Using the right drill bit is critical. Standard drill bits will not cut through the tiles; attempting to do so is likely to cause cracked tiles and broken bits. Use masking tape to mark the position of the hole, which will also provide initial grip for the bit. Hold the drill firmly and apply slow, steady pressure. If you also need to drill the masonry or concrete behind the tile, do not use a drill’s hammer action until you are through the tile.

When folks have a variety of different tile materials to tackle, it can be difficult to pick the best drill-bit set. In our tests, this 10-piece set of masonry drill bits from Owl Tools demonstrated a high level of durability while the spear tips proved to reduce wandering (sliding across the surface of glazed tile before creating a hole). The shanks are made from steel and the bits boast carbide tips for added hardness.

Drilling holes in tile—to install towel rods in a bathroom renovation, say—can be tricky. There’s always a risk the tile will crack, especially if you use the wrong drill bit. What’s more, attempting to drill tile with a standard steel bit designed for use on wood can cause the bit to overheat, bend, or even break in half. Of course, with the right bit, drilling tile can be nearly as straightforward as drilling wood—and since most tile drill bits and drill-bit sets are fortunately affordable, it makes sense to have the right tool.

Vargus has introduced its new ST-Cut line of cutting tools for small part machining. Developed specifically for the turning of small components on Swiss-type sliding head-turning machines, the ST-Cut line presents a solution for virtually every small part turning application.

The inserts are available in two grades, this includes the Altin PVD coated VPG grade for achieving medium to high cutting speeds on alloy steel, stainless and titanium alloys. Alongside this, the uncoated VS020 sub-micro grade is recommended for medium to low cutting speeds. The VS020 is uncoated to ensure a sharper cutting edge that is crucial for very small components where accuracy is paramount. To cater for the diverse demands of small part turning companies, Vargus has introduced the ST-Cut Series with a choice of tool holders that include square shank tool holders, step square shank tool holders and square shanks with 90 ° tools. The square shank tools are available in both left and right-hand variants with an adjusting screw, key and torque limiting adapter. The tool shanks that accommodate the various insert geometries are available as an 8 by 10 mm variant as well as a 10, 12, 16 and 20 mm square shank with an overall length of either 110 mm or 120 mm. Alongside the square shank, tools are the stepped square shank tool holders. Also available in 8 by 10 mm, 10, 12 and 16 mm square shanks, the stepped tool holders offer a step of 30 or 40 mm to provide the end-user with additional reach when cutting features in intricate parts or attaining access to difficult to reach areas. Completing the line-up of tool holders is the square shank 90 ° right-hand tool body. Vargus provides the 90 ° tool body with the option of a 10 mm or 12 mm square shank that is 110 and 120 mm long for the respective tool widths. As well as the ST-Cut Series, Vargus UK can also offer its VG-Cut series of parting off solutions with chip formers and high-pressure coolant, its Microscope range for small boring applications and the Groovical series for precision grooving.

Horn offers the geometry for a variety of systems for external and internal grooving. (Source: Horn/ Sauermann)

By standardising the special cutting geometry of finishing grooves, Horn is also responding to users’ requests for even better surface quality on the flanks and at the base of a groove or recess. The new geometry of these finish grooves has already been in use successfully for some time as a special solution for producing grooves for sealing rings and shaft seals. High surface quality is possible without any problems in the finishing process, even when the conditions are unstable. Horn offers the geometry for a variety of systems for external and internal grooving. The geometry is available as a standard tool for the 224, 229, S34T, 315 and 64T systems for precision machining of external grooves. For internal machining, it is available for the 105, 108, 111, 114 and 216 systems. Further insert types are available as special tools and can be delivered quickly via the Greenline system, whereby it is possible to deliver up to 50 customised inserts, depending on the design, within five working days after approval of the drawing by the customer.

Drilling in glass tiles is more straightforward than it might seem—a good carbide-tipped blade is essential, as is using a slow drill speed. The four-piece bit set from Bosch excelled in our glass-drilling tests.

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Diamond-tipped drill bits are recommended for porcelain. The bits can get very hot, so dipping them in water occasionally, or spraying the area while working, will keep them cool and help them cut more effectively.

