“We knew we needed a new machine with automation to meet the demand,” said Reetz. “The Vollmer Akemat machines have been amazing and aside from regular preventative maintenance, they have run every day since they were bought.”

These are special types of bits that can drill through plastic, tiles, glass, marble, and brick. They can also withstand high temperatures.

These bits come with carbide tips to allow you to bore holes into tiles without creating chips or cracks in the tile. Different tile bits are designed for different types of tiles. Therefore, ensure that you check its package to confirm that it can drill into your tiles.

As their name implies, these bits can be adjusted to create holes of varying sizes, thus eliminating the need for purchasing bits of different sizes.

Each spot is marked for the bit’s size and type, making it easy to quickly find the right bit for the project you are completing.

Black Oxide: The most economical coating. Black oxide adds corrosion protection, increases tempering and stress relieving of the bit, reduces galling and chip welding, and aids in retaining drilling lubricants.

Black oxide is suitable for drilling iron and steel but is not recommended for drilling aluminum, magnesium, or similar materials.

With millions of wooden pallets in circulation in the US food industry, Integrity Saw has partnered to regrind TCT saw blades for the pallet manufacturer that has plans to build multiple manufacturing facilities across Canada, the US and Mexico – each plant capable of producing a pallet every minute.

You use a hammer bit to create precise holes into concrete slabs when looking to determine the amount of humidity in a concrete slab.

That first machine, the Akemat B4, was followed by the purchases of Akemat U10 and B10 in 2005, and the Akemat U10 in 2006. The machines were bought for sharpening TCT saw blades whilst existing manual machines were manufacturing and servicing HSS blades. In May 2019, the company purchased the Vollmer CHX840+HS.

“When it came to programming time and repeated set-ups, it was approximately 90 minutes for each blade. The Vollmer CHX840+HS has cut this time by more than 60% to 35 minutes with just one stress-relieving operation before the CHX840 completing all tooth and face grinding in a single set-up.

Quarter-inch hex shank bits are intended to be used on 1/4-inch impact drivers and can be quickly changed. SDS (slotted drive system) shanks are used for concrete drills and demolition bits and work specifically with SDS-Plus and SDS-Max rotary hammer drills.

Machining operation in which material is removed from the workpiece by a powered abrasive wheel, stone, belt, paste, sheet, compound, slurry, etc. Takes various forms: surface grinding (creates flat and/or squared surfaces); cylindrical grinding (for external cylindrical and tapered shapes, fillets, undercuts, etc.); centerless grinding; chamfering; thread and form grinding; tool and cutter grinding; offhand grinding; lapping and polishing (grinding with extremely fine grits to create ultrasmooth surfaces); honing; and disc grinding.

“We had two older CNC machines and several manual machines for HSS saws – all of which were struggling to cope with our increasing demand,” said Paul Reetz, company owner. “We looked at the available machines and we chose the Vollmer Akemat machines as they were in a different class.

Drill bits make holes in a variety of different common materials. These include different types of wood, metal, plastic, ceramic tile, porcelain and concrete. Different types of drill bits made for steel, aluminum, copper, cast iron, sheet metal, fiberglass, brick, vinyl flooring and more are also available.

With two skilled operators running four Vollmer Akemat machines and the CHX840+HS, the company has doubled the weekly output. According to Reetz, the operators previously had the capacity to do 40 to 50 TCT blades a day on the Akemat machines - adding the VOLLMER CHX840+HS means we can now re-grind over 100 blades a day. “We work from 5 AM to 3 PM and the HS automation system allows us to set the Vollmer CHX840 machine in the afternoon and it will process up to 28 saws unmanned throughout the evening,” he said. “If we worked a shift pattern, we could run the Vollmer CHX840 24 hours a day to gain more capacity. However, we are already looking at our next Vollmer purchase.”

With the COVID pandemic, the round tooling business for the manufacturing industry slowed down, but even as that was happening consumers were investing in their homes, and that demand meant “the saw division of our business is once again benefitting from this.”

Drill bits are designed to drill holes in a variety of different common materials. These include different types of wood, metal, plastic, ceramic tile, porcelain, and concrete.

Used to drill larger thru-holes in metal (7/16″ and up), these bits require a special machine. Similar to a hole saw, annular cutter bits cut the outer diameter of the hole and leave a solid center slug.

COVID may have temporarily slowed the growth timeline for pallet production, but Integrity Saw is well placed to support its new customer with its new 5-axis VOLLMER CHX840+HS for machining the tooth faces and tooth tops in a single clamping operation. The CHX840 is complete with the HS automation solution that enables Integrity Saw to load and process 28 blades unmanned. With a customer that will run its operations 24/7 and will require a new saw blade for every shift at every facility, Reetz said the opportunity for Integrity Saw & Tool is considerable.

Brad-point bits come in handy when you need to make clean and precise holes. They come with rubber stoppers to allow you to set a particular depth. Their precision makes them a popular bit among woodworkers.

