How are small diameter drill bits made?

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swellwelder

Stainless

Joined

Sep 21, 2002

Location

Valley City, ND USA

• Feb 28, 2010

• #1

It isn't too hard to see how larger(maybe 1/4" and up)drill bits are made, with some kind of grinder, but when you get smaller, what process is used? Smaller and smaller grinders? lol. Not a burning need to know, but surely am curious!

Dale Nelson

 

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hickstick_10

Stainless

Joined

Oct 26, 2009

Location

BC Canada

• Feb 28, 2010

• #2

there not made with some kind of grinder, if your talking twist drills.

What kind of drills are you taling about?

 

S

swellwelder

Stainless

Joined

Sep 21, 2002

Location

Valley City, ND USA

• Feb 28, 2010

• #3

I was referring to standard twist drills. I just assumed that the flutes were made by grinding rather than being milled out, but what do I know?

Dale

 

eKretz

Diamond; Mod Squad

Joined

Mar 27, 2005

Location

Northwest Indiana, USA

• Feb 28, 2010

• #4

Some are ground (usually the smaller ones) and the big ones are usually milled. (Referring to the clearance area, or flutes).

 

WizardOfBoz

Diamond

Joined

Sep 30, 2006

Location

SE PA, Philly

• Feb 28, 2010

• #5

At least on big drills, the flutes are milled out. There's a picture in one of my books showing a 2 inch or so diameter bit mounted on a index head hooked up to the gearing of a universal mill table on a horizontal mill, so that as the table travels the bit rotates and the cutter cuts a helical flute.

Don't know if they have a little 2 inch talk cinncinati universal replica for those 0.005 inch drills. Maybe Rivett makes these for the mini drill bit industry...

 

D

Davis In SC

Diamond

Joined

Sep 14, 2005

Location

South Carolina USA

• Feb 28, 2010

• #6

I was drilling some .025 in. holes the other day, and looked at the drill flutes under a loupe... It is amazing how they are made.. I assume they are ground, in a constant flood of coolant.

I use a Servo Drill for my small hole drilling, it has a very sensitive feel. I have observed that tiny drills from the same pack, will vary a lot, in how they drill. Some have a great feel, and really want to cut, but the next one seems like I have to force it to cut.. Those go in the trash can before they break..

 

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DieselPower

Cast Iron

Joined

Mar 28, 2009

Location

Centerville, TN USA

• Feb 28, 2010

• #7

I recently bought a couple of No. 120 twist drills, and was marveling at them as well. How in the world could you presision grind something like that for 6 bucks? I could hardly see them, yet they drilled just fine! How are they held? What kind of wheel? It's just amazing!

 

bcstractor

Titanium

Joined

Apr 25, 2004

Location

Monument CO USA

• Feb 28, 2010

• #8

Some of the smaller ones were forged. Where I worked they held the blank in an RF heater. When hot it dropped down into a chuck and then 4 moving jaws wound the spiral in. You then cut the nasty piece at the tip off, ran it through a centerless for the outside edges and then did the point grind. The normal process was indeed called a flute grind and was done in flood oil coolant. A lot of it ended up in the air even though they were totally enclosed.

Chris P

 

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Jim Williams

Stainless

Joined

Oct 3, 2002

Location

Grant, Florida

• Mar 1, 2010

• #9

Maybe we havent lost the noun drill after all. The originator called them drill bits. Of the seven current replies, six used the proper terminology drill or twist drill, and one did not use any name. I observe that some marketing people are now using the term drill bit to designate their product. The use of drill motor for electric drill is quaint.

Jim

 

awake

Titanium

Joined

Jan 24, 2006

Location

Angier, North Carolina

• Mar 1, 2010

• #10

Jim Williams said:

Maybe we havent lost the noun drill after all. The originator called them drill bits. Of the seven current replies, six used the proper terminology drill or twist drill, and one did not use any name. I observe that some marketing people are now using the term drill bit to designate their product. The use of drill motor for electric drill is quaint.

Jim

Click to expand...

Ease up, Jim -- this was just an idle question, not one with anything riding on it.

You might say it was just a drill ...

 

John Welden

Diamond

Joined

Mar 21, 2009

Location

Seattle

• Mar 1, 2010

• #11

We've got some .002" drill bits here. I have no idea how they're made. They look like normal bits under the microscope; amazing stuff. More amazing is that they really work! Smallest bit I've seen was .001". I've heard of a .0005" bit but haven't seen one. Seems impossible to manufacture.

 

Jon Bohlander

Stainless

Joined

Apr 22, 2003

Location

Topeka KS

• Mar 1, 2010

• #12

Here's an episode of Hows It Made where they ground small drills from the solid. Wood working taper drills but they say straight drills as well. About 3:30 in for the drills:

YouTube - How It's Made (Season 7 / Episode 10 / Part 1)

 

John Welden

Diamond

Joined

Mar 21, 2009

Location

Seattle

• Mar 1, 2010

• #13

What kind of abrasive wheel are they using at 3:00 in that video? It's semi transparent.

 

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Ghost

Cast Iron

Joined

Aug 27, 2009

Location

Royersford PA USA

• Mar 1, 2010

• #14

The wheel has slots in it, when spinning it gives the illusion of a semi transparent wheel. They show it stationary at first.

 

3

3t3d

Diamond

Joined

Nov 1, 2004

Location

WI

• Mar 1, 2010

• #15

John Welden said:

What kind of abrasive wheel are they using at 3:00 in that video? It's semi transparent.

Click to expand...

Look at it before it spins up. It is full of slots.

 

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Markusfu

Stainless

Joined

Sep 15, 2002

Location

ohio-USA

• Mar 2, 2010

• #16

drill making

There is a drill manufacturing company in Homeworth , Ohio that I toured about 20 years ago. I think it might be called Ohio Drill..... Anyway, they were grinding the tiny drills on what looked like prehistoric homemade grinders. Nothing fancy at that time as one might expect.

Markus