The chuck's base body is hardened and extremely rigid, and even in case of heavy-duty machining precise and reliable machining results can be achieved. Due to the optimized outside contour, the chuck is perfectly designed for milling tasks. Versatile use of the chuck is ensured: it has a large through-hole of 52 mm (size 200) up to 165 mm (size 630), center sleeves that can be exchanged from the front, and the option of I.D. and O.D. clamping. Furthermore, the power lathe chuck can also be complemented with an adjustable workpiece stop. Searching for the matching chuck jaws for the Schunk Rota THW3 is simplified by the jaw quickfinder: It takes just four clicks to get to chuck manufacturer, chuck type, chuck size and product details. The user receives a list of all machtching chuck jaws from over 1200 jaw types of the world's largest standard chuck jaw program from the manufacturer. The matching chuck jaws can be directly selected within the quickfinder and ordered in the online shop.

Whatever you are drilling, you should wear suitable eye protection. If you usually wear glasses, put goggles on over them. A lightweight dust mask is also a good idea.

The following drill bits are all suitable for drilling in tile, but some are better suited to one type of tile than another. Each was tested on the type(s) of tile recommended by the manufacturer or seller, but not all the bits we tested earned a spot in this lineup. Find out the pros and cons of each of the following bits and bit sets before selecting the best option for your tile-drilling project.

For holes larger than ½ inch in diameter, a hole saw (or hollow core bit) is often recommended. A hole saw bit features a circular ring of HSS, usually with a diamond-coated edge. Hole saws can be large enough to allow for the fitting of plumbing pipes, for example. However, some have limited depth, so it’s crucial to check the dimensions before purchase.

Glenda Taylor is a product tester and writer specializing in the construction, remodeling, and real estate industries. She and her husband own a general contracting company, and Taylor is experienced in both residential and commercial building applications. She tests a wide range of power tools as well as other home improvement, household, and lawn-and-garden products.

Mapal is launching a new, particularly economical system of replaceable head reamers — the Press-to-Size-Reamer (PSR) — for customers who manufacture in large series. The new development reduces the costs per bore massively, the company claims. The solid carbide replaceable heads of the new reaming programme launched by Mapal are specifically adapted to individual diameters and geometries. The replaceable head system for the diameter range 10 to 25 mm consists of a robust holder, the solid carbide replaceable head and a coolant distribution element. The connection is highly accurate. This means that the heads can be changed by the customer’s employee on site without any adjustment or logistics effort, a big plus in terms of cost-effectiveness. The replaceable head is merely exchanged and disposed of. There is no provision for reconditioning the replaceable heads. By eliminating the logistics cycle, the new replaceable head system significantly improves the economic efficiency of reaming operations in large-scale production. This effect is even reinforced by the fact that, in contrast to carbide-tipped reaming tools, the solid carbide replaceable heads can be designed with a CVD coating — with correspondingly positive effects on tool life.

Whether for drilling wood, metal, masonry, or tile, the shanks (stems) of almost all drill bits are made from high-speed steel (HSS). Though a hard-wearing, relatively inexpensive material, HSS can lose its sharpness quickly when drilling hard materials like stone and ceramic tile, so the tip of the bit will be given a coating to make it harder and more durable.

Many drill bits might appear similar at first glance, but the best drill bits for ceramic tile are very different from the best drill bits for hard porcelain tile, wood, or steel. In addition to selecting the right bit for the type of tile, there are a few other considerations, such as tip shape and whether the tip comes with carbide or diamond-dust coating.

We finished by adding up the scores and using them to determine the best categories for each set of drill bits.

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Another advantage to the Owl Tools set is the number of different-size bits. The set includes 10 bits that range in diameter from ⅛ inch to ½ inch in both 4-inch and 6-inch lengths, making this tile-drilling bit set suitable for drilling a range of hole sizes in several common types of tile.

