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    12 Products

    Friction Drill Bits for Tapping Sheet Metal

    Image of Product. Front orientation. Friction Drill Bits.
    Friction heat from these bits melts through sheet metal to produce a hole with a raised lip in seconds. The lip is approximately three times the material thickness, providing enough thread engagement to tap directly into thin sheet metal. That eliminates the need for weld nuts, rivet nuts, or other inserts. Because friction drilling displaces material rather than cutting it, there are no chips to clean up. The formed bushing is also stronger than the original sheet. Pair these bits with a friction drill and a collet, sold separately. Use them on a drill press, milling machine, or CNC machine.
    Friction Drill Bits
    Friction
    Drill Collets
    For Hole
    Thread Size
    Dia.
    Shank Dia.,
    mm
    For Material
    Thk. Range
    Min. Rotation
    Speed, rpm
    Material
    Each
    Each
    6-32
    		0.12"60.0394" to 0.0591"2,300Tungsten Carbide1643A210000001643A611000000
    8-32
    		0.15"60.0394" to 0.0591"2,200Tungsten Carbide1643A22000001643A61100000
    10-24
    		0.17"60.0394" to 0.0787"2,100Tungsten Carbide1643A23000001643A61100000
    1/4"-20
    		0.22"80.0394" to 0.0787"2,000Tungsten Carbide1643A24000001643A61200000
    5/16"-18
    		0.28"80.0394" to 0.0984"1,600Tungsten Carbide1643A250000001643A61200000
    3/8"-16
    		0.34"100.0394" to 0.0984"1,500Tungsten Carbide1643A260000001643A61300000
    1/2"-13
    		0.46"140.0339" to 0.1181"1,300Tungsten Carbide1643A270000001643A61400000

    Friction Drills for Sheet Metal

    Image of Product. Front orientation. Friction Drills.
    Make a hole in thin pipes, tubing, and metal sheets to install threaded fasteners that won’t twist or loosen. Unlike other fastening options such as rivet and weld nuts, you don't need to deburr, remove shavings, or add hardware. Rather than cutting, these drills generate heat that softens metal to form a hole with walls. These walls are three times thicker than the original material to accommodate extra threads. After drilling, press threads into the walls with a forming tap (not included) that won't cut away material and leave the walls too thin.
    These drills come with everything you need to mount them on a drill press or CNC machine with a Morse taper 2 or 3 spindle. Five aluminum cooling rings dissipate heat to prevent your machine's spindle from getting too hot, even when drilling repeatedly in hard metal such as steel. The tungsten carbide bits (sold separately) can form thousands of holes before you need to replace them.
    Material
    For Material
    Thk. Range
    For Machine
    Spindle Type
    For Machine
    Taper No.
    Body
    Ring
    Each
    0.0394" to 0.1181"Morse Taper
    		Morse 2, Morse 3SteelAluminum
    		1643A150000000
    Friction Drill Bits
    Image of Product. Front orientation. Friction Drill Bits.
    For Hole
    Thread Size
    For Material
    Thk. Range
    Material
    Each
    6-32
    		0.0394" to 0.0591"Tungsten Carbide1643A21000000
    8-32
    		0.0394" to 0.0591"Tungsten Carbide1643A2200000
    10-24
    		0.0394" to 0.0787"Tungsten Carbide1643A2300000
    1/4"-20
    		0.0394" to 0.0787"Tungsten Carbide1643A2400000
    5/16"-18
    		0.0394" to 0.0984"Tungsten Carbide1643A25000000
    3/8"-16
    		0.0394" to 0.0984"Tungsten Carbide1643A26000000
    1/2"-13
    		0.0339" to 0.1181"Tungsten Carbide1643A27000000

    Friction Drill Collets for Hole Makers for Tapping Sheet Metal

    Image of Product. Front orientation. Friction Drill Collets.
    Secure friction drill bits with a precise, rigid grip that minimizes runout and vibration. These collets provide a secure hold that extends bit life by preventing slippage under the high heat and axial force of friction drilling.
    Collet
    Size, mm
    Each
    61643A611000000
    81643A61200000
    101643A61300000
    141643A61400000
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