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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