What Is Magnetic Drilling And How To Use It?

What Is Magnetic Drilling And How To Use It?

Magnetic drilling or a mag drill performs clean and convenient drilling operations at any point on a construction site. It is a portable yet stable drill press, providing an accurate and faster performance. Mag drills can reach any surface and are used in various industries. 

Mag drills can work smoothly on multiple surfaces regardless of remote positions and problematic orientations. Magnetic drills are increasingly popular across the diamond drilling industry. 

Information broken down in this blog will help you grasp the basics of magnetic drilling quickly, and by the time you reach the end of this post, you would have a better understanding of what a mag drill is, its types, how and why to use it along with its applications. 

What Is A Mag Drill?

A magnetic drill press is a machine that works faster compared to old technical machines such as drill presses, geared drill presses, mill drills, or radial arm drill presses. 

It is a portable machine and can make holes above 12 mm in diameter. You can use twist drill bits if you need to make a hole below 12 mm in diameter. The core drill bits used for mag drill machines are produced from high-speed steels(HSS) and tungsten carbide tips (TCT). You can decide on the HSS and TCT depending on the nature of the material you need to drill. 

Annual cutters with a magnetic drill press provide an accuracy of 0.005 mm up to 0.001 mm for some materials, such as stainless steel. 

The magnetic drill press is available in various sizes, designs, and shapes. You can choose the type of mag drill considering the purpose of the machine. It combines a robust electromagnetic base, which enables the drill to adhere to the carbon steel surface. You can operate it from multiple angles, such as horizontally, vertically, and upside down. 

Types Of Mag Drill

Lightweight Magnetic Drill

It is the most common and compact magnetic drill. It is used to perform multiple operations where the machine’s weight is not the concern, so it is easily carried on an electric pole, mobile towers, bridges, or TV towers. 

Automatic And Semi-Automatic Feed Magnetic Drill

Full and semi-automatic mag drills have become popular nowadays. It saves time and energy, resulting in more production. Diamond drilling Kent provides various models of automatic and semi-automatic magnetic drilling machines.

Pneumatic Magnetic Drill

The motor driven by a pneumatic mag drill has a permanent magnet, not an electromagnet. It is specially designed where there is a fire danger due to electricity. Hence, the site remains secure. 

Rail Core Drilling Machines 

As the name suggests, it is best to drill holes in railway tracks. This machine is equipped with a unique clamping mechanism instead of a magnet to get clamped on the track. 

Hydraulic Magnetic Drill Press

Hydraulic pressure generates the force that is required to operate. This machine is mainly used for industrial, construction, and marine drilling operations. It is a powerful tool and the best option if you need a small drilling machine.

Horizontal Magnetic Drill

It is used for most confined drilling spaces with angular gears specially designed for it.

Magnetic Drilling And Milling Machine

It has an innovative magnetic base capable of light milling, drilling, countersinking, and reaming. It is a portable machine equipped with a cross-table base.

How To Use A Mag Drill?

• Check the surface and verify that the safety switch functions correctly, then place the drill by slowly feeding the arbor until the pilot point touches the center of the hole, which needs to be drilled. 
• Secure your drill with a safety chain and activate the magnetic switch.
• Revolve the feed handle until the pilot is above the work surface. Please make sure that the area is free from clutter.
• Refrain from pressing too hard, as it will cause stress to the machine. 
• Once you finish the process, eject the slug, turn off the magnet, and disconnect the mag drill from the power source. 
• Remove any chips or debris that have been spread during the operation. 

Why Use A Mag Drill?

Magnetic drills were designed for construction work as they must drill in large quantities on structural steel, such as i-beams. It remains stable throughout the operation and is easier to use than the hand-held drill machine. It also provides better accuracy and cuts large-diameter holes at speed. 

You will have a precise and accurate pace for drilling rigid materials with a magnetic drilling machine. It has a robust electromagnetic base that enables the carbon steel surface when it is on. Construction work demands placing a mag drill in any position, and a mag drill serves this purpose. It will allow you to position it from multiple angles. 

Applications Of Mag Drill

The magnetic drill press is ideal for onsite and off-site drilling jobs. It is used in diverse fields like construction, fabrication, and heavy engineering. However, it is mainly used for drilling holes on-site, or constructing structural steel. The latest magnetic drill machines are lightweight and preferable to fabrication shops. It is equally helpful for non-controlled shop conditions. 

A magnetic core drilling machine is flexible and portable compared to conventional drilling machines. It can quickly move from one place to another horizontally, vertically and sideways. The flexibility offered by the mag drill was never achieved earlier by any other drilling machine. 

Another difference is that a core drilling machine cuts only on the hole’s edge and does not cover the whole surface. Hence, its job is to cut a small portion of the material. In comparison, the magnetic drill press covers the more significant part and is three or four times faster, even under normal conditions, than the traditional drilling machine. 

Difference Between Magnetic Core Drilling And Conventional Drilling Machine

Conclusion 

CA Drillers provides magnetic drilling in Kent and London. Our high-end magnetic drilling solution meets your drilling expectations. We have a highly experienced and knowledgeable team of magnetic drilling experts who are well-updated with the latest drilling and cutting techniques. 

We aim to provide the most convenient and flexible magnetic drilling operations at cost-effective prices.