Loading…

Old timer at the shop told me to stop pecking my drill cycles | CNC Operators - Opinions Matter

umac71•5mo ago

Old timer at the shop told me to stop pecking my drill cycles

Was running some 1/4" holes in stainless on a HAAS VF-2 and this guy who's been machining since the 80s walks by and says 'you're killing your tool life pecking that much.' Told me to just use a high pressure coolant thru holder and run continuous chip breaking instead. Anyone else had a simple tip from a veteran totally change how you run a job?

3 comments

3 Comments

alex_taylor105mo ago

Interesting point about letting the chip break itself... how do you figure out when it's actually a good idea to stop pecking vs when you're just asking for a chip wrap that ruins the part? I've had jobs where backing off the peck seemed fine for a few holes then suddenly the chips start birdnesting around the holder and I'm scrambling for the stop button. Like, is there a rule of thumb or do you just develop a sixth sense for it after wrecking enough parts?

tyler_burns665mo ago

Twenty some years ago I was drilling 3/8 holes in some kind of nasty tool steel on a Matsuura. Old German toolmaker named Dieter walked by, watched me pecking like a woodpecker for a minute, then just said 'let the chip break itself.' Pulled the peck cycle out right there. Took me a while to trust it but he was right. Those old guys have a weird instinct for when pecking is just wasting time and vibration.

gibson.robert4mo ago

Yeah, listening to Dieter was probably the best thing you could have done. The trick I've found is watching the chips as they come out of the hole. If they're coming out clean and consistent, no weird colors or buildup, I'll let it run without pecking. But the minute I see those long stringy ribbons or anything that looks like it's getting ready to wrap, that's when I go back to pecking just enough to break the chip. You kinda have to feel it out for the first hole or two on every new material, because the same drill in a different batch of steel can act totally different. Once you've seen enough birdnests you can spot the warning signs before it turns into a mess.