What are indexable drills

Indexable drills are a popular set of drilling tools apart from solid drills in machining and drilling. A solid drill is a cutting tool with one or more cutting edges, the tool body of indexable drill accepts inserts that are designed to clamp into it. When the cutting edge of an indexable insert dulls after use, it is indexed or turned to deploy a new edge. An indexable drill is discarded only after all of its cutting edges have been dulled out. Indexable drills are particularly well suited for drilling holes that are larger than 20 mm in diameter.

Why use indexable drills

When an indexable drill is used with multiple-axis motion of a CNC machine tool, machining complex shapes is made simple and faster, without the need for dedicated turning tools. In many cases, the CNC lathe machines might be misaligned due to wear and tear. This can damage a standard drill. However, indexable drills can function on such machines without any issues.

These tools also work well when roughing large cavities via plunge milling. Roughing deep pockets requires long tools. The radial loading of long tools in traditional drilling operations gives rise to chatter. Plunge roughing involves axially feeding the tool into the workpiece. This is where indexable milling innovations have a key role to play. Plunge roughing with indexable tools yields much higher metal removal rates when long tools are needed.

Although indexable drills are able to undertake jobs with looser tolerances, they are particularly well suited for roughing operations. However, working with indexable drills often requires a second pass with a boring head, and a finishing pass with a reamer, especially in cases where the drill deflects or wanders.

Tooling for indexable drills in India

The right combination of indexable drills and tool holders makes an efficient and versatile combination. With this, manufacturers can drill half-holes, punch holes in corners, get cross holes as well as inner interruptions right. Indexable setup might need a heavy initial investment, but it saves time and costs between 20%-40% for businesses in the long run. Sigma Toolings works to resolve the cost-performance issue that indexable tool setup pose for Indian businesses. We are focused on making advanced European indexable drilling setup available to Indian businesses at Indian price points.