3301U Deep-hole drilling in gray cast iron High performance even with interrupted cuts

Challenge

An application development project was carried out for a customer in the automotive sector with the goal of improving a deep-hole drilling process on a gray cast iron housing, a particularly critical operation due to the presence of interrupted cuts and the high load required of the tools.

The main requests were:

• Reduce cycle time
• Increase tool life, especially for long drills, which are more heavily stressed during machining

Solution

The activity included a complete review of the drilling strategy, supported by careful optimization of cutting parameters, with the aim of making the process more stable and efficient.

Results

The results achieved showed a significant improvement in both productivity and tool life, involving both the pilot drill (10xD) and the long drill (30xD):

Pilot drill 10xD

Long drill 30xD

Overall, this led to a drilling process that is faster, more stable, and more reliable, even under demanding conditions such as interrupted cuts.

Test data excerpt				Current	Test
D	Cutting diameter [mm]			5.5	5.5
F	Feed [mm/min]			115	780 ↑
S	Spindle speed [rpm]			5766	5200 ↓
Q	Chip volume [cm³/min]			99	665 ↑