6,000,000 holes

[woodworx]

We are quoting a custom panel job that is drilling over 6,000,000 holes on 600 custom layed-up sheets. The core is Fire Rated P.B.

I know the resin in that FR panel causes major wear on the drill bits. Is there a bit mfg. out there that has superior bits for this application?

-Justin

[Brady Watson]

You'll want either diamond or tungsten carbide. Call your local tooling supply or ask a nearby machine shop where they get their tools. I run OSG stuff.

You didn't state how thick the material was or hole diameter. Things get dicey when you get too thick and you have to deal with cutter deflection. Also, the geometry of the drill also plays a role, as you'll have to drill deeper than your material thickness to properly hog out the entire hole.

End mills drill nicely in this stuff...but I'm not certain that they will be the most economical in the long run.

You can try calling the material manufacturer and ask them for recommendations, but I wouldn't hold your breath. Most have no clue...

-B

[gene]

That would be a good test for the extended run coated bits that Jerome had on the forum a while back .

[dlcw]

Depending on the size of the hole you can use boring bits that are made for this application. I chuck mine up in my spindle and run at 2500 RPM with a .5ips plunge rate.

I just drilled about 3 thousand of holes in Dibond and the last hole was as clean as the first hole with a single 5mm boring bit.

I know 6 million is a lot more holes but I think the boring bits are made to hold up under this load. Granted I don't think you'll pull it off with one bit but they are economical to purchase.

[paul_z]

If I calculated it correctly ... assuming 1" of up and down travel per hole, that's about 190 miles of Z travel. You'll probably need to replace racks and pinions (and bearings?) at least once.

[dana_swift]

Just assuming you are making one hole per second (ignoring time to change material and bits) There are 86400 seconds per day.. so ..

It would take a minimum 70 days cutting 24 hours per day to bore 6,000,000 holes with a single shopbot. Does it pay enough to support buying several more shopbots? If it takes more than one second to peck drill, plan to spend the next year or so on the job.

Do you run three shifts?

That is a LOT of holes!

How precise is the 6,000,000 number. If it is LOW, gulp...

[gerryv]

Well stated Dana. Sometimes a bit of down-to-earth arithmetic can really put things in perspective without the need for spreadsheets and paid consultants

[woodworx]

We are running a 5x16 Onsrud now at our company. We run 2 shifts. 500 sheets are a standard grid, so we are going to stack 3 sheets at a pop. The material is 3/4 thick, and the holes are 1/4".

100 sheets are going to make up a mural with different size holes and every sheet will have a different design. When they are all put together, it makes a misty forest scene. Very cool stuff!

[sailfl]

Please post pictures of some of the process and the finished product.

[curtiss]

What type of software was used to design the forest scene ?

Do you know how the tool-pathing was done to create a selection of points to drill ??

Is there lighting through the back ?