Drilling Stainless Steel Speed

When drilling deep holes reduce the speed and feed as the drill moves into the metal.

Drilling stainless steel speed.

Because so many people ask how to drill through stainless steel we decided to dedicate a page to this topic. There are also other steps to drilling this material that will make the process easier. 200 400 rpm. Drilling through stainless steel is much like drilling through any other type of metal but with a few key differences.

We have produced speed and feed charts for both metric and imperial drill bit sizes. 300 700 rpm. Drill bit cutting speed. 200 500 rpm.

What stainless tends to do is work harden fairly quickly when heated and drilling at high speed creates a lot of heat. 120 225 rpm. 11 16 to 13 16 in. Drill bit cutting speeds are very important in the drilling of metals.

There are basically two factors that you must carefully balance when drilling stainless steel namely. 500 800 rpm. In high speed steel hss drills this heat will cause the tool to lose its hardness. 1 1 4 to 1 9 16 in.

Cranking a 2 indexable drill through 300 series stainless steel takes 8hp for example. For through holes the best bet may be an annular cutter. Excessive speed however is a major cause of drill breakages. 95 195 rpm.

175 315 rpm. When you machine stainless steel you are generating high temperatures explained scott turner marketing manager holemaking seco tools. Certainly of all the metals out there stainless steel is the one that seems to cause most problems for people when it comes to drilling. 300 600 rpm.

You should use a cutting speed chart to ensure you drill in the most efficient manner possible. Using high speed drill bits or better is mandatory. 2 1 16 to 2 3 8 in. There are two good alternatives depending on whether you need a through hole or a blind hole.

In solid carbide drills microcracks can form on the cutting edges which will eventually cause the drill to fail. 2 7 16 to 3 in. Too much friction may cause your drill to overheat and if this happens you may ruin your drill and the stainless steel. Start with a sharp drill and have it turning as slowly as your drill or drill press will allow.

When stainless steel work hardens it becomes very hard and extremely difficult to drill. 200 450 rpm. 7 8 to 1 3 16 in. Many people have drilled holes into plain old steel with satisfactory results.

80 150 rpm. When drilling stainless steel you need to slowly drill to permit the drill bit to find its own working speed. You should carefully balance the pressure that you apply. 150 300 rpm.

700 1000 rpm. Drilling machines with continuous speed change control are better than stepped or discrete speed change gear boxes for drilling stainless steel. Drill speed becomes increasingly important when drilling harder metals.