Technology of Flowdrill Thermal Drilling

Drilling is one of the key subtractive manufacturing processes, involving the creation of circular holes using drills and other specialized tools. The goal of this process is to obtain a finished hole. There are many methods and tools, but a highly effective technique is the method of flowdrill, also known as friction drilling, thermal drilling, or thread-forming.

Thermal drilling is often desired when creating threaded connections in thin-walled materials such as sheet metal, profiles, pipes, etc. In the case of thin-walled sheets, a nut can be used for support, but this method is not always feasible or cost-effective. In such crucial moments, thermal drilling technology can be employed. Thermal drills allow us to extend the material, resulting in thickening the native material s wall and creating a strong thread. Flowdrill drilling is an excellent alternative to nuts and, at the same time, a way to form sleeves in metals. It s worth noting that thermal drills are not only used for threaded connections.

Advantages of the Flowdrill Thermal Drilling Method:

• Obtaining a sleeve length up to 3 times the thickness of the drilled material
• Extremely precise hole dimensions
• Short process time
• High durability of drills
• No loss of processed material due to the so-called chipless machining
• Lower costs of drilling compared to rivet nuts.

One of the drawbacks of this technology is that the processed material must withstand high temperatures and is not suitable for thick sheets.

In our offer, you will find services for creating threaded holes using Flowdrill technology, which can be read about on our website.

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