The ST-Cut series from Vargus presents a solution for small part turning applications. (Source: Vargus)

At BAM, CAM programming represents the final digital step in the transition from the customer design to the finished workpiece. Automation has helped reduce CAM programming times in Hypermill by 70 to 80 %. Thanks to the powerful 2.5D, 3D and 5 axis cycles of the solution, the contract manufacturer has succeeded in reducing setup and programming times at the machining centers, resulting in increased efficiency and higher capacity utilization. Stefan Bauer, Head of Manufacturing at BAM explains that with its feature technology, macro databases and associated process, Hypermill would also provide a solid basis to automate programming and significantly reduce time expenditure by reusing pre-existing programming know-how. The automation center is built on feature and macro technology, allowing any user to standardize machining steps and automatically apply them to new workpieces. Open Mind honed and optimized the process for use at BAM. To handle a wide variety of orders and workpieces, the CAD/CAM manufacturer integrated an interactive user guide which uses a few parameters to control automated programming. For Marco Bauer, Managing Director of BAM, one of the key factors for us was that Open Mind develops their software in-house. As a result, the customer was able to obtain customized functions for their automation projects very rapidly, which — according to Bauer — has helped the company improve leaps and bounds.

Our actual testing process was straightforward. All of the drill bits were tested using a standard cordless drill. We used masking tape on the tops of some tiles, which can help keep bits from wandering and reduce the risk of the tile chipping during the drilling process. It’s not always necessary, so we didn’t tape all the tiles—for example, the surface of a travertine tile is soft and porous, and most bits will not wander when drilling through travertine. As the manufacturer suggested—or if a bit was struggling to drill through—we added a few drops of water while drilling to help keep the bit from getting too hot and breaking.

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In the following article we are presenting some of the new solutions developed by toolmakers in the recent past. Delivering on precision, efficiency and productivity are a common goal all of them have in common.

A less common coating is the powdered form of industrial diamonds (usually called dust), which is fused to the drill bit via an electroplating process under tremendous heat and pressure.

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Some of the key features include a touchscreen interface for quick product selection, intuitive administration functions for simple stock control, enhanced rapid refill functionality for speedy and accurate restocking, customisable storage configuration for single or multiple items, a range of drawer sizes to fit the users' stock list and Wi-fi network connection capability. All of this provides manufacturers with complete control and transparency of the supply chain with full audit trails to see which colleague uses what specific cutting tools — providing a complete insight of when, where and why that product was taken from a storage solution that is secured for 24/7 access whenever you need it.

In a recent statement, Ecta President Markus Horn highlighted the importance of European cutting tool manufacturers on the common market. 60 % of cutting tool exports from the 27 EU member states do not leave Europe, Horn pointed out. Another 13 % of total deliveries go to the other European countries. This means that Europe is the sales market for almost three quarters of our European tools. After Brexit, exports to the UK also declined by 28 %, while the deliveries from the UK fell even more sharply, by 29 %. Italy also reported very sharp declines in orders — of around a quarter in the first nine months of 2020 — due to the imposed company closures. But at the end of the year, production in the automotive industry in Italy picked up again strongly, giving cause for hope.

We’re well aware of the superior quality of many DeWalt power tools and accessories, so it was no surprise that the company’s seven-piece set of masonry drill bits excelled at drilling through tile. The set features bits ranging in diameter from 3/16 inch to ½ inch with lengths ranging from 3 inches to 6 inches. Three of the bits are ¼ inch, which is a commonly used size.

The set comes with bits ranging from ⅛ inch to ⅝ inch in diameter and from 2 inches to 2¼ inches long. Each bit features a spear tip with a sharp point the manufacturer claims will keep the bit from wandering. Unfortunately, we found each one of the bits tended to wander on the glass tiles unless we used masking tape—an easy fix that didn’t detract from the bits’ performance and durability. Wandering is common when drilling through tiles, so everyone should be prepared to use tape.

The material tile is made of will impact drill-bit choice. Fortunately, most drill bits list the types of tile they’re designed for on the package or product description.

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A carbide-tipped drill bit is usually recommended, although a diamond-tipped one will also do a good job. To attach a fixture, such as a towel bar, to a tile wall, it’s always necessary to drill a hole first, after which the drill can be fitted with a screwdriver bit for installing a fastener in the wall.

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The smooth cutting action and low deflection of the T2710 milling cutter is created by both the easy-cutting geometry and the variable internal coolant supply. (Source: Walter)

After 10 holes, we inspected the bits. The largest one showed a slight amount of wear on the edges of the spear blades, while the others looked nearly new. They all went on to drill 30 more holes apiece, but toward the end, they made slower progress, and we had to exert more pressure on the drill. Fortunately, we didn’t have any cracked glass tiles after all the drilling. That’s largely due to the sharpness and durability of the bits, but we also give a little credit to an old computer mouse pad that we placed beneath some of the tiles as we drilled, which absorbed some of the vibrations and may have helped prevent cracking.

