7 Components of Defense Industry Deep Hole Drilling Services

Drilling Services

Deep hole drilling is the process by which engineers use machines to drill holes deeper than the hole diameter. Drilling holes with a high length-to-diameter ratio applies to industries like the oil and gas industry, aerospace, mold making, boreholes, defense, and heavy industry.

The defense industry relies on deep-hole drilling services to manufacture guns and other armaments. The barrel is a vital part of a gun. The hole needs to be drilled accurately and precisely to make a good gun.

Deep hole drilling from companies like Acromatic Deep Hole Drilling produces hole accuracy in metal materials and has a high metal removal rate. The process of drilling a deep hole ten times deeper than its diameter demands professional expertise and the use of efficient heavy tools. Deep hole drilling requires the use of special techniques as there are forces generated during the process.

What is Gun Drilling?

Gun barrel drilling is the process by which a gun obtains an accurate hole with a smooth finish for you to make a precise gunshot. The defense industry uses gun drilling deep hole drilling to produce barrels for rifles, pistols, shotguns, and even heavier weapons.

What is unique about deep hole drilling is that the cooling lubricant is pumped under high pressures and in large amounts into the cutting edges. As a result, the cooling oil works as a lubricant between the hole and the tool. In addition, it helps remove chips from the cutting zone.

Deep hole drilling in the defense industry effectively makes barrels with a diameter range of 1-50mm. The head of the drilling tool defers from the standard drilling tools as its cutting edge is geometrically designed to remove chips as it works on the metal workpiece.

Components of Defense Industry Deep Hole Drilling Services

Deep hole drilling helps in the production of parts that are lighter and stronger. Working with deep hole drilling experts guarantees quality barrels irrespective of the material. For the professional to get the exact specifications, working with industrial-grade steel, copper, and stainless steel is best.

Here are seven components of the defense drilling services:

  1. Single Axis Gun Drilling

The single-axis gun drilling machines are ideal for making holes with a diameter range of 1.5-25mm. Single-axis gun drilling produces flexible and standard parts. The device works best with pieces of up to 1500mm in length.

Advantages of the single axis gun drilling machine are:

  • Excellent precision
  • High productivity
  • Affordability
  • Reliability
  • Bore tolerance
  • Great surface finish

Machine features include:

  • The tool has a monitoring system to prevent tool breakage.
  • A high-pressure cooling lubricant filtration system
  • Counter rotation to ensure absolute straightness.
  1. BTA Drilling

Boring and Trepanning Association (BTA) is called a single-tube system (STS). The BTA drilling machines are excellent for drilling through heavy metals and creating large holes. BTA can manage a hole diameter of more than 16mm.

The BTA machine can handle workpieces with lengths of between 500mm-10m. During the drilling process, the coolant is pumped on the outer part of the cutting tool, and it carries the chips out through the center tube.

  1. Pull Reaming

Pull reaming is a typical process used in enlarging and accurately measuring a hole in the cutting tool. Pull reaming machines help in creating polished and precise gun barrels. The reaming device enlarges an existing hole to the diameter of the cutting edge. The method creates a 0.2 mm diameter in soft metals and 0.13 mm in harder metals.

As the cutting tool rotates on the workpiece, the cutting fluid acts as a lubricant. As the machine rotates axially to the workpiece, the chips are produced and removed in the opposite direction. Pull reaming removes any irregularities in the hole, giving it a nice final surface finish.

  1. Horizontal Honing

Horizontal honing is done on guns with a cylindrical shaft. The honing machine produces satisfactory results in sniper rifles, aircraft cannons, and police service pistols. The design of the machine promotes quick loading and unloading of barrels with a maximum length of 10,000 mm.

Deep hole horizontal honing machines give precise cylindrical holes per the client’s request. The devices can make holes with a diameter of up to 500 mm. In addition, horizontal honing provides barrels with a particular form of grind and a highly efficient finish.

  1. Vertical Honing

Vertical honing is another type of horning done to barrels to improve the geometric form of a bore. The vertical honing machine can handle workpieces with a maximum length of 6000 mm. Vertical honing is applicable in automotive, firearms and defense, mining, aerospace, and pneumatic industries.

Vertical honing yields holes with a mirror finish in addition to being round, straight, and cylindrical. Vertical honing machines have a 5-micron fine coolant filtration system giving holes excellent submicron levels.

  1. Ejector Drilling

Ejector drilling is much faster and more accurate in cutting straight holes than gun drilling. The downside to ejector drilling is it works best with a workpiece that forms minimal chips, unlike BTA. The cutting of the holes is by the drill head that is attached to two concentric tubes. The cooling lubricant passes through the drill tubes and exits with the chips at the front of the spindle.

Ejector drilling machines can handle a diameter range of 19-200 mm and length-to-diameter ratios above 100. In addition, ejector drilling is more effective and works perfectly on irregular or uneven surfaces.

  1. Counter Boring

Counter boring results from poor cleaning of the rifle or not using a rod guide. Using a gun causes wear and tear; eventually, the rifling lines are not precise. Straight rifling grooves make good aim and accuracy. Counter boring drilling keeps the barrels clean and rustproof.

The drilling process when counter boring is done on the inner part to the part where the expert feels is free from irregular groves. Counter boring service is standard on rifles, pistols, naval, and machine guns.

Bottom Line

Deep hole drilling is an essential part of the defense industry. The components listed above make deep-hole drilling in the defense industry effective and modernized. The most important thing is to source the highest quality drilling machinery and use experts with industry-leading experience to achieve the project objectives. To discuss your project with an experienced specialist, contact us today.