You can cool the drill bit by immersing water, using cutting oils, using the chip suction equipment, using low RPM and thrust, using the proper drilling techniques, cleaning the swarfs during the drilling and using proper cutting edge and cutting angle when you are drilling.
The drill bit is heating due to these 6 reasons such as using a higher RPM, applying more thrust, flute clogging with chips, drilling into wetwoods, using a dull drill bit, and drilling same place long time. The generated heat should transfer quickly because generated heat can cause to overheat the drill bit. If your drill bit is overheated you can observe it by smoke rising from the drill bit. Drill bit smoking smells a mix of wood burning smell and oil burning smell.
An overheated drill bit can cause to break the drill bit, make burning marks on the hole, wander the drill bit, and make the improper drilling hole. Hence you should always use the proper cooling method to prevent the drill bit from overheating. You can use these 7 tips to cool the drill bit when you are drilling.
1. Immerse the Drill Bit In the Water While Drilling
When you drill you should immerse the drill bit in the water while you are drilling. You need to keep the cup of water beside your drilling place and a towel (a piece of cloth). When you feel that the drill bit heating is up; immerse in the water and wipe the drill bit with a towel. Do not immerse too much as it touches the chuck. Immerse only the drill bit. As soon as you immerse the drill bit, you should wipe the water because wet conditions may increase the friction inside and rust.
This is really useful when you use these wood drill bits. You can keep spraying the water to the drill bit. But remember to wipe the drill bit towel. You may think to use any lubricants here. But it will not work here because many lubricants are weak in thermal condensation. Water can be heated up quickly and using this; heat can be removed quickly from the drill bit.
There are many reasons to to overheat the drill bit. This guide will help you to find other reasons for drill bit overheating.
2. Use Cutting Oil For Metal Drilling
When you drill metal you should use cutting oil for cooling the drill bit. Higher friction is generated during steel drilling. So you had better use cutting oil while you drill steel. When you drill metal if you observe any smoke coming from the workpiece you should use cutting oil to cool the drill bit. After you add the cutting oil if the smoke exits reduce the thrust and reduce the RPM.
The cutting oils are made by combining petroleum distillates, animal fats, plant oils, water, and air, or other raw ingredients. So, these have specific physical and chemical properties. These fluids can hold much more temperature than regular lubricants. As well as there is also lubricant property. Lubricant properties will reduce inner friction.
You can use water as a real cutting and dust management liquid when you drill tile and glass. When the dust is mixed with water, it will come out as liquid. And water act as good thermal conduction, as it is unlimited you can use more.
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3. Use a Chip Suction Method For Wood Drilling
While you drill wood, swarfs come out. Due to this reason, you must remove them quickly. Else those can be clogged in the drilling hole, and it will generate additional heating. Due to this heating and rotation drill bit can break easily. Bench drill and professional drilling machines have a proper chip suction method. Using that will reduce the heat from the drill bit while drilling.
When the suction equipment is activated, it sucks the air. Due to this reason, the air is moving near the drill bit. This will reduce the temperature of the drill bit. Chips are also moving due to the suction, and there is a dual advantage due to the suction tool.
4. Use Low RPM and Apply Low Thrust to the Drill Bit
This is not the heat reduction method. This is a heat-controlling method. Normally we use different RPMs and thrusts for the drill bits and drilling materials. If you are not able to maintain the correct values, you can observe heating is increased rapidly.
When the RPM and thrust are high, it can move on the material in a tough way. Due to this, heat is generated abnormally. These are two factors, and both are affected in the same way.
Drilling wood and soft material require high RPM, and drilling steel, stone, and concrete require low RPM. Thrust is also important.
When you drill with high speed and low thrust, you can see broken chips coming out. If you use high RPM with the high thrust, you can see more heated and varied thickness chips coming out.
If you use moderate RPM and thrust, you can see the well shape and thick swarfs are coming out, and it is about 2″ in length when you drill metal. So use moderate RPM and thrust for the drilling process in order to heat protection.
5. Use Proper Drilling Techniques
Drilling techniques are really important. If you are a newbie, you may try to drill with constant pressure until the hole is drilled. But this is not a proper way. This can heat much the drill bit. You should drill into the material step by step. Push and release the drill bit. And let the chips come out. When you release the drill bit can be cool a bit, and the continuous temperature will not be increased rapidly.
Normally follow 2-3 steps to drill one hole. If you can, take out the drill and immerse yourself in the water during this process. This seems a bit difficult. But it is easy when you get used to this.
6. Clean the Swarfs in the Drilling Hole
When we drill, chips come out. Continuous chips can be introduced as swarfs. Normally swarfs are the result of perfect drilling speed and RPM. But these can be clogged due to the flutes blocking. When the swarfs come out, there should be a space above the drill. It is about 2 times the diameter length of flutes.
Sometimes, you cant observe clean swarfs due to blunt drill bits. So you can sharpen your drill bit using these methods.
When you drill continuously, these swarfs can be clogged inside due to fewer lubricants. So drill bit can be heated more and more. So you had better keep the free flute length above the drill bit and then use the recommended cutting oils for the lubricants on the flutes.
7. Use Proper Cutting Angles
This is not about the cool drill bit tips. But this can prevent the drill bit by heating. A proper cutting angle and the cutting edge will help to drill the material easily. If the cutting edge is damaged or has no proper cutting angle, you can see it will slipper on the material. Due to this, tools and materials will be heated too much.
As a result of this, it will be heated more and more. To prevent this, you must use proper cutting angles 118° for soft material and 135 ° for hard material or recommended values according to the material.
