Have you ever noticed that the power drill you are using is a multi-tasking tool type? It is indeed like a magic wand that can easily use for most households and most industrial applications. Power drills are upgraded with many external accessories that make them a versatile tool. So, let’s find out what are the top power drills and accessories that widely used in industrial applications.
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BRIEF INTRODUCTION
Power drills are one of the conventional tool types that are often found in any industrial workshops or even in the household. They are common tools for sheet metal fabrications or repairs, woodworking, and electrical and general household applications. The applications of power drills start from affixing fasteners to cutting sheet metals.
Before power drills come into the market the drills used are powered manually by operator force. In order to operate them, the force was applied axially on the drill and it was a kind of hectic task for tool users. They are even used for drilling metal types and yet not effective as power drill types. The efficient drilling tool for large-scale productions was made more complicated those days.
The traditional tool types used in past include tools such as Eggbeater hand drill, Breast drill, brace drill, crank drill, etc. It’s rare to find these with the high-tech tools in the market now.
On the other hand, the evolution of power drill types made it more efficient and no need to apply force manually as they are operating either electrical or pneumatic sources. Nowadays these tools are equipped with customized accessories that enable them to use as versatile tools in many engineering applications.
POWER DRILLS TYPES
Currently, different power drill types in the market are customized per application in different industries. But generally, all the power drills are falling under one of these types mentioned below.
- Standard Electric Drills
- Pneumatic Drills.
- Heavy Duty Drills.
STANDARD ELECTRIC DRILLS
These are multitasking tools that are falling under power drills with high portability and easy handling. They do not need physical exertion to operate like traditional drills. Standard Drills are divided into cordless and corded types depending on the power source. The corded types need to plug into an electrical supply unit and it does limit the distance but you can use an extension for quite a distance use. When it comes to working for long periods or with higher power requirements corded types are the best ones. The most standard drill types are in the range of 500-1000 wattage and if the wattage is higher, it works less compared to other ones.
The cordless is portable and powered by batteries. The battery types used for cordless drill types are NiCad, NiMH, and Li-Ion. Normally Li-Ion Batteries give more power and endurance than prevailing NiCad and NiMH batteries used in battery-powered drills. The cordless drills are rated by voltage and the above batteries include 9.6 to 16v volts generally.
Product Reference – The drill type shown above is a cordless impact drill type. It is a multi-tasking drill tool that can be used as a screwdriver, drill tool, and impact drill. It has a detachable lithium battery pack including over 15 gear torque adjustments. Refer to the product description for more details.
The impact drills, reversible drills, and hammer drills are also a subset of standard electric drills. Hammer drills are used mainly in constructions fields for drilling tough materials like stone or concrete. It creates a pounding force and is not likely for affixing fasteners. The Hammer drill types are customized for masonry tasks such as rotary hammer drills equipped with an extra grip for easy handling. D-Handle drill is another hammer drill type that has D handle feature and trigger held at the back to allow easy handling when power drilling and combination drill provide both impact and hammer functions. These types are also used in mixing applications as well.
220V 1300W 3 in 1 Impact Electric Hammer Drill Electric Rotary Hammer Perforator Pick Puncher
Product Reference – The above drill type is recommended for a corded drill that can be used for heavy-duty drilling as well as electric hammering and affixing fastener types. This impact hammer-type electric drill has a forward grip that has provided easy handling and better grip. Included with high wattage and voltage that can be used in industrial applications. Refer to the product description for more detail.
PNEUMATIC DRILLS
Pneumatic drills are widely used in heavy-duty applications and are powered by compressed air and are known as “air-drill”. These tools are often applied in drilling concrete, rock, and pavements. Not only that these pneumatic tools are widely used in structural workshops in the aviation industry. These tools provide more safe and efficient work rather than electric drills. But the tool types that are used in constructions fields emit high weighted noise levels of over 80 Db.
Following straight shank air riveter can be recommended for professional applications. It includes a self-locking adjustable chuck with a drill bit holding capacity of 1.5-10mm. Refer to the product description for more detail.
HEAVY-DUTY DRILLS
If you are starting or running a workshop that operates continuous drilling operations you will need a drill press which provides you far more pros dan other drills. Drill press types are there with different sizes and capabilities such as benchtop drill Press, floor drill press, CNC drill press, Mill drill, etc. These tools provide more efficient work and unlike hand-powered drills, human involvement is less, and more accurate drilling can be obtained. These drills are equipped with adjusters and running tables to affix the specimen to drill it accurately. So, some of these tools are specifically designed only for drilling or cutting. CNC drill types are available that are programmable and are recommended for use in mass production workshops.
