Diamond Drill Bits

Sometimes regular drill bits aren’t strong or versatile enough to properly form holes in certain products. Hard woods, glass, quartz and other products are simply too difficult for a standard carbon steel bit to drill through. The introduction of the diamond drill bit has solved this problem by allowing the drilling of a wide variety of thick and strong materials.

Types of Diamond Drill Bits

Diamond drill bits are typically core drill bits or blunt nose bits. A core drill bit can expand a pre-drilled hole up to twice its size. It is hollow inside, with diamonds on the edge of the drill tip, and spins to cut or saw a hole. Core bits are slightly slower than their alternative, but they can be used on materials like glass, ceramic and porcelain. Blunt nose bits are full-bodied drill bits with diamonds on the tip and sides. They are used to drill fresh holes and cannot be used to expand pre-existing holes like the core bit. Because they have to drill fresh holes, the holes must naturally be smaller than core bit holes although they can later be expanded. They operate very quickly and are generally used on glass.

Composition

Core and blunt nose diamond drill bits typically feature many sharpened diamonds, but arranged in different manners. The sintered diamond method involves incorporating diamonds into the steel tip itself. Diamond bits are either embedded in the tip or mixed directly during formation. As a result, wear on the drill bit’s tip reveals new diamonds trapped on the surface. Drill bits also feature bonded diamond tips. The diamonds are bonded to the tip through plating, an inexpensive and relatively easy process that results in inexpensive tips. However, bonded drill bits must be spun slower than sintered tips because the diamonds can wear off the bit. The rate at which tips show wear is dependent on the drilling material.

Lubrication

In order to lengthen the diamond drill bit’s lifespan, it’s necessary to run lubrication along the bit as it cuts. This is not an expensive method because the most effective lubricant is water. Water sprayed on the bit during drilling reduces friction, in addition to cooling diamonds so they are not misshapen or discolored. There are several methods of applying lubrication to a diamond bit. Simple methods, such as squirt bottles or hoses can be attached near the bit to aim water at the bit’s cutting edge. More advanced techniques are also available, involving bottles or hoses with pumping actions. For instance, an under water feeder is very effective for very slow rate cutting. The entire material is submerged in a tub of water and the drill bit dives below the surface to drill the hole. Some other lubrication techniques can be quite simple, such as having a worker squirt water straight at the bit.

Keeping the Diamond Drill Bit Functional

Lubrication will greatly extend the lifespan of a diamond drill bit but other measures are necessary to protect your investment. For instance, drill speed needs to be carefully calculated and calibrated to the material being drilled so as to ensure wear does not become excessive. The temper of the diamond bit can be helped by lubrication, but material is also extremely important to consider. Glass and granite have totally different compositions, and can have completely different effects on diamond bits.

Integrated Industrial Robotic Systems

Here is a guide we wrote on robotic systems

Because robotic systems can be integrated into semi-automated factory systems to improve efficiency, they have been a key element in the move toward fully automated and highly productive manufacturing processes for many different industries. Robotic systems can be found across a range of applications and specified to fill a variety of unusual niches, from industrial device assembly to assistance in microscopic medical procedures.

Industrial manufacturing robots have a distinct set of capabilities that enable them to perform in industrial environments, as well as distinguish them from other specialty robotic systems. An industrial robot can perform a wide variety of tasks, including material handling and tooling, or can be designed to handle specific manufacturing operations. To operate, a robot depends on a complex network of mechanical gestures triggered by sensors and computer integrated software. In an integrated robotic system, there are different areas of automation, thus providing varying levels of complexity and ability within the system as a whole.

An integrated robotic system typically includes several of the following capabilities and components: essential safety features, environmental and feedback sensors, environmental interfaces, and a comprehensive data management and storage system. These features, both as individual components and as one unified system, help to facilitate the successful execution of a designated production process.

But underneath each major component lie numerous subcomponents, responsible for ensuring that even the smallest robotic movement occurs smoothly and enabling the system as a whole to perform at a high level. One of the most important subcomponents is the robotic manipulator, which resembles a mechanical arm. The manipulator is jointed to allow a greater range of motion, but all joints are geared toward allowing the end-piece, known as the effector, the greatest range of motion because it is responsible for interacting directly with the external environment and conducting physical tasks. The effector, which has the ability to move in more ways than the manipulator, is the most flexible part of the robotic arm. In robots that must move about the factory floor (as opposed to a stationary robot with moving components), a vehicle enables movement along a programmable path.

Yet not all industrial robots possess the same range of motion nor move along the same axis. In fact, the manner in which a robot moves can be in one or a combination of seven ways.  Common methods of movement include: point-to-point, straight line, defined curves, and sensor-guided motion. In point-to point motion, a robot moves between several predetermined points.  In straight line movement, a robot simply moves forward but does not rotate or move between more than two points. Defined curve movement allows a robot to curve and move along a programmed path. A robot functioning under sensor-guided movement depends on sensor feedback to inform the way it moves.

All kinds of robotic movement are programmed using complex algorithms that take into consideration the parameters of the work environment, the speed at which the robot will move, and the timing of surrounding movement. External conditions, such as noise and vibrations, are also significant factors. Along with the necessary algorithms for dictating motion, a robot also depends upon task-specific software.

Dark Cover- Cracking the GCode

So Dark Cover, why the mystery behind your identity?

In the next few weeks, that will be made clear. It’s a very real CNC breakthrough for job shops. As for my role in it all, I started out as a machine tool programmer and operator, so I’m familiar with the so-called conversational CNC trend. It wasn’t until I got involved in beta tests for this new kind of CNC that I witnessed the potential of CNC in terms of faster setup times and accelerated operations, both from the standpoint of the machine and the shop floor.

What is RELIC CNC and why would they want to keep you quiet?

It’s not in the interest of the entrenched CNC to make waves, let alone acknowledge a new and better control. Job Shops tend to accept whatever control comes on a machine and that’s why RELIC CNC is feeling threatened. Job shops are familiar with RELIC and know what to expect even though the control is needlessly g-code intensive for many basic jobs. It’s good enough. It’s old reliable. Only now here comes this leapfrog CNC onto the market, built especially for higher job shop production, and RELIC is serious about protecting a market they feel they own.

How is the new control different than traditional G-Code driven CNC?

The new control takes graphically guided blocks of programming to the logical extreme, so a lot of jobs can be done with about half as many input steps, compared to a partly conversational RELIC CNC. Just as important, a smarter HMI design brings a higher level of operational efficiency. The new control uses g-code programming for complex jobs, but for any and all jobs, the interface is much more efficient because it is extremely logical and simple.

What surprise functionality can job shops expect from the new CNC?

All will be revealed before the EMO show in Milan, Italy. I can tell you this much, job shop owners and machine tool operators will be equally impressed about such performance leaps as 80 Bit Nano-FP Accuracy, Advanced Surface, Kinematic Transformations, and such advances as shopfloor communications, production status text messaging, and other cool advancements. For more details to come, your readers should check out www.crackthegcode.com