Drilling Stainless Steel Sheet Metal

Stainless is actually a relatively soft metal at least in its initial state.

Drilling stainless steel sheet metal.

Stainless swarf should resemble the original colour of the stock metal or have a yellow tinge to it. Using high speed drill bits or better is mandatory. In the set you will find bits in sizes ranging from 1 16 to 1 2 inch in 1 64 inch increments. Stainless steel is not the hardest of metals in its natural form however as pointed out by chip lawson in his piece know how.

These steel drill bits are ideal for drilling through tough metals including heavy duty abrasive alloy metal drilling on hardened metals and stainless steel. There are also other steps to drilling this material that will make the process easier. For maximum versatility the 3 8 inch point has a reduced length shank. Lubricating the bit reduces friction and heat buildup which makes drilling easier and your bits last longer.

It may also cause clogging of the hole that may eventually lead to drill breakage. The swarf should cleanly exit the hole and be helical in shape and short in length. This characteristic makes it challenging to break the chip which is especially important in a drilling operation because the chips need to be broken and evacuated from the hole as quickly as possible to reduce the chance of recutting. Drilling through stainless steel is much like drilling through any other type of metal but with a few key differences.

What stainless tends to do is work harden fairly quickly when heated and drilling at high speed creates a lot of heat. Or thicker use cutting fluid or a multipurpose oil like 3 in one. Step drill knoweasy 10 step sizes titanium step drill bit high speed steel 1 4 to 1 3 8 inches drill bits set for metal hole drilling 4 3 out of 5 stars 583 9 99 9. When drilling stainless steel you may freely let the drilling chips get away from the hole that you are drilling.

Stainless steel actually is designed to bend a little bit before it breaks. For drilling holes in steel that s 1 8 in. When drilling stainless steel one of the best indicators of whether the speed pressure and feed rates are correct is to watch the swarf. The reason for this is that any buildup of chips within the hole can cause roughness along the wall of the hole.

On and off drilling. When stainless steel work hardens it becomes very hard and extremely difficult to drill.