If only one or two holes are required for a particular job, buying a single drill bit can be an economical option. However, depending on the bit type, an individual bit can cost several dollars. If drilling tile is likely to be an ongoing task, a drill-bit set may be a smart investment. A set typically includes several bits in various sizes.

You can, but the grout is a relatively soft material, and the drill bit can easily wander. For accuracy, drilling through tile is usually preferred.

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Over the years, we’ve had plenty of practice drilling tile, so our experience combined with in-depth product research was instrumental in selecting the drill bits for testing. We considered the brand to an extent—DeWalt and Bosch are both top manufacturers of construction tools—but didn’t automatically eliminate drill bits from smaller or niche manufacturers if they featured carbide or diamond tips and were rated well by consumers.

The solution supports inventory management and helps to cut costs on the shop floor. Using smart technology to dispense single or multiple items, the configurable drawer system ensures that important tools are always available. The Smart Drawer makes secure storage and dispensing simple and delivers reliable, accurate and monitored control of cutting tool inventory. The system comprises individually locked compartments that are controlled by an easy-to-use touchscreen interface and operation is fully customisable to provide staff with self-serve access to cutting tools and equipment on demand. With a high storage capacity and a small footprint, the Smart Drawer makes storing, tracking and dispensing products quick and easy, without compromising reliability.

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We tested the Owl Tools bits on several types of tile, including marble, travertine stone, shale, glazed ceramic, and glass tiles. We used masking tape on some of the tiles to further reduce the risk of wandering and prevent surface chipping, but we also drilled holes without the benefit of tape, and the Owl Tools bits excelled in both cases. We drilled all the test holes without adding drops of water because the bits were drilling so well dry, we didn’t feel water was needed.

No matter what applications the cutting tools are needed to, it's always important to have them readily at hand and neatly organized. To this end, the manufacturer and supplier of solid carbide and indexable cutting tools, Industrial Tooling Corporation (ITC), has introduced the new Smart Drawer vending solution.

The design of the Smart Damper heads shortens the distance from the damping mechanism to the cutting edge, i.e. the source of vibration. This significantly improves vibration damping performance at the tool assembly, minimizing chatter and vibration, thus making it ideal for critical applications requiring very long tools, for example in the automotive, energy and aerospace industries. The modular CK/CKB system is compatible with most major spindle interfaces and enables versatility in tooling combination lengths up to a maximum of ten times diameter. All tools have a coolant-through design and offer three different insert holder options per head size.

Porcelain has a finer texture, but it can be difficult to tell the difference if the tiles are already on a wall. Ceramic tile usually has a glazed top layer that is a different color from the core, which may show at the edge. Porcelain is usually the same color throughout.

However, tile is made from various materials, so it’s crucial to select the right bit for the specific material. To help DIYers and pros alike get great results, we tested some of the best-rated designated tile bits, creating holes in ceramic, porcelain, marble, glass, and stone tiles. As we expected, some performed better on one type of tile than another. Our favorite was the Owl Tools 10-Piece Masonry Drill Bit Set for its impressive durability and wide range of sizes to meet most tasks. Ahead, learn about drilling in different types of tile and find out how the following bits earned a spot on our lineup of the best drill bits for tile.

Diamond bits are among the only ones suitable for drilling into porcelain or quarry tile, both of which are extremely hard. Unfortunately, some diamond bits on the market claim they will drill through porcelain tile, but as we discovered in our hands-on testing, they fail. In other words, not all diamond bits live up to their seller’s claims.

After drilling 10 starter holes, we examined the spearheads of the bits. The two smallest bits showed substantial dulling and wear on the blades, so we set those aside and continued with the other five. None of the other bits made it past 25 additional holes, so we can’t rate the Qwork bits as the most durable of the ones we tested. Perhaps the steel wasn’t quite as high in quality—but we still deem these bits to be a decent option for jobs that require metric bits and fasteners, since those are typically small projects, such as installing a towel bar or a ceramic soap dish. And interestingly, these bits didn’t wander much, not even on un-taped glass, so they earned a point in that department. Consider these as light-duty tile-drilling bits for metric usage.