The purchases of these machines have helped the company keep working evening during slow economic times. “The saw sharpening side of the business had grown for almost 10 years, but unfortunately the 2008-09 global recession wiped out a lot of small businesses,” said Reetz. “Many of our circular saw blade customers witnessed the collapse of their businesses as fewer people invested in their homes and real estate. However, the production of round tools such as drills, end mills, router bits and special tools for the manufacturing industry weathered the market conditions far better. Round tooling for industry currently accounts for 80% of our business.”

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Available in two major types: tungsten high-speed steels (designated by letter T having tungsten as the principal alloying element) and molybdenum high-speed steels (designated by letter M having molybdenum as the principal alloying element). The type T high-speed steels containing cobalt have higher wear resistance and greater red (hot) hardness, withstanding cutting temperature up to 1,100º F (590º C). The type T steels are used to fabricate metalcutting tools (milling cutters, drills, reamers and taps), woodworking tools, various types of punches and dies, ball and roller bearings. The type M steels are used for cutting tools and various types of dies.

Titanium Nitride (Tin): A more expensive coating that increases the hardness of the bit and provides a thermal barrier resulting in increased production rates and longer tool life in harder materials.

These are what you use when looking to create holes in bricks, stones, or concrete. Due to the tough nature of those materials, masonry bits wear out quickly, meaning that you will need to replace them frequently.

This creates a much more efficient drilling process with burr-free holes in tubing, sheet metal, and iron bar stock. Annular cutter bits on our site are made from Cobalt High-Speed Steel.

Annealing designed to relieve internal stresses caused by machining, welding, casting, cold working, quenching or normalizing.

When it comes to drills, there are two easily identifiable parts you need to know about – the shank and the chuck. Here’s a little information to help you understand more about how drills and drill bits work:

Drill bits are cutting tools. If you do a lot of home projects or heavy-duty construction work, periodically sharpening your drill bits will be necessary.

Integrity Saw did feasibility studies on the blades with Vollmer while it was commencing the contract with its existing and ageing Vollmer Akemat machines. The 18” (457mm) TCT blades have 70 teeth per saw and each saw blade can be re-ground up to seven times before being replaced or re-tipped. Before the arrival of the CHX840+HS, Integrity Saw was conducting 4 operations on 3 machines to complete a saw blade in 75 minutes – a machining time not inclusive of set-ups and changeovers. This process chain included stress relieving, the transfer to an Akemat tooth-face grinding machine and subsequently to a tooth-top grinding machine and then the grinding of the ‘kick-back’ radius to reduce cutting forces on each tooth.

Caring for your drill bits can also be a matter of safety; dull or damaged drill bits can create problems both in the work and for the worker.

Sized for their diameter, drill bits are constructed in a range of styles to help with specific tasks. Not sure which drill bit you need or what you need in your toolbox? Keep reading for a rundown of the different types of drill bits you’re likely to come across.

Runs endmills and arbor-mounted milling cutters. Features include a head with a spindle that drives the cutters; a column, knee and table that provide motion in the three Cartesian axes; and a base that supports the components and houses the cutting-fluid pump and reservoir. The work is mounted on the table and fed into the rotating cutter or endmill to accomplish the milling steps; vertical milling machines also feed endmills into the work by means of a spindle-mounted quill. Models range from small manual machines to big bed-type and duplex mills. All take one of three basic forms: vertical, horizontal or convertible horizontal/vertical. Vertical machines may be knee-type (the table is mounted on a knee that can be elevated) or bed-type (the table is securely supported and only moves horizontally). In general, horizontal machines are bigger and more powerful, while vertical machines are lighter but more versatile and easier to set up and operate.

Like auger bits, self-feed bits also feature a screw tip for positioning the bit. They create clean, precise holes, as well. However, since they do not channel the dust away from the hole as they work, you must halt the operation periodically to clear the dust away.

The chuck is the part of the drill that attaches the drill bit. Most power drills for home use have a 3/8-inch or 1/2-inch chuck. Larger chucks come in 5/8-inch and 3/4-inch sizes but are usually fitted on heavy-duty and industrial power drills and drill presses.

These bits have a special design that allows them to drill a hole into a material with the purpose of extracting its core.

Tin also provides the same benefits as black and bronze oxide. Tin-coated bits are suitable for drilling iron and steel as well as aluminum, magnesium, etc.

The shank is the end of the drill bit that fits into the drill and is secured by the chuck. A round shank helps to center a bit in the chuck more accurately. The flat surfaces on a hex shank allow the chuck to grip the drill bit more securely.

Auger bits have a screw tip that creates the initial hole for the rest of the bit to fall. As a result, holes by auger bits are incredibly clean and precise.

Plug cutters are helpful in professional projects, as they drill holes into the wood while cutting the wood plugs you require to hide recessed fasteners.

