Drilling Stainless Steel Sheet Metal

Stainless steel actually is designed to bend a little bit before it breaks.

Drilling stainless steel sheet metal. When drilling stainless steel one of the best indicators of whether the speed pressure and feed rates are correct is to watch the swarf. Drilling through stainless steel is much like drilling through any other type of metal but with a few key differences. What stainless tends to do is work harden fairly quickly when heated and drilling at high speed creates a lot of heat. In the set you will find bits in sizes ranging from 1 16 to 1 2 inch in 1 64 inch increments.

Lubricating the bit reduces friction and heat buildup which makes drilling easier and your bits last longer. Drilling stainless steel stainless steel will work harden fairly quickly when heated and one sure way to increase heat is to drill fast. Stainless is actually a relatively soft metal at least in its initial state. For maximum versatility the 3 8 inch point has a reduced length shank.

Step drill knoweasy 10 step sizes titanium step drill bit high speed steel 1 4 to 1 3 8 inches drill bits set for metal hole drilling 4 3 out of 5 stars 583 9 99 9. This characteristic makes it challenging to break the chip which is especially important in a drilling operation because the chips need to be broken and evacuated from the hole as quickly as possible to reduce the chance of recutting. On and off drilling. Stainless steel is not the hardest of metals in its natural form however as pointed out by chip lawson in his piece know how.

The reason for this is that any buildup of chips within the hole can cause roughness along the wall of the hole. For easier to drill metals like aluminum brass or cast iron lubrication isn t usually necessary. Using high speed drill bits or better is mandatory. There are also other steps to drilling this material that will make the process easier.

Stainless swarf should resemble the original colour of the stock metal or have a yellow tinge to it. It may also cause clogging of the hole that may eventually lead to drill breakage. Or thicker use cutting fluid or a multipurpose oil like 3 in one. For drilling holes in steel that s 1 8 in.

When stainless steel work hardens it becomes very hard and extremely difficult to drill. When drilling stainless steel you may freely let the drilling chips get away from the hole that you are drilling.