Minland Machine has developed a new automated machine for manufacturers that need more from an extrusion hole-making process than a conventional punch can provide.
The new Auto Drill adapts the programmable feed system used in our flagship Auto Punch to control an actual drilling spindle. Instead of producing holes through hydraulic stamping, the machine drills each programmed location and can countersink the hole during the same automated cycle.
The result is a new option for manufacturers producing aluminum extrusions that require accurately positioned holes, controlled countersink diameters and flush-mounted hardware.
Discuss Your Extrusion Drilling Application with Minland
From the Auto Punch to the Auto Drill
Minland’s Auto Punch is a CNC-controlled hydraulic punch machine with a servo feed system. An operator loads a saved part program, adjusts the feed rolls for the extrusion and inserts the material into the machine. The feed system detects the edge of the part, advances the extrusion and produces holes at the programmed locations.
The Auto Drill retains the fundamental feeding process that has made the Auto Punch effective for repetitive extrusion work.
The operator loads the extrusion from the end of the machine and selects the appropriate program. The drive wheel picks up the material, a switch establishes the machine’s zero point and the system begins feeding the extrusion through the programmed sequence. The machine clamps, drills, unclamps and advances the material automatically until the program is complete.
What changes is the working end of the system.
The Auto Punch uses a hydraulic cylinder and punch tooling to stamp holes through the material. The Auto Drill replaces that punching station with a programmable drill spindle, additional servo motors and updated electronic controls.
This change allows the machine to control more than the horizontal position of each hole. It also introduces programmable spindle operation and controlled movement into the material.
Automated Drilling with Controlled Speed, Feed & Depth
The Auto Drill spindle is being designed with programmable speed and feed settings. These controls allow the drilling process to be adjusted for the tool, hole size, material and application rather than relying on a fixed mechanical stroke.
A servo-driven ball screw controls movement along the Z axis. This replaces the cylinder-and-slide arrangement associated with the punching process and gives the machine direct control over drilling depth.
That depth control is especially important when producing countersunk holes.
Countersink diameter is determined in part by how deeply the cutting tool enters the material. By controlling the Z-axis position with a servo motor and ball screw, the Auto Drill can maintain a repeatable depth and a more consistent countersink diameter from one programmed location to the next. This gives manufacturers the ability to create holes for flat-head screws and other flush-mounted fasteners without moving the extrusion to a separate countersinking station.
Auto Drill Process
- Load or select the part program.
- Adjust the feed system for the extrusion profile.
- Insert the material into the machine.
- Allow the system to locate and establish the part zero.
- Automatically clamp the extrusion.
- Drill and countersink the programmed location.
- Unclamp and advance the extrusion.
- Repeat the sequence until the part is complete.
One Programmable Feed System, Multiple Manufacturing Options
The Auto Drill represents a broader direction for our suite of automated machinery: adapting a standard programmable feed platform to support different production processes.
The Auto Punch and Auto Drill begin with the same basic requirement. A long extrusion must be moved through the machine, stopped at precise locations and processed according to a repeatable part program. The production operation at each stop can then be tailored to the application.
For the Auto Punch, that operation is hydraulic punching. For the Auto Drill, it is spindle drilling and countersinking. The feed platform can be configured around the process the part requires instead of forcing the manufacturer to make a different feed arrangement for each operation.
We’ve designed and built CNC benders, punch machines, production tooling packages and other automated systems for extrusion manufacturers as part of our broader mechanical and electrical engineering capabilities. The Auto Drill builds on that experience by applying the existing extrusion-handling platform to a new set of hole-making requirements.
Programming Hole Locations Around Bends & Part Features
Before production begins, the operator creates or loads a program containing the required hole locations.
That program controls where the extrusion stops and where each drilling cycle takes place. For parts that will be bent after drilling, the hole pattern can be developed to keep holes and countersinks out of bend radiuses and other restricted areas.
This is particularly useful for components that require multiple drilling locations across a long extrusion. Instead of relying on an operator to measure each location, mark the part and reposition it manually, the machine controls the feed distance according to the saved program.