ML-BD1 Bench Drill Stand 1050W Mini Electric Bench Drilling Machine Drill Chuck 3-16mm
Product review – The above drill type is a mini bench drill stand which is perfect for general workshop practices. Include 6-speed regulation and a cast iron stand that can hold the workpiece. Refer to the product description for more detail,
POWER DRILL ACCESSORIES
The power drills utilize some of the accessories that are built to use for different applications. Therefore, upgrading your power drill with these accessories will create your drill a versatile tool. The following are the general accessories that will fit into general power drill types.
- Magnetic bit Holder and bits– The bit holders are there that perfectly fit in your drill chuck. The holder is capable of holding the fasteners due to their magnetic effect in them. Not only that holder can accept a variety of screwdriver bits with different. The drill can be used as a screwdriver and yet holding the removed fasteners is a plus point.
3pcs 1/4 Inch Hex Magnetic 80/120/140mm Screwdriver Bit Holder Socket Extension Bar
- Universal Wrench– This is a type fitted into a drill that can loosen and tighten any type of nut or bolt even if the nut or bolt is broken. The universal wrench is made to adjust the perfect size of the fastener type. It is recommended to buy a wrench and use it with your drill. Refer to the following product which is often found in the market.
7-19MM Universal Socket Adapter Wrench Sleeve with Power Drill Adapter Tool
- Double-headed sheet metalnibbler – Sheet metal nibblers are used to cut sheet metals with different patterns precisely. Nibblers include a handgrip that allows you to cut sheet metal precisely Normally shears create less waste but nibblers are more efficient and precise for medium-scale sheet metal cutting applications. 14 -16 gauge metal cutting can be achieved by a nibbler attached to your power drill.
- Drilling guide– Drilling guides are often found in the market that use as a jig to hold the drill. The guides can make angled cuts and angle measurements to adjust them for the correct angle.
Adjustable Drill Stand Holder Drill Guide Attachment for 10mm to 13mm Electric Drill
- Grinding Wheel adapter – Affixing this accessory can make your hand power drill to a grinding machine. These adapters can easily be chucked into the drill tool and can be recommended for general grinding applications.
https://digitalzakka.com/product/70x20x10mm-grinding-wheel-adapter-set-changed-electric-drill-into-grinding-machine/
- Sanding disc pads– These kits are equipped with pad bits that can affix to the hand drill and use in sanding and polishing. For the same sanding and polishing operations, you can use sanding drum sets that can sharpen rough curve edges.
HOW TO CHOOSE THE “PERFECT” POWER DRILL
We have discussed typical power drill types that are used in engineering applications and their accessories. So, let’s discuss how to choose the perfect power drill which suits your industrial needs. When you are buying a power drill first thing you need to consider is the type of the drill and application. You need to have a clear idea of choosing the drill type that will suit your application. Get yourself familiarized with your tasks and the type of drill you need.
Consider drill wattage, voltage, and battery endurance mainly. If your tasks need a continuous high-end drill type choose one of the heavy-duty drills. Move into corded ones unless you need more powerful and higher speeds, otherwise choose a portable hand drill. Portable drills give you a multi-tasking capability that can switch into various applications. When choosing a portable power drill try to buy one with a Li-Ion battery as it has high endurance and lifetime. A voltage of 16-32 volts would be ideal for the professional user.
The ideal speed of a drill bit depends upon the size of the bit and the material being drilled. Generally larger bits need to turn slower than smaller bits otherwise they may overheat and lose the quality of the drilling. Choose a power drill that can adjust the speed, and torque to working levels, and go for a corded drill if you need high-speed drilling. Generally, when larger chuck sizes are equipped with a larger motor. If you affix larger tools go for a larger chuck drill tool. The common chuck sizes are 3/8 & ½ inches and some chuck types need keys to adjust with bit sizes. So, it is good to have a keyless chuck otherwise you will need extra time to fix the bits.
It is a wise decision to choose a cordless power drill with the above features for general engineering applications. The cordless drills give handiness, portability, safety, and dual batteries. But it has these drawbacks like a higher price, prone to defects. So, it is your choice as the operator to choose the perfect one out of dozens of varieties of drilling tools.
FINAL TALK
As per the above discussion, you will now have a brief understanding of general and professional types of power drills and their accessories. Always keep in mind to buy a tool type for your professional tasks which are recommended by your industrial standards. Unless it will affect your workmanship of the end task.
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REFERENCES
- https://craftsmanprotools.com/power-drill-accessories/
- https://www.familyhandyman.com/project/5-must-have-drill-attachments/
- https://www.woodwardfab.com/blog/most-important-equipment-tools-for-sheet-metalworking/
- https://www.woodwardfab.com/blog/which-are-the-commonly-used-tools-that-ease-sheet-metal-fabrication-tasks/
- https://www.diydata.com/tool/electric_drills/electric_drills.php
- https://housegrail.com/different-types-of-drills/
- https://www.datapowertools.co.uk/blog/batteries-for-drills-power-tools-nicd-vs-nimh-vs-li-ion/#:~:text=There%20are%20three%20main%20battery,ion%20(Li%2Dion).