Aluminum is generally a soft, non-ferrous ductile material with low density and naturally high corrosion resistance.
Aluminum is difficult to drill because its ductility and softness results in constant, prolonged contact of the material with the rake face, or cutting edge, of the drill bit. "
Many consider aluminum to be one of the easiest materials to machine, but it does present its own unique challenges" – especially when drilling holes.
What kind of cutting tools (drills) should we use to overcome the above problems and process easily
The two main issues when drilling aluminum are chip formation and chip evacuation.
The main difference between drilling aluminum and harder materials is that the shear point of aluminum is low enough to be cut by the cutting edge of the tool rather than being pushed out.
Drills with high helix angles, polished flutes, and point angles of 130° to 140° will provide the best chip evacuation and cutting performance.
If maintaining hole size, finish, and hole roundness is the goal, then using a straight-flute, through-cooled drill bit is advantageous.
Typically, coatings are not suitable for drill bits in aluminum applications because most coatings contain aluminum.
