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IndustryArena Forum > MetalWorking > MetalWork Discussion > deep drilling small holes in aluminum
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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
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    14

    deep drilling small holes in aluminum

    I'm new to machining and am running into trouble. I have 70 .076 diameter holes per part in close packing (.025 walls) going down 1 and 1.25 inches in 6061-t6. I'm breaking drills after about 5 holes. Currently running around 4K rpm using a peck cycle with .075 pecks at 8 ipm. I'm rapiding fully out of the hole and returning .02 short of my last depth for continuing with the next peck. I'm using flood coolany on a Fadal. I was using new parabolic drill bits I got from mcmaster. Didn't see any markings on them. Can anyone recommend feeds, speeds, peck sizes, coolants or drill bits to use. Thanks for the help.

    Dave

  2. #2
    a peck should be 1/2 of the drill dia max

    your speed and feed sound ok

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Posts
    586
    Quote Originally Posted by dertsap View Post
    a peck should be 1/2 of the drill dia max

    your speed and feed sound ok
    Yeah what dertsap said, may be make the return after the peck about .05 i usually make mine .1 just cause that is were i am confortable and you could go a bit faster on the rpm but it will work just fine were it is.
    individual who perceives a solution and is willing to take command. Very often, that individual is crazy.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Posts
    672
    I agree with the others. The peck is too much for that drill. Most of the parts I do have small holes, although not nearly as deep as what you're running. I would run 6000rpm and 10ipm with a peck of .030".

    http://evlgt85.com/gallery/MC_Machine_Samples/sample6

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Posts
    355
    Spot the holes first with a short center drill.

    As a general rule of thumb, peck drilling should be used when the drill depth exceeds 3 times the drill diameter.

    The parabolic .076 drill should easily peck 1 to 2 times the drill diameter during each cycle.

    It isn't necessary to rapid completely out of the hole after each peck.

    Also, Your feedrate may be a little high for the rpms you're running.

    HSS drilling in aluminum, roughly 200 surface feet per minute.
    For a .076 drill, that equates to 10,000 rpm.

    I'd try .001 feed per rev, ( 10 ipm @ 10,000 rpm )
    Or 5 ipm @ 5000 rpm for a more conservative speed.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
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    14
    Thanks for all the help guys. I'll give cut my step in half and rerun.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Posts
    761
    Use a straight flute carbide drill. Much more solid than a spiral flute drill.
    It will last forever in aluminum.
    Wayne Hill

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Posts
    355
    Here's an interesting link to microdrilling:

    http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m..._n8942198/pg_3

    It seems that for VERY small drills, the behavior is non-linear.

    Just when I thought I knew it all...

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Posts
    14
    Thanks again for the help from everyone. I wanted to capture what I did incase someone else comes looking with a similar problem.

    I ended up taking a mix of your input. I set up 6K spindle at 10 ipm with .03 pecks using rapiding out to the clearance plane and rapiding back in with a .1 gap before the next cut. Ran 3 parts (70 holes each) with no problems. I bought PTC extra long parabolics. They were TIN coated since that's all the tool supply had but they hardly loaded up with aluminum.

    Eurisko,
    I did try your setup earlier since it's in keeping with the manufactuer's claims on parabolics but without luck. I only managed 4 holes before snapping the bit despite stopping and checking for chips wrapped in the bit after each hole.

    Thanks again everybory.

    Dave

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Posts
    464
    Jusr for the heck of it.
    I'm using Sandvik Coromant R840-0400-50-A1A 1220.Dia 4mm, drill length 50mm internal coolant,for my alumimum parts. I drill 10 1inch deep holes in each part.S10000rpmF1200mm/m peckdrilling.No problems at all.I change it after every 500'th hole.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Posts
    125
    How do you change how high the peck comes out of the hole? I've never seen that option, mine pecks back out to .1 or .05 depending on what I set.

    "It isn't necessary to rapid completely out of the hole after each peck."

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Posts
    14
    Hey Seanreit,
    When you say it comes out .05 or .1 depending on what you set, are you referring to what you set in your CAM package? If so, you might have to get into the g-code which isn't so bad or perhaps tweak your post processor which I would pass off to my reseller for lack of time. The few CAM packages I have played with allow me to set my clearance plane height which sets the distance you are asking about. For me, using my FADAL, a deep cycle looks like the following:

    G83G99X0Y-2.325R0+.1Z-.736P.02Q.1F5.

    The cycle starts with the G83, G99 calls the cycle back to the initial plane which is flagged with the R0. Right after that it Z's up .1 which is where I set my clearance plane. If your not on a Fadal, I'm sure it'll look different but that's all I can speak to. Like I said in the begining, I'm pretty new to machining.

    Dave

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Posts
    125
    My peck looks like this:
    G83 X4.6554 Y-5.4637 Z0 R.25 Q.25 F2 G99
    I just did that a few minutes ago.
    The R number is what it comes back to after the hole. In this case I was working wood, pecked all the way through to zero from my height .25 But I'm not sure where to set "not necessary to rapid out of the hole" is that part of the G99? I don't think so, but thought I'd ask, I don't know which number is "rapid out of the hole" other than R.25. But if I don't set R to .25 how would it know what height to start at above the part??

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Posts
    14
    I guess I misunderstood. If you are trying not to rapid out of the hole after each peck, try the g74 cycle instead of the g83. It will pull back just a little depending on your controller but will not exit.

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