Spade bits have a spade-shaped tip that allows them to bore into softwoods. They are typically used to create holes for running cables.

These are what you use when looking to bore smooth and clean holes into the woods. This bit also comes with a pointed tip to allow for easy positioning of the bit.

Bronze Oxide: Bronze oxide increases the tempering and stress relieving of the bit and is generally used alone to visually identify cobalt steel or with black oxide to identify better grades of high-speed steel.

The best drill bits for metal drilling in ascending order in terms of cost are High-Speed Steel (HSS) bits, Black Oxide bits, Cobalt steel bits, and Titanium bits. For drilling large holes in thin or soft metals, you can use a hole saw which can also be used with a cordless drill.

If your set didn’t come with a case or you’ve been buying individual drill bits, add a storage box with dividers to your toolset. Don’t store more than two bits together and use a permanent marker to mark each space with the size and type of drill bit stored there.

As mentioned earlier, drilling through tile requires a specialist drill bit – regular or even masonry bits simply won’t do the job as they’re not strong enough to penetrate tiles’ hard surfaces. Instead, you should opt for either carbide-tipped or diamond-tipped drill bits.

Most drill bit sets are sold in a case with space to hold each bit in place. This keeps the drill bits from being nicked or scratched and also provides excellent organization.

Also known as high-speed bits, they resemble corkscrews and are some of the most popular bits. They are typically used to drill small holes into wood and walls. Their unique design allows them to channel dust from the hole as they work.

With the arrival of the CHX840+HS, Integrity was able to rapidly ramp-up to the stress-relieving and re-grinding of 400 TCT blades every week from May 2019 through April 2020.

Microprocessor-based controller dedicated to a machine tool that permits the creation or modification of parts. Programmed numerical control activates the machine’s servos and spindle drives and controls the various machining operations. See DNC, direct numerical control; NC, numerical control.

Integrity Saw & Tool Inc. began in a basement in 1986 as a saw sharpening, HSS drill and end mill regrinding company. Steady growth led to the move to a 13,000-sq-ft. facility in 1998, the hiring of a sales engineer who would eventually own the firm, and the investment in its first Vollmer CNC sharpening machine in 2000 that set the company on a new growth trajectory.

Powers a grinding wheel or other abrasive tool for the purpose of removing metal and finishing workpieces to close tolerances. Provides smooth, square, parallel and accurate workpiece surfaces. When ultrasmooth surfaces and finishes on the order of microns are required, lapping and honing machines (precision grinders that run abrasives with extremely fine, uniform grits) are used. In its “finishing” role, the grinder is perhaps the most widely used machine tool. Various styles are available: bench and pedestal grinders for sharpening lathe bits and drills; surface grinders for producing square, parallel, smooth and accurate parts; cylindrical and centerless grinders; center-hole grinders; form grinders; facemill and endmill grinders; gear-cutting grinders; jig grinders; abrasive belt (backstand, swing-frame, belt-roll) grinders; tool and cutter grinders for sharpening and resharpening cutting tools; carbide grinders; hand-held die grinders; and abrasive cutoff saws.

These are the bits to use when looking to drill into thick and dry wood. Thanks to their innovative design, you do not have to apply a lot of pressure when drilling into tough materials.

Named after their tip that resembles a series of pyramid-shaped steps, these bits are what professionals use to drill into sheet metal. Their stepped design allows you to create holes with varying diameters. Step bits are renowned for their versatility.

Proper drill bit maintenance is not much different from maintenance for most tools, and it helps prolong the life of your drill bits and keeps them ready for the next job.

Dull drill bits can increase time and effort needed to complete work and possibly damage the materials you’re working on, and may even cause injury.

The tip of the bit has a tiny hole where you insert the wire you are looking to pass through the material. Installer bits are incredibly long, reaching lengths of up to 18 inches to facilitate their work.

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Wisconsin-based Integrity Saw & Tool Inc. purchased a Vollmer CHX 840 circular saw blade sharpening machine with the Vollmer HS automated loading station to increase capacity to meet the demand from a new pallet manufacturing customer. Since that 2019 purchase, the CHX 840 increased productivity by 60%, permitted unmanned production and improved blade quality.

Machine designed to use a serrated-tooth blade to cut metal or other material. Comes in a wide variety of styles but takes one of four basic forms: hacksaw (a simple, rugged machine that uses a reciprocating motion to part metal or other material); cold or circular saw (powers a circular blade that cuts structural materials); bandsaw (runs an endless band; the two basic types are cutoff and contour band machines, which cut intricate contours and shapes); and abrasive cutoff saw (similar in appearance to the cold saw, but uses an abrasive disc that rotates at high speeds rather than a blade with serrated teeth).

A sharpening tool can be a good investment to keep your drill bits in top shape. More experienced DIYers can accomplish the task with a good set of grinding tools.

Drill bits made for steel, aluminum, copper, cast iron, sheet metal, fiberglass, brick, vinyl flooring, and more are also available.