When highly demanding projects must comply with very tight tolerances on unique components manufactured from hard-to-machine materials such as Inconel, a tool needs industry-leading reliability. High-precision tooling products have enabled the Italian technical-sales company Covis to meet the tough requirements of its customers. Founded in 1994, Covis designs and produces tailor-made solutions to strict deadlines and quality standards, managing and certifying the entire production cycle at its three operating sites in Italy. The company specializes in precision mechanical machining and welding, including machining of exotic and treated materials such as steel, Inconel, Duplex and Super Duplex and other special alloys.

We had high hopes for both Neiko’s Diamond Hole Saw Bits and Blendx Diamond Drill Bits, but they didn’t live up to our standards. Both of these bit sets are marketed as having diamond dust electroplated on the edges of the bits, and porcelain was listed among the types of tile they would cut through.

The Schunk Rota THW3 chuck with quick-change jaws and patented sealing ensures consistent clamping forces, long maintenance intervals and high reliability. (Source: Schunk)

The most common tip coating is tungsten carbide (often just called carbide), which is a combination of tungsten and carbon. Tough and heat-resistant, carbide-tipped bits stay sharp for longer.

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Increased productivity for short threads Suitable for universal use, the rigid tool body incorporates multiple rows of indexable inserts developed specifically for thread milling. The tool body design has been optimised with minimum spaces between the insert rows to increase productivity levels when creating short threads. The tool body and inserts are suitable for threads with a nominal diameter that starts from 20 mm and upwards with a thread pitch range from 1.5 to 6 mm and for Imperial threads a TPI of 18 to 6. This gives the new Walter T2710 Series complete flexibility for threading both metric and Imperial threads regardless of pitch and angle. 47088726 To meet the complete needs of industry, Walter has introduced several new inserts for threads from M125 to UN 5 inch, inserts with a pitch range from 6 to 10 mm and 4 TPI as well as inserts with a 55° flank angle for BSP threads. The new additions add to the already available standard insert range that includes M24 to M125, UNC1 to UN5 and G1 to G3 1/2''. The 3-edge inserts incorporate a chip breaker groove and edge geometry that ensure a smooth cutting action with minimal cutting forces. This is said to permit high cutting speeds and feeds per tooth while simultaneously reducing the radius corrections. For unfavourable conditions, Walter offers the thread milling inserts with a D61 geometry that provides an “anti-vibration land”.

While our main objective in testing these bits was to determine their performance on glass, we also tried them afterward on a marble tile and a travertine tile. At this point, the bits were slightly worn down but still drilled through both materials cleanly, albeit slowly.

We could still recommend these bits as suitable for drilling through ceramic and glass, but because they failed on porcelain, we had to eliminate them from the competition. One of our testing criteria is ensuring the products we test live up to their marketing hype. It’s not that these are bad bits, but both were advertised as being suitable for porcelain, and neither lived up to that claim.

After drilling more than 45 holes, the Hillman bit started to slow down, and we could see that the tip was softening and wearing down some. However, we felt its performance and durability were still good under pressure, and the bit never broke. A single-size bit won’t be suitable for all tile-drilling purposes, but it’s more economical to buy just one if only drilling a few holes of the same sizes.

We tested the bits by drilling multiple holes, but we only tried them on tile types they were designed for. In short, we did not test a bit made for drilling ceramic or glass tiles on porcelain tiles, which are much harder. Our goal was to determine how well the bits stood up to their intended drilling purposes.

We scored each bit (or bit set) using a rubric throughout the hands-on testing process. The better a drill bit performed, the higher the score. We looked for durability and relatively smooth-edged holes—it’s not unusual to have some slightly ragged edges, however. We did not judge the bits on how long it took to drill through a tile because different types of tile require longer drilling times, and it’s counterproductive to exert strong pressure while drilling as it can cause the bits to break. After drilling an initial 10 holes with each bit, we inspected them for dulling and wear before drilling more holes.

With the largest ½-inch bit, we did crack two glass tiles, but we feel that was primarily due to our wrists and arm muscles becoming fatigued and not holding the drill as stable as we should have. A few days after the original test, we tried again and drilled through glass tiles with no cracking. We feel these DeWalt bits fit the bill for professionals needing durable bits on the job.

