Industrial drilling machines

What are industrial drills and what types are there?

Heller has metal drilling machines of all sizes: bench drills, pillar drills or industrial floor-standing drills, radial arm drills and mill-drills, with drilling capacities in steel of up to 70 mm.

Industrial drills are electrically operated tools designed for a variety of tasks. The most common use of drills is for drilling different materials, but depending on the type they can incorporate other extra functions such as sharpening, sanding or driving screws. The materials a drill can work with vary according to the type of drill.

Classification of industrial drills according to their power supply system

Industrial drills can be classified according to the power supply system they are built with. This gives the following types of drills:

Cordless drills

Because they are easy to use, they are the most common. One of their great advantages is that modern batteries last quite a reasonable time. They are also a highly effective power supply system. They are likewise ideal in situations where a power socket is not accessible.

This type of industrial drill is completely wireless and offers complete mobility in any use. However, it is essential to check the battery levels before using it.

Corded drills

If a power socket is available, this type of drill is ideal, since it works by being plugged into one. They are characterised by having an electric cable that must be connected for them to work. That is why there is no need to check any kind of battery level when using them.

Using this type of industrial drill requires greater care, since it is necessary to make sure that the power cable is never in the middle of the worktable, so as to avoid risks to the operator's safety.

It should be mentioned that they have the additional advantage of offering a higher power level than electric drills, so they can be used to work with harder materials. Also, owing to the characteristics of their power supply system, their performance is constant and does not suffer drops.

Air drills

Also called pneumatic drills, they are a more specialised and less common type of drill. They work because they have a built-in air compressor.

They are designed to be used in industrial manufacturing, since they are the only type of drill that requires a specific installation depending on the type of air they need in order to work.

They also take up more space. They stand out for being lighter, which makes them easier to use. Their efficiency is also higher compared with other types of drills, so they guarantee a higher level of productivity. On the other hand, because of their mechanical system they involve lower maintenance costs.

Classification of drills according to how they work

Industrial drills can also be differentiated according to how they work.

Hammer drill

This is an industrial drill whose main function is percussion. That is, it offers a hammering action and the typical rotation that all drills have. Because of this operating system it is considered one of the easiest to use.

They are designed to work with large, very hard materials such as walls or concrete. However, the percussion system can be switched off on most of these drills. This is recommended when they are to be used to work on soft surfaces where percussion is unnecessary.

Drill drivers

As their name indicates, they are designed for driving screws, although they can also be used to remove them. They are very effective at these functions, so they significantly optimise working speed.

If the bits can be interchanged, this type of drill can also be used for drilling work.

Angle drill

Industrial angle drills are designed to make work easier when the material does not offer easy access to certain areas. This is achieved because they have a ninety-degree angle shape, which makes it much easier to drill areas where space is very limited.

Because in most cases materials do not have hard-to-reach areas, it is considered a specialised industrial drill, which is aimed exclusively at professional fields.

Pillar drill

This is a much more technical drill, as it is fixed onto a specific tool. It is intended for use in line production, always with exact accuracy.

Magnetic drill

This industrial drill is also for exclusive use in professional settings. It stands out for incorporating a magnetic system to secure metal structures. Thanks to this feature it is able to offer exact accuracy. Its effectiveness stands out when it is necessary to work on multiple metal surfaces in a specific way in a short time.

Other machines that may interest you

• Pillar drills
• Radial arm drills
• Mill-drills
• Bench drills

Not sure which machine to choose? Talk to a Heller technician.