Microdrilling CNC Machines for high-speed micro hole drilling in stainless steel, aluminum, plastics and composites etc.

Microdrilling small highly accurate holes is becoming a common requirement across a range of industries and applications. From hydraulic valves and spray nozzles to torch tips and gasoline direct injectors, the ability to microdrill small, precise, repeatable holes is key to the integrity and functioning of a given product. Plus, many of the microdrilling applications have volume requirements so drilling time ultimately rivals cost and quality in terms of importance.

Enter DATRON, with machines that feature a 60,000 RPM spindle that handles micro drills as small as .004” (0.1mm) with precision and repeatability in X,Y and Z. Our sheer speed combined with a micro-spray alcohol coolant system produces micro holes with smooth walls, well defined edges and virtually void of dross or recast.

In His Own Words
(DATRON Customer Speaks Out):

"This project has been a great success, in that we have two machines running identical programs, the cycle times have been reduced drastically and we have also decreased the setup time for other ends of the manufacturing process."
-Peter V. Brahan
Hypertherm, Inc.

What Is Micro Hole Drilling?
Well, that depends on who your talking to. Some CNC machine manufacturers think that a 1/8" hole is small and tout that their VMC has that capability. But with DATRON CNC machines, 0.015" to 0.004" is a walk in the park. Alright, we admit it, that may be an overstatement ... but micro holes that small are being made each day in a variety of industries with DATRON high-speed CNC machining centers. One of the main reasons that Datron machines reign supreme in micro hole drilling is because of our high speed, low force technology. To sum it up, our machines have smaller motors because we cater exclusively to manufacturers who make small parts. Because our machines never run large tools, they simply don't need a hulking motor. The result is that an extremely low force is placed on the tool. That combined with the blazing speed of our 60,000 RPM spindle, a chilled spindle and the superior cooling qualities of our Spray-Mist Coolant System allows the tool to do its job evacuating chips without causing tool breakage.

Of course, the diameter of a micro hole is only one consideration when undertaking a micro drilling application. Depth of the hole is another considerable challenge ... especially when using small fragile tools that can "walk" and break. This is where runout, positioning accuracy and tight tolerance come into play ... and again, DATRON trumps conventional CNC manufacturers. Our DATRON M7HP is designed specifically with micro drilling applications in mind and delivers a runout of less than 5 microns, 0.0008" Positioning Accuracy and 0.0004 Repeatability.

Above and Below: XRAYS of 4K (thou) Hole Drilled in 40K (thou) Deep Stainless Steel Rods.

DATRON Microdrilling Increases the Efficiency of Gas Engines

DATRON customer Multitorch manufactures special ignition systems for gas engines. The basis of their unique technology is a nickel cap that is screwed onto the spark plug in the ignition area to ensure that the pressure caused by ignition of the mixture uniformly acts on the surface of the piston. Thus a higher efficiency is achieved while , at the same time, reducing nitrogen levels.

Using a DATRON M8 microdrill holes into a nickel cap measuring approximately 15 x 15 x 15 mm. Previously, these holes were drilled manually on a twin spindle machine.

A critical component of this micrdrilling system is the 4th & 5th axis capability of the M8. First the cap had to be firmly clamped into the multi-rotary axis and positioned based on a centering milling tool. Since the holes are not drilled at a perfect 90 degree angle, this process prevents the drill from "drifting". Subsequent deburring of the edge of the hole is done with an engraving tool. These tools are housed in an 11-tool auto changer positioned close to the rotary axis for minimize d tool change time.