The system available from ITC communicates with the cloud-based Supply Pro Intelligent Software solution that can be configured to meet your business demands. Working with the supplier and their technical partners at Tooling Intelligence, end users can choose from a range of options to optimise their vending software by adding a VIM (Virtual Inventory Module). This allows inventory to controlled away from the vending machine. These could include fixtures, oils, and basically anything that cannot be stored in the vending machine. A barcode reader can be added to the system, so anything vended can be allocated to a works order. This gives an accurate tooling cost for each works order. A major bonus when quantifying costs of tooling in a production environment. As a fully reconfigurable system, the Smart Drawer can be adapted over time as the inventory requirements of your business evolve with the facility for auxiliary units to be added to increase the storage capacity.

Drill bits are labeled by the diameter of their shanks. The smallest drill bits for tile are usually around ⅛ inch in diameter. The biggest twist drill types are seldom more than ½ inch. When drilling in hard tile, it can be difficult to control large bits (more than ¼ inch) on shiny, glazed surfaces, so it’s common practice to first drill a small “pilot” hole and then follow up using the larger bit.

The design of the Smart Damper heads shortens the distance from the damping mechanism to the cutting edge. (Source: Big Kaiser)

Productivity is also in the centre of Open Mind’s CAM solution. Bavarian contract manufacturer BAM is going all in with digital processes in an effort to further reduce costs and project times in contract manufacturing. With the support of Open Mind, the company has used Hypermill Automation Center to streamline and markedly speed up CAM programming.

The two most common shapes for tile-drilling bits are spear and spiral. Spear tips look like small arrows, and while they have the sharpness needed to create precise holes, their narrow shape makes them less durable and more likely to break. Spiral tips have a flat blade along the top with a little point in the middle that helps the user center the hole. Spiral tips are typically more durable but—depending on the tile—can take longer to complete the hole. In general, spear tips are better suited to softer tiles, such as travertine, marble, or ceramic, while spiral tips are less likely to break when drilling harder tile materials, including quartz and granite.

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Modern machining relies on 5-axis technology. BAM uses the Hypermill CAM system to generate suitable NC programs – in some cases even fully automatically. (Source: Open Mind)

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Bob Beacham is an engineer by trade and has spent 35 years working on everything from auto parts to oil rigs. He is also an avid DIY enthusiast. Bob started writing for the Bob Vila team in 2020 and covers tools, outdoor equipment, and home improvement projects.

If operators want to manufacture turned parts more efficiently, low-maintenance and fail-safe precision clamping devices are required. These can be quickly and easily converted, and, if necessary, can also be used for automatic loading. The Schunk Rota THW3 jaw quick-change chuck and patented sealing of the chuck mechanism has been designed with this in mind. Equipped with a jaw quick-change system, the Rota THW3 can be quickly converted for a new range of parts on CNC lathes, pick-up lathes and turn/mill centers, and has an excellent jaw repeat accuracy of up to < 0.02 mm. This means that previously turned out sets of jaws can be repeatedly used, even for applications where the tolerances are challenging. The jaw stroke of the straight-serrated base jaws amounts to 6.7 mm to 10.5 mm — depending on the jaw size. A ring piston transmits the force directly and therefore ensures a high degree of efficiency: The clamping force of the smallest size, the Rota THW3 200 is 64 kN; and as of size 400, the chuck achieves a clamping force of 240 kN.

Walter also focusses on productivity by extending their concept of their multiple-row thread milling cutters for producing shorter threads. Thanks to small spaces between insert rows, the T2710 has been specially designed for highly productive processing of thread depths up to 1.5 x D, the company says. It adds that even with short thread depths, the simultaneous machining of several thread sections by the new T2710 Series reduces machining time. Productivity is further amplified by the highly wear-resistant thread milling inserts of the Walter WSM37S Tiger-tec Silver grade.

Precision tools are a speciality of the European market. Their quality allows manufacturers around the world to produce high-technology parts and components for sophisticated applications. The innovative spirit of the industry is the trump card for the emerging recovery after the Corona crisis. We present some of the highlights recently launched by international toolmakers.

France also recorded a very negative development. Here, the effects of the pandemic were even more drastic, with declines of 35 % in the French market for cutting tools and as much as 50 % for clamping devices, summarizes Horn. In Spain, the downturn was also rather severe. The Spanish market is heavily dependent on the automotive industry whose production was also restricted. Here, the recovery has now begun, albeit still somewhat subdued.

