The adoption of foundation drilling tools has grown rapidly over the past few decades, and the projection shows that the rate will keep rising over the next few decades. This is as more industries consume these tools and the application of foundation drilling technology increases.
But what has changed in this industry is the making of drilling tools and, more so, the advancement in production technology. This can be seen in the improving quality of the drilling tools. A number of factors, including the materials used for the making of these drilling tools and the manufacturing technology, have been critical in spurring the adoption of these tools.
The growing quality of the materials is definitely one of the major aspects increasing the adoption of these tools. As the metal manufacturing industry grows, new alloys and combinations have come up, providing better features, such as harder and stronger parts.
Materials For Foundation Drilling Tools
Though there are many materials for making drilling tools, some have stood out as the most preferred in foundation drilling. The hardness and strength of the metallic material are some of the features to look for due to the nature of the foundation drilling.
It is important to note that most foundation drilling activities work in very hard and abrasive conditions. Therefore, there is a need to ensure the materials used offer the best wear and tear resistance features. These are materials that can withstand the most demanding conditions without much damage.
For foundation drilling bits, they are an assembly of two different parts. One of the parts is the body of the bit and then the drilling tip. The body is usually made from steel material. The steel alloys used for the bits’ body are usually top-quality and can withstand wear, tear, and high heat. These steel alloys can also withstand impact and bending when drilling.
There is a range of steel alloys for making drilling tools, including high-speed steel, carbon steel, micro-alloyed steel, stainless steel, and others. These are alloys of steel that offer exemplary hardness, strength, and resistance to wear and tear. They provide better drilling experience with high productivity.
The tips of the drilling tools are from harder materials than the body. The most widely used material for these tips is tungsten carbide, known for its extreme hardness. Tungsten carbide ranks among the hardest materials in the metal manufacturing industry, which is why it is common in the foundation drilling industry. However, the hardness of the tungsten carbide is majorly due to the amount of cobalt in it.
The bottom line is that materials used in the drilling industry are a crucial factor that users check when buying. The hardness and strength of the materials determine the productivity of the drilling machine as well as the lifespan of the drilling tools.
Drilling Tools Manufacturing Technology
Though the choice of materials matters when selecting foundation drilling tools, there are other important factors, such as the manufacturing technology, that matter. The metal forming industry has adopted a range of manufacturing technologies, but forging technology is quickly gaining prominence.
In fact, looking at the current industry and the drilling tools, the forging technology is popular for the making of these tools. Though hot forging remains one of the most adopted forging technologies, cold forging is quickly gaining traction in this industry.
The hot forging technology produces drilling tips by heating the workpiece before forging them. This method produces even the most intricate sharps of the drilling tools as well as harder tools. It is also good for very hard metals and ideal for mass production. However, you need a lot of heating to hot forge the metallic materials.
The high energy consumption in the hot forging has been addressed by the cold forging technology. The cold forging method forges metals at room temperature, hence saving energy. Cold forging is also better in mass production than hot forging. The finishing cost is also smaller.
However, a lot of force is needed to cold forge hard metals. This means investing in bigger hydraulic machines.
Conclusion
The making of foundation drilling tools takes into consideration the issue of materials and manufacturing technology, among others. These are factors that make ideal drilling tools and what buyers should pay a lot of attention to.