A radial drill machine is a specially designed drilling machine that is used for making medium to large holes and other heavy workpieces. The machine drill holes in a given radial distance. However, since heavy jobs can’t move easily, the machine is specially made so that the tool in radial drilling machine moves any part of the heavy job without moving the object.
The machine is majorly used if the component size is large in weight. It is also suitable for industry product manufacturing of large and heavy work items. Normally, the radial drill machine’s column, with the assistance of the arm, facilitates the work equipment by adjusting its position either upwards or downwards. The other great features of this machine are flexibility, competency, accuracy and reliability which typically ease significant drilling operations in the industry, especially on large and heavy work items.
The working principle for a radial drill machine is definitely the same as that of a drilling machine. Whereas the rotating edge is fixed on the head of the drill it directs a force on the work item to make a hole while removing the excess materials. This machine enables the large and big work items to settle in one position without the quest to keep re-positioning it. To make your work easier, you can perform drilling operations in different positions by simply adjusting the location of the column with the help of the arm.
What Are The Advantages Of A Radial Drilling Machine?
The machine offers numerous benefits as follows:
1. The machine comprises the drill head which is familiar in height and can move easily while rotating. It has the capacity to position its head via its radial arm device. This is the major reason many industries benefit and prefer using this kind of drilling machine in their daily operations.
2. Radial drilling machines are perfect for the large-sized workpiece.
3. The stand worktable can be rotated via 360 degrees.
4. High precision and correctness
5. Work perfectly and efficiently on different metals and wood equipment.
6. Very fast process and use thanks to its compact sizes.
7. The machine is durable, rough and can withstand various unpleasant conditions.
8. The machine’s movement can be driven both manually and powered.
9. It exhibits high accuracy and precision.
10. Compared to other drilling machines such as the Bench Drilling machine, the radial machine is more advanced and works better all around.
11. It’s one of the most versatile drilling machines that can easily drill boreholes, countersink or even grind off large blocks’ elements.
12. Less efforts needed since the machine is designed to perform more tasks efficiently.
Disadvantages Of Radial Drilling Machine
Here is the trade-off of the radial drilling machine:
1. The machines are very large and thus take up a lot of real estate.
2. It has been specifically developed for medium to large workpieces.
3. Highly priced
What Is A Radial Drill Press Used For?
These machines are used in various fields to carry out several duties such as:
Crucial Metalworking
Due to its perfect hole drilling on surfaces of a specific material the radial drill is used in crucial metalworking. Regular drills can’t make the perfect drilling for crucial metalworking. Hence the introduction of radial drill machines to solve the problem.
This kind of drilling machine operates specifically on the spindle with an arm by directing the arm of this certain tool next to its base so that workers can operate on a larger surface area. Different types of metalwork such as weldments, forgings, and casting utilize these machines.
Usage Of Radial Drill Machine In The Petroleum Industry
When it comes to the petroleum industry radial drilling machine is very important. The industry uses heavy machinery while handling equipment exposed to corrosion and mechanical breakdowns in far-off places. The radial machine is therefore crucial in repairing and handling many large workpieces for oil research. Some of the other special application of radial drill includes; reaming, counter drilling, spot facing and tapping.
Other used include:
1. Used in educational institutions for performing lab experiments
2. Utilized in small-scale and large-scale industries like agriculture
3. Used in the massive production of component of different types in various industries.
What Are The Types Of Drilling Machines?
A drilling machine is normally used for cutting holes in and out of metals, wood and other materials. They are widely used across various industries, which make them indispensable equipment. Since they are majorly used for various factory repairs and machinery manufacturing the drilling machines exists in different types. These include:
Deep Hole Drilling Machines
This is one of the specialized drilling machines used for deep hole drilling like those of machines, tool spindles and barrels. Basically, it’s a horizontal way to create a large body that is often with coolant inside.
Radial Drilling Machines
The workpiece is usually fixed by rotating and lifting the radial arm through its movable spindle speed and feed mechanism. This type of machine is highly suitable for processing a heavy, large and porous workpiece. It does make sense as to why it’s widely used in machinery manufacturing.
Portable Drilling Machines
These kinds of machines are perfect for drilling small holes, and it’s popular used in the major workshop. You can operate the machine by holding it in your hands on the workpiece to be drilled.
Sensitive Drilling Machine
Its table, spindle speed and feed mechanism can be moved vertically easily on its column for machine small to medium -size workpiece. There are two types of sensitive drilling machines that are a table and floor type. It can make the machine operator quietly feel the pressure needed for drilling and adjusting the applied pressure effectively.
Upright Drilling Machines
This is used for drilling medium and large holes. Generally, they are larger in size and stronger compared with the ones for sensitive drilling machines. There are different similarities in two types of upright drilling, i.e., machine referred to the type of column used to include box and round column.
Gang drilling machines- this kind of machine can drill the same or different sizes of holes at different or the same time. All this is possible due to its number of drill heads that are placed together. So, the uniqueness of this machine tool is that it has the capacity to drill several numbers holes efficiently at the same time.
Multiple Spindle Machine
The machine is much more similar to a gang drilling machine as it can drill several holes at once. However, all the holes are in one workpiece and numbers of the same jobs. The machine is perfectly designed to handle certain needs in different industries.
Automatic Drilling Machine
This kind of machine can execute various machining operations at the successive unit and at the same time transfer the work from one place to the other automatically. After loading work at the first machine, the work will now move from one machine to another. Different operations are performed from one machine to the other and finally finishing the work at the last unit without any manual handling. These machines are suitable for production purposes such as milling, honing and so on.
Radial Drilling Machines Parts And Functions
Below are the major parts of the radial drilling machines and their functions:
Base
The base is made of cast iron with high compressive strength, good absorption, and great tear, and wear-resistant. The major purpose of the base is to support all the parts assembled on it and absorb the vibrations generated by the machine’s parts.
Column
Its placed exactly at one side of a bed that generally acts as a support for rotating the radial arm at 360 degrees.
Radial Arm
It’s simply the one that is connected to the column. Simultaneously, the drill head is a slide from one side to the other side by its guideways.
Motor
The motor is placed on the drill head, and it’s responsible for driving the work unit.
Table
It’s attached to the column that holds the machine vice in the grip while the workpiece is fixed in the machine vice to complete the drilling operations. The table usually moves up and down through rotational motion.
Drill Handwheel
It’s mounted to the spindle arrangement used to move it up and down due respect to the workpiece.
Drive Head
The driver’s head has two levers that, by varying, can likely increase or decrease the speed of chuck.
Chuck
One side of the chuck is mounted to the spindle arrangement, and the other side-mounted to the drill bit.
Drill Bit
The drill bit performs as a drilling tool to drill holes on the workpiece.
Workpiece
When working with a small workpiece, it can be placed on the swivel table or else placed on the ground in that radial arm is used for drilling.
Conclusion
Actually, a radial drilling machine is an advanced version of regular drilling machines. It’s purposely designed to handle big and heavy work items that enable us a higher degree of flexibility and freedom. Apart from that, it provides the convenience of executing drilling operations on various heavy yet big work items without forcing them to move. Typically, the machines are mostly preferred due to their capability of positioning the drill head on the work items by adjusting the radial arm even more because the operator has less work to do or put less effort since the machine is designed to handle a lot of work accurately and precise.
