Insert Drill Shines in Interrupted Cuts

Allied Machine & Engineering’s 4TEX insert drill, to be released at IMTS, makes shallow 2×D, 3×D and 4×D holes in the 12 to 47 mm (0.472" to 1.850") range. The drill’s single cutting edge provides high penetration rates on light-duty machines. According to the company, lacking a center coolant outlet improves the drill’s core strength and, by extension, hole size and straightness. Instead, the drill features twisted coolant outlets to improve hole straightness and penetration rates by enhancing coolant flow and chip evacuation. 

Material-specific insert geometries are available to improve hole quality and penetration rate while also preventing chips from wrapping around the tool.The shape of the four-sided inserts is said to improve surface finish, hole diameter and hole straightness by facilitating a balanced cut.

The drills will be stocked in both imperial and metric shanks with standard fractional diameters. In addition, drills ranging to 26 mm in diameter are available in 1/2-mm increments, while those ranging from 26 to 47 mm in diameter are available in 1-mm increments.

According to the company, the drill is a good candidate for applications involving interrupted cuts. This includes entering and exiting on an angled surface, which enables certain operations to be performed without milling first. Chip formation characteristics are said to make it particularly useful for the aerospace, heavy equipment, automotive and energy industries.