In nearly all fabrication facilities, you’ll find at least one drill machine. Drill machines or drill presses enable efficient and accurate hole drilling, but they can also accomplish other useful machining purposes. Drill presses can achieve the following processes within a general-purpose machine shop:
- Drilling: cutting process that creates a hole in a circular cross section in solid materials
- Reaming: enlarges an existing hole
- Tapping: cuts a thread inside of a hole so a cap screw or bolt can get threaded into the hole
- Boring: enlarges holes
- Countersinking: enlarges and bevels the rim of a hole so a screw, bolt, or nail can get inserted flush with the surface
As you can see, drill presses are versatile machines in the fabrication world. Let’s look at the different types of drill machines and their uses.
Upright Sensitive Drill Press
This piece of drilling equipment is light duty, commonly used for moderate to light fabrication procedures. Most upright sensitive drill press models have a belt drive spindle head, and workers must hand-feed the work materials.
With an upright sensitive drill press, the operator can physically feel the machine working. You’ll find this type of drill machine in either floor style or bench style. Kaka Industrial has a variety of vertical bench drills that provide operation precision and operator safety.
Upright Drill Press
Upright drill presses cover the more heavy-duty type of fabrication projects. For larger and heavier parts, your facility will need to use this type of drill press. It comes with a geared drive spindle head to enable operators to create holes on bulkier materials.
Operators can hand or power-feed tools into the workpiece. Some upright drill presses are also designed with an automatic table-rising mechanism that makes it easier for operators to maneuver heftier products.
Gang Drilling Machine
The gang drilling machine is a specialized piece of fabrication equipment, offering several work heads over a single table. Its structure allows consecutive machining operations to take place, as operators can purpose each of the work heads to achieve a different operation. For example, one work head might drill, while another performs tapping.
Radial Arm Drill Press
The radial arm drill press is one of the most versatile drill machines in manufacturing. Operators can move the spindle over their working material rather than try to position the material on the equipment. This makes working with especially large or heavy products easier and safer.
To improve safety and productivity in the workplace, you and your employees should become familiar with the different types of drill machines and their uses. Knowing the variety of drill presses to choose from can help you make a more informed decision when purchasing new equipment.