUTION PROVIDER: Komet of America Inc., (847) 923-8400, www.komet.com

Drilling stacked materials, which have alternating layers of composites and metals, requires a careful strategy and the right tools.

Machining a clean, straight and in-tolerance hole through a part is not the only requirement for many holemaking applications. In many cases, hole entrances and exits are also critical to part functionality.

END USER: Three Sigma Manufacturing Inc., (253) 395-1125, www.threesigma.net. CHALLENGE: Improve cycle times and prevent catastrophic failure when drilling a hole in a complex aerospace part. SOLUTION: A replaceable-tip drill that reduced cycle times and provided progressive failure indicators. SOLUTION PROVIDER: Allied Machine & Engineering Corp., (800) 321-5537, www.alliedmachine.com

Machine tool builders discuss the development and evolution of drill and tap machines.