Diamond
drills are used on glass, stained glass, ceramics, ceramic tile, porcelain,
porcelain tile, limestone, marble, granite, slate, stone and fiberglass.
Drills used on wood or metal have a sharp metal tip or teeth, that
cut into the material. These types of drills do not work on glass,
marble, etc. as the tips do not "bite" into the extremely
hard material, and cause heat buildup that burn up the bit and cause
"heat fractures" in the material. Carbide tipped Spear Point
drills are sometimes used on the "softer" types of hard
materials - like untempered glass, sandstone and marble and some of
the less hard ceramic and porcelain tiles. While they sometimes work,
they tend to chip the hard surface very badly, leaving a rough hole
and often cause breakage due to fractures from the chipping and heat.
Diamond drill bits are designed differently - they have diamond tips
that "grind" into the extremely hard materials.
Core
drills only drill out a portion of the resulting hole, so they tend
to drill much faster than blunt nose drills. Core drills can be
used to drill large holes and can be used on most non-ferious hard
materials such as glass, stained glass, ceramic, porcelain and fiberglass,
ceramic or porcelain tile, limestone, slate, marble, granite and
other stone materials. Bonded diamond drill bits have the diamonds
bonded to the the edges of the drill bit tip, generally using an
electroplate bonding process. These drill bits are generally slow-speed
bits and are fairly inexpensive. During use, the diamonds eventually
wear off of the bit due to the hardness and abrasiveness of the
material being drilled. Bonded diamond drill bits must not be used
on metal, concrete, or masonry and require proper speed and adequate
water lubrication.
The life of any type of diamond drill bit depends upon the hardness,
abrasiveness and thickness of the material being drilled and the
specific drilling techniques used (drill speed, pressure and lubrication),
however, the diamonds of a drill bit don't actually wear out as
much as they wear off due to heat and friction caused by the extreme
hardness and abrasiveness of the material drilled. Drilling in glass,
ceramic, marble, etc. is a slow process compared to softer materials
such as wood or even metal. A fairly deep hole can be drilled in
wood in just a few seconds, while it can take 20 or 30 seconds or
longer to drill a hole in standard 1/8" thick glass. In some
very hard stones and tiles, it may take 2 to 3 minutes to drill
only 1/4" deep. Using diamond bits to drill in hard materials
is not difficult, however, it takes time. A person should consider
that they aren't 'drilling' a hole, as much as 'grinding' a hole.
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