All About Cobalt Drills

Know all about cobalt drills very important for every novice master. Having studied their description, having dealt with a 14 mm metal tool and other models, you can eliminate many mistakes and discover additional possibilities. It is worth studying reviews for similar products, as well as the procedure for their use.

The main feature of cobalt drills is high toughness of the alloy. Where a simple tool overheats quickly, a cobalt-doped product guarantees much more stable performance. It is quite difficult and difficult to organize everything competently. The cobalt drill works well with vertically oriented workpieces. It is practically a versatile tool suitable for a wide range of jobs.

The main structural material turns out to be high-speed steel.... Due to the use of cobalt (up to 5%), forced heat removal can be avoided in most cases. Drill sharpening angles (at the top) 135 degrees. With their help, it is possible to drill even extremely smooth surfaces without pre-countersinking - the drill will not go sideways (as they say, it belongs to the self-centering type).

And also worth noting:

• obtaining particularly accurate holes in size;
• no risk of burrs and other deformations;
• zero probability that the tool in the working area will "bite";
• maximum resistance to wear;
• the passage of channels is almost twice as fast compared to a simple steel drill.

The design of cobalt drills can be categorized as one-sided or two-sided..

1. The first type implies the execution of the cutting part strictly from one side.
2. In the second version, in fact, a pair of instruments is placed in a single body.

All cobalt drills are carefully are marked... First of all, they write the conditional letters of the elements, and after them indicate the percentage. Almost all steel grades are indicated with an indication of several alloying elements. The most advanced brand P6M5K5 means:

• tungsten - 6%;
• molybdenum - 5%;
• cobalt - 5%.

It should be noted that tools smaller than 2 mm do not always have such details in the marking... Most often, the designation of the chemical composition is practiced on drills with a cross section of 2 to 3 mm.

But, in addition to marking, it is necessary to take into account and colors of products. To an experienced eye, she will tell no less than a combination of letters and numbers. Combination black and gold paint indicates the passage of the "vacation". This variation of heat treatment allows you to cope with internal mechanical stresses. The pure gold color shows the addition of not only cobalt but also titanium nitride.

This component helps to make the steel stronger. The friction level during operation will be less than usual. Black drills are produced by processing with superheated steam. This effect reduces natural technical wear and tear. Gray the drill should be considered last - this tone says that there was no finishing treatment, and therefore the quality of the products will be quite low.

Cobalt-added drilling tool excellent suitable for machining both tough and hard alloys. It can be used on copper and metal with stainless properties. They also note the suitability of such devices for:

• acid resistant steel;
• heat-resistant metal;
• processing of casting molds made of steel;
• handling of corrosion-resistant connections;
• processing of alloyed alloys;
• the passage of cast iron;
• fast and accurate machining of holes on metal cutting equipment.

Wear resistance cobalt drills provide a long service life. You can not be afraid of negative consequences even with intensive long work and significant warming up. A specially thought-out design makes it possible to accurately and accurately drill large holes. Additional accessories are not required for such work. There is a groove that is ground for the fastest removal of chips.

It is also worth noting the presence of a reinforced shank. It minimizes the risk of breakage. As a result, the standard term of use increases. The cobalt additive guarantees excellent drilling in ductile metals. This includes primarily lead and aluminum, but tin and copper also fall into this category.

The classic twist drills with cobalt additives are rarely produced. But if there are such products, then the structural basis for them is steel grade HSS. A similar substance perfectly cuts through metal. As a result, it becomes possible to make durable and long-lasting gimbals. Using drills with conical (stepped) geometry cutting surface, you can more easily punch a hole in a thin metal layer.

They will also help in correcting defects left by other cutting tools. The choice of a specific version of stepped drills is determined by the type of metal. For dense workpieces, a golden tool is optimal. In domestic conditions, it is rarely used.

It's a different matter - core drill (it is also an annular cutter)... Such a cutting device is shaped like a cylinder. One of the edges is cutting. The energy consumption when using such tools is many times less than in other cases. The reason is simple: the contact area is relatively small. A core drill will help you punch a large hole. But this advantage is not the only one: the quality of the edge processing is higher than when using spiral modifications.

Pen flat drills have a changeable working edge. With their help, it turns out to punch holes that are flawless in size and smoothness. Many craftsmen use feather structures instead of spiral ones, while they are relatively inexpensive.

Most often, cobalt drill refers to type Р6М5К5. Popular and grade Р9К15 - it contains 15% cobalt. Imported products of the same type are designated HSS-E. It is necessary to take into account the size range of structures. The main gradation is as follows:

• short type (length from 2 to 13.1 cm with a cross-section of 0.03-2 cm);
• elongated type (1.9-20.5 cm and 0.03-2 cm, respectively);
• fully long drills (5.6-25.4 cm and 0.1-2 cm).

When making drilling work, you need to focus on the depth of metal penetration. In many domestic situations, a thickness of 14 mm is sufficient. Other popular sizes are 6.7x109, 4x75x43, 5x86x52 mm. Additionally, when choosing a drill modification, you must pay attention to the range of leading suppliers, such as:

• Bosch;
• "Bison";
• rare stamps from the USSR (they are rare, but differ in their amazing parameters).

There is no point in taking a cobalt drill bit for weak metal. It will be a waste of the best tool resource. It is always necessary to use a device slightly smaller than the size of the required channel.... Under the influence of the impact force, it will increase. But the depth of the drilled hole will be less than the length of the drill. It is required to carefully control the type of shank. It differs depending on the use for drills or hammer drills.

Excellent results are obtained model "Practice Expert"... Reviews indicate that this tool outperforms 95% of industrial mass production. Attention is also paid to bending strength and long service life. The drill of this version fits exactly. He did not have any particular shortcomings.

Product under the name Bosch HSS-Co is also popular. Even the fact that, according to some sources, they are produced in China does not interfere. As for the comparison FIT and KEIL brands, here everything is not so simple. FIT Products significantly cheaper. But at KEIL more perfect sharpening. In terms of redness, these brands are on a par.

In the next video, you will find an overview of a set of cobalt drills 1-10mm from China.