Double Contour Single Flute Gundrill with Extended Carbide Head Capability
The single flute gundrill, with its ability to machine very straight deep holes and hold excellent finishes, was originally developed for gun barrel manufacturing. Today, this drill is designed for deep hole drilling in virtually any material.
Posted: April 6, 2023
Star SU LLC (Hoffman Estates, IL), part of the Star Cutter family of companies, has announced its new custom-designed Double Contour Single Flute Gundrill with an extended carbide length head feature. This special tool design has proven to reduce tool drift for the length of the cut, providing excellent TIR readings from entry of the part to the exit.
The machining improvements are achieved by a special cutting drill contour with an added rear contour configuration that acts like a guide pad while the drill remains in the bushing, keeping the tool on location. Once the drill is in the cut, these guide pads continue to force the tool to cut a straight path for the remainder of operation.
In a case study involving the machining of 36.0” DOC holes in Ti6AL4V (Titanium Grade 5), with the part being drilled from both sides and the hole meeting in the middle, the special-design Star SU Double Contour Single Flute Gundrill achieved an average mismatch at the intersection of only .005” and average drift/inch of .00003”, as compared to .036” mismatch and .0020” drift achieved by a standard single flute gundrill. In addition to titanium, these drills are also successful in machining cast iron, aluminum, stainless steel, Inconel, and 4140/4150V steels.