Our established Auto Punch platform already allows users to save and edit part programs, calculate hole locations and program up to 1,000 hole positions within an individual part program. By retaining a programmable feed approach, the Auto Drill supports repeat production while making changeovers between part configurations more manageable.
Collet Flexibility for Different Drill Sizes
The Auto Drill spindle is configured to accept tooling through a collet system.
The current design uses an ER32 collet assembly with an ER25 collet assembly inserted into it. This arrangement creates a method for stepping down to smaller tooling sizes and changing drills for different hole requirements.
The spindle accommodates tools with shanks up to approximately 3/4″ in diameter, although final torque capabilities and operating limits is confirmed through testing. For manufacturers running several extrusion designs, the collet arrangement is intended to make it easier to move between drill sizes without replacing the complete spindle assembly
Solid-Carbide Tooling Supports a Clean, Dry Process
Minland provides solid-carbide drills for the Auto Drill.
Solid-carbide tooling can operate at higher cutting speeds and generally provides longer tool life than comparable high-speed-steel tooling when it is correctly matched to the material and application. For the Auto Drill, it also supports our goal of maintaining a clean, dry process without the lubrication that would typically be required for high-speed-steel drills.
Coolant or cutting lubricant can create additional cleaning requirements before parts move into bending, finishing or assembly. The planned tooling and chip-management approach are intended to keep chips contained without coating the extrusion in fluid.
Chip Management Designed into the Machine
Drilling creates a production issue that punching does not: chips must be moved away from the cutting area and collected.
Minland initially considered a vacuum arrangement similar to the systems commonly used on CNC routers. The current design direction uses compressed air to blow chips away from the drill and into a contained collection area, where they can fall through the bottom of the machine. Our goal is to keep chips from accumulating around the spindle, feed components or finished extrusion while providing a contained area that can be cleaned and emptied.
Built Primarily for Aluminum Extrusion Manufacturing
Marine applications are one example of where the system’s drilling and countersinking capabilities can provide a clear benefit. Access panels, flooring systems and other assemblies may require fastener heads to sit flush with the surrounding surface. A punch can create the initial hole, but it can’t produce the countersink needed for that finished connection.
The Auto Drill can perform both steps at the programmed location.
The machine is also capable of drilling mild steel. The primary challenge for formed steel parts will be maintaining a profile that can pass through the feed system. A break-formed component, for example, must still fit the machine’s feed and clamping arrangement.
Material, wall thickness, profile geometry, tool selection and required hole size will all need to be evaluated when determining whether a particular part is a good fit for the system.
Reducing Secondary Operations
For the right application, our Auto Drill can combine several production steps into one programmed process.
A conventional workflow may require an operator to measure the part, mark hole locations, drill each hole, countersink it and reposition the extrusion for every repeated feature. Longer parts may require multiple fixtures or additional handling between workstations.
With the Auto Drill, feeding, positioning, clamping, drilling and countersinking take place within the same automated sequence.
This can help manufacturers:
- Reduce manual layout and measurement
- Limit repeated handling of long extrusions
- Produce more consistent hole spacing
- Maintain countersink depth and diameter
- Reduce dependence on operator positioning
- Eliminate a separate countersinking operation
- Save programs for recurring parts
- Improve repeatability across production runs
- Keep hole locations clear of programmed bend areas
The addition of spindle controls, Z-axis movement, servo drives, new electronics, collet tooling and chip management required a substantial redesign of the machine’s processing station.
Developed Around a Specific Production Need
The Auto Drill system follows a typical project schedule of approximately 28 weeks, or roughly six months, once the design is validated and the standard machine configuration is established. Actual lead times will depend on the extrusion, tooling, programming requirements and application-specific modifications.
Our special-machine work combines mechanical design, electrical controls, machining, tooling and production problem-solving within one operation. We develop automated equipment around the part and process rather than treating automation as a standalone piece of machinery.
For the Auto Drill, Minland must also evaluate the extrusion profile, material, part length, hole pattern, countersink requirements, downstream bends, fastener type and production volume.
Ready to Evaluate Your Parts?
Send Minland Machine your extrusion profile, material specifications and hole requirements. Our team will review the application and discuss the appropriate feed, spindle, tooling and control configuration.