Fdrill, a manufacturer of thermal drill bits
Fdrill, a manufacturer of thermal drill bits, will exhibit and demonstrate the thermal drilling process at CIIF 2013. Their purpose is to acquaint the visiting designers and fabricators with this process that is considered a novelty in the China even though it has been in use for over 40 years by multi-national fabricators to small machine shops throughout Europe. Its popularity is due to the big savings in time, labor and material costs. Resulting joints are as strong or stronger as the equivalent diameter welded nut.
Fdrill will have a drill press available to demonstrate how easy it is to perforate metal using friction. The main benefit of the process is that the material, that would normally be cut using the conventional drilling process, is used to form a bushing that triples the material thickness. This bushing can then be tapped to, Form your own Inserts, and be used instead of welded nuts, threaded nipples and inserts. The process can also be used in CNC, or milling machines.
One of Fdrills R&D Engineers states that typical savings can be as much as $2 dollars per joint since there is no need to cut the hole, clean the burrs, buy the nuts or nipples, weld them, and test for leaks. When you multiply the $2 savings per joint times the millions of holes drilled per year, it is easy to cost-justify its implementation. Another very significant benefit of the process is that parts can also be designed with lighter/thinner materials. These built-in inserts can be formed in UNC, UNF, NPT, Metric and Metric Fine threads in steel, stainless, aluminum and copper from .032” to ½” thick.
Come by their booth #1550, ready to drill a hole with this new, 40 year old, process. You will be amazed by the clean, no chips, operation and the feeling of pushing into butter as the steel is heated with the friction and transformed into a plastic state to Form your own Inserts.