Drilling holes in laminated composites requires special tools and techniques. Their highly abrasive nature quickly dulls conventional steel and carbide tools, and their low interlaminar strength often results in splintering and delamination of the hole. There have been many innovative drill designs, but none have been able to produce clean repeatable holes without some kind of backside support, frequent sharpening, or multiple drilling operations. For applications where backside support or backing material is not cost effective, a new diamond coated drill has been developed. Even when operated at non-optimum speeds and feed-rates, a hole free of delaminations is produced. These drills were evaluated for durability, variation, and hole quality over a six-month period. The results and the operating requirements are presented.
| Number of Pages : | 8 |
| Published : | 11/01/2000 |
