Solid vs Indexable Drills?

What are Indexable Drills?

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Unlike solid drills, indexable drills consist of two main components: a drill body and an indexable insert. The drill body holds the indexable insert, which contains the cutting edges.

Indexable drills offer the advantage of easily replacing worn or damaged cutting edges without discarding the entire tool. This makes them more cost-effective and convenient for large-scale production environments. It is often advised to use indexable drills when machining diameters above 12mm.

Indexable drills are available in a wide range of types, including U-Drills and modular drills. Please see below for a summary of the two:

U-Drills: U-drills are indexable drills that use replaceable inserts with multiple cutting edges. The inserts can be rotated or replaced independently of the drill body, extending the tool's life and reducing costs. U-drills are commonly used in high-volume production environments, such as automotive and aerospace manufacturing. They are suitable for drilling a wide range of materials, including metals, plastics, and composites.

Cutwel offers a wide range of U-Drill ranges, including:

Korloy King Drill: The Korloy King Drill is a high performance dual U-Drill system available in 12-60.5mm diameters in 0.5mm increments. They are the most reliable and accurate indexable drill system, they are available with through coolant capabilities with drill depths of 2xD, 3xD, 4xD & 5xD.

Korloy King Drill XL: The Korloy King Drill XL is an adjustable system for large diameter machining and is available in 60-100mm. The drilling diameter can be adjusted up to 5mm in 1mm increments and they are available with through coolant capabilities with drill depths of 2xD, 3xD, 4xD & 5xD.

Mammut U-Drills: The Mammut U-Drill is the best-selling economy replaceable insert drilling system, it uses SPMG ISO 4 corner drill inserts and they are available with through coolant capabilities with drill depths of 2xD, 3xD & 4xD.

ISO WCMX U-Drills: The ISO WCMX U-Drills are for low cost, general purpose, economical drilling for 16-60mm diameters. The WCMX inserts can be used with other manufacturers holders and are available with drill depths of 2xD, 3xD & 4xD.

Modular Drills: Modular drills consist of a drill body and modular components, including the shank, intermediate modules, and cutting heads. This modular design allows for customization and flexibility in adapting the drill to different drilling requirements, for example a spade drill can machine multiple diameters with just one holder. Modular drills are often used in industries that require versatility and quick tool changeovers, such as oil and gas, where drilling conditions can vary.

Cutwel offers a wide range of Modular Drills, including: 

Supercut Spade Drills: The Supercut Spade Drill is the most versatile drilling system in the world. It is ideal for large diameter drilling between 9.5-114mm. The holedrs are available for long length drilling up to 25xD. Supercut spade drill inserts are fully ground and self centring HSS, Carbide and Powder Metal.

i-Dream Drills: The i-Dream Drill is a high performace replaceable carbide insert system for high feed drilling from 12-31mm. It is optimised for high precision, performance, chip control and reliability. They are through coolant holders with max drill depths of up to 7xD and features a one step clamp system for reduced setting times.

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Korloy TPDC Plus Drills: The Korloy TPDC Plus Drill is a high performance and high feed replaceable head drilling system for diameters of 12-31.75mm. They are extremely cost effective with excellent cost performance ratio for entry level high performance drilling for medium-large patch machining. These holders are through coolant with max drill depths of up to 7xD.

i-One Drills: The i-One Drills are high performance replaceable carbide insert system for dedicated steel and cast iron high performance drilling. They feature high accuracy with unique pin-key clamping and self centring inserts. The inserts are available for 10-33.73mm in 0.1 incraments. The holders are through coolant with max drill depths of up to 7xD.

 

When to Use Threaded Inserts in CNC Machined Prototypes

Does your prototype model really need threaded inserts? 

There are plenty of good reasons to incorporate threaded inserts like Heli-Coils into your prototype design. They&#;re great for reinforcing screw threads and transferring forces on soft materials. 

But for many applications, standard drilling and tapping can be a more functional and cost-effective solution for CNC machined prototypes. 

Wondering if your prototype model could benefit from threaded inserts? Read on to learn more. 

Downsides to Using Threaded Inserts

Typically made out of stainless steel wire, Heli-Coils are threaded inserts with diamond-shaped cross-sections that screw into receiving threads.

The coils remain compressed during installation, then expand against the housing. The resulting tension keeps them in place.

While Heli-Coils provide a sturdy reinforcement for soft materials, they&#;re not always the best option for all materials or budgets. Downsides of using threaded inserts include: 

• Higher cost than standard drilling and tapping. The price of threaded inserts combined with added installation charges can add up quickly for prototype models. These costs are even more prohibitive at production volumes, where it&#;s possible to save tens of thousands of dollars with an alternate solution like Loctite.

• Insufficient strength. Though their depth is short and inherently weak, Heli-Coils are often made of strong materials, like stainless steel. They work well with aluminum, plastic, and other softer materials. But they&#;re not strong enough to effectively fasten stainless steel parts unless they have a special coating.

• Long installation time. Each Heli-Coil takes about 30 seconds to install. That may not seem like much time during the prototype phase, but it makes a big difference in lead times in production manufacturing. 

When to Use Threaded Inserts

Before deciding on threaded inserts, consider the intended function of these fasteners. Will they be used for frequent assembly and disassembly? If so, Heli-Coils are probably a wise choice. 

Threaded inserts are best suited for locations where assembly and disassembly occur most often. They&#;re ideal for applications that require fastening a part to a fixture plate and testing it hundreds of thousands of times.

If, however, your priority is thread strength, threaded inserts may not be the best option. Sometimes adding Loctite to the screw portion provides enough strength without the extra cost and time of installing threaded inserts.

Still have questions about threaded inserts for your CNC machined prototype? We&#;re here to help. Contact us today to discuss your prototype model.

The company is the world’s best Drilling Inserts supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.