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Alas, it was not to be. Both the Neiko bits and the Blendx bits cut through ceramic, travertine, and even glass tile, but every bit in both sets pooped out before creating a hole in porcelain tile. Since porcelain is extremely hard, we always tried the bits on softer types of tile before drilling through porcelain—that way, we knew what they would drill as well as what they wouldn’t. None of the Neiko or Blendx bits got more than halfway through porcelain before the diamond dust burned off. And that was even with water droplets added to the holes as we drilled. In short, neither of these products qualifies as being among the best drill bits for hard porcelain tile.

With a growing number of kitchen and bathroom fixtures now supplied in metric sizes, it may be necessary to have an accurate metric drill bit for tile. Imperial (United States) equivalents are close but not always close enough. In the past, we’ve had to guess which Imperial bit or anchor is most comparable to the metric one called for, so we were excited to test these carbide-tipped metric drill bits.

The ST-Cut series features a unique insert replacement system that provides fast and easy changeovers of inserts from both sides of the tool. This is particularly suitable for manufacturers running sliding head turning centres where space is often limited inside the working envelope. Also, the innovative clamping system demonstrates high repeatability and excellent rigidity for manufacturers aiming to part-off components with a maximum part-off diameter of 17 mm. The ST-Cut Series encompasses everything from parting-off, groove-turn, square grooving, round grooving, threading, front and back-turning as well as face grooving. From the parting off-line, the ST-Cuts series incorporates both left and right-hand inserts with a cutting width from 0.5 to 2 mm with a range of cutting depths, geometries and insert grades. Similarly, the square grooving/turn and round grooving line offers left and right-hand variants with insert widths from 0.5 to 3 mm with the round groove inserts offering a choice of radii from 0.2, 0.5, 0.75, 1, 1.25 and 1.5 mm. From a threading perspective, the left and right-hand inserts are supplied with a 55 ° and 60 ° profile option with a maximum insert width of up to 3.2 mm.

After drilling 10 holes, we checked the bits for wear. The carbide-tipped spears were still sharp, and none of the bits had broken. After 30 more holes in various types of tile, we noticed the bits (we tested one of each size) were starting to drill slower. Upon inspection, we found the spear tips were beginning to wear down—but we still consider that superior performance for drilling about 40 holes in hard tiles.

Covis uses a variety of tools from Big Kaiser, including boring heads, roughing heads and the modular vibration dampening system Smart Damper. The Smart Damper bars have enabled deep boring with high precision finishes on valves with Inconel, with substantially better results than were possible using solutions from other suppliers. All the machining centres in the workshop are also equipped with the Big-Plus spindle system, the only system in the world to guarantee double simultaneous cone-flange contact between the spindle and the machine. This is another important step that gives more rigidity to the machine and keeps vibrations under control.

When drilling through tile, it’s best to go slowly and use only light pressure on the drill bit. Don’t try to force the bit through—let the drill and the bit do all the work. If you still have questions about selecting and using the best drill bits for tile, keep reading for answers to some commonly asked questions.

These proved to be very durable heavy-duty bits: After drilling 10 holes with each, we saw virtually no softening of the blades or dulling. As we drilled an additional 30 holes per bit, we still didn’t notice much slowing down. The deep flutes in the shank quickly removed the powdered tile material as we drilled, and the holes were clean and uniform.

When a project requires only a few holes to be drilled in tile, consider buying a single bit rather than a whole set, such as this Hillman Tapper drill bit in a 3/16-inch diameter and 3½-inch length. (We chose that size to test because 3/16-inch is a fairly standard hole size for installing towel rods and toilet-paper-holder anchors). We drilled holes in marble, travertine, slate, glass, and ceramic tiles with this carbide-tipped spiral bit. We did use masking tape for most of the holes because the bit had a tendency to wander without it. The bit drilled clean holes in ceramic and stone tiles but seemed to struggle on the glass tile, so we added a few drops of water to the hole to help cool the bit and reduce friction (not cooling a hot bit is a primary cause of bit breakage).

We used the DeWalt bits to drill through travertine, slate, marble, ceramic, and glass tiles. The bits have carbide spiral tips, and we tested them with and without masking tape. They wandered less than we expected, even without tape, but we would suggest taping highly glazed ceramic and glass tiles to be on the safe side.