Drill Inserts | Three Different U-Drill Inserts to Meet Various Machining Scenarios

U drill, one of the most commonly used hole processing tools, is known by various names such as shallow hole drill, water spray drill, aggressive drill, fast drill, T drill, and insert drill. The standard term should be indexable insert drill or machine-clamped drill. The term "U drill" originates from the Sandvik Coromant T-MAX U drill, and this name has since been widely circulated in the industry, gradually becoming a conventional term.

01 U drill inserts: three forms, each with its own merits

First, the difference between a U drill and a regular drill is that, U drills use replaceable inserts, divided into center inserts and peripheral inserts. 。 After the inserts wear out, they can be directly replaced, which is more cost-effective. Especially when machining large diameter holes. The U drill is also an internal coolant drill, featuring good chip evacuation and the ability to drill continuously, which makes the drilling efficiency very high. Besides drilling, U drills are also suitable for reaming, counterboring, external turning, internal boring, shoulder machining, and chamfering.

Currently, the common U drill inserts on the market mainly include: triangular WC series and square SP series.

WC series inserts Introduced very early, this insert generally has better centering performance.

SP series inserts With four usable edges, the bottom surface is relatively flat when drilling blind holes, but the inserts cannot be arranged to cut in a horizontal state, as this would cause significant impact on the inserts and easily cause chipping, so the U drill shank is designed with a slight 3-5 degree cutting angle. Therefore, the bottom surface of the drilled hole has a slight wavy pattern.

WDXT series U drill inserts combine the advantages of the WC and SP series. One insert uses both center and peripheral cutting edges, with 2 peripheral cutting edges and 2 center cutting edges. By adjusting different peripheral and center cutting speeds and using different cutting edge groove types, the chip breaking flow direction can be effectively controlled. Their relative positions are optimized for stable drilling, producing a bottom surface closer to flat.

02 The three major advantages of U drill inserts

Easy to use / Easy to use products

U drill inserts do not require regrinding; the disposable insert replacement method is more convenient. Drilling dimensions are easy to control and standardize. It reduces tool change and setup time. Since regrinding is not needed, when selecting U drill shanks, one can choose the most rigid shank to fully utilize the high-performance characteristics of the U drill.

High efficiency - low cost / High efficiency- low cost

U drill inserts generally have multiple cutting edges, mostly W-type and S-type inserts, which can be indexed 3-4 times, resulting in lower processing costs. With continuous advancements in U drill development technology, new tool body structures, new coating technologies, and smooth chip evacuation technologies, the high speed and high efficiency features of U drills will become more prominent.

Multiple specifications and multifunctionality / Multi-specification

U drill inserts have chip-breaking groove types suitable for processing various materials and grades adapted to different materials. Combined with a series of diameters from 2D to 6D, hundreds of tool forms can be combined to meet over 80% of drilling processing requirements. Additionally, U drills usually start cutting from the outside, which, compared to center cutting, makes U drills suitable for a wider range of working conditions.

03 Medium tungsten U drill series / TOOLBOSS

1 WC series / Product photos

2 WD series / Product photos

3 Product data / Supporting drill shanks welcome to inquire