Deep Hole Drilling Thin Wall Tubing: Support Methods and Parameters
Thin wall tubing is some of the most frustrating material to deep hole drill. The wall has almost no rigidity, so the cutting forces that would be negligible on a solid bar become critical. I have seen tubes collapse, chatter, ovalize, and ring like a bell when the drill contacts them. The key is understanding that you are not drilling a hole in a tube – you are drilling a hole through a structure that happens to be shaped like a tube. The structural integrity of the tube has to be maintained during the drilling process. ...