Drilling into metal is necessary for many reasons, including creating holes for bolts and even decorative finishes. However, it can be a challenging process. The problem is you can have different issues depending on the material you are working with. As a top provider of tube drilling, we want to have a closer look here at three techniques you can try; they work well for a variety of situations.

Problems

Before we look at the techniques though, let’s run through the major problems when you drill metal. Typically, you have issues because materials are very hard or soft.

Hard materials are difficult to work with because they tend to generate a lot of heat. It can quickly make drill bits dull, in turn generating more heat, and ruining the chance of getting clean, precise holes. Stainless steel is a great example of a hard material that takes skill to drill properly.

Soft materials don’t have the issue with heat and dulling drill bits. However, that doesn’t mean it is easy to work with them. You can have issues like the softer metal binding to the bit. This is a big problem with aluminium. Another issue is drilling soft metal can occasionally result in the bit grabbing rather than cutting through clean; it can cause poor quality holes. Copper is one metal where there is a serious risk of this.

Techniques

Whether it is tube drilling or dealing with sheets or other metal products, you need to ensure you choose the right technique.

One of the best options is peck drilling. It works by drilling a little, retracting the bit, clearing out the hole, and repeating the cycle. The goal here is to prevent the bit and workpiece from overheating. Therefore, it is important to keep using coolant to reduce the temperature and get rid of chips. Ultimately, it can protect the bit and ensure a better finish. It is the best technique if you need to drill deep holes or have hard materials.

Another fantastic technique is pilot hole drilling. What you do is begin by using a smaller bit to drill an initial hole. You can then increase the bit size gradually to widen it. The first hole will guide the subsequent bits, ensuring you get more accurate results.

Finally, and most importantly in many cases, you can use a drill press. The drawback with hand tools if you are relying on a person to keep them steady and control the speed/pressure. Swapping to a drill press is a really good idea if you want to improve performance and consistency. If you’re drilling lots of holes and want easy repeatability and precision, it’s a wise move.

Talk to us about tube drilling

Multiform Tubes Engineering Ltd can provide exceptional services if you need tubing. We do various different things, including drilling, bending, and end forming. At the end of the day, you can rely on us to provide bespoke tube for any project. Even more importantly, we can do anything you need us to so we can ensure you can assemble quickly.

You can contact us if you want to discuss any kind of project. Keep in mind we can offer repeatability for any needs, including tube drilling and other services. We’ll give you cost effective, high quality solutions.