What is the difference between tungsten steel thread button drill bits and diamond thread button drill bits?
Material properties
Tungsten steel thread button drill bits
Tungsten steel (hard alloy) is a composite material composed of tungsten carbide (WC) particles and metal binders (such as cobalt, nickel, etc.). It has a high hardness, generally reaching HRA89 - 92.5, and has good wear resistance. For example, when drilling some moderately hard rocks (such as limestone), tungsten steel ball teeth can maintain a good shape and resist rock wear. At the same time, tungsten steel has relatively good toughness, because the metal binder can buffer the impact force to a certain extent, so that the ball teeth will not break easily when subjected to a certain impact.
Diamond thread button drill bits
Diamond is the hardest substance known so far, with a Mohs hardness of 10. Diamond thread button drill bits have extremely high hardness and can show excellent cutting performance when drilling super-hard materials (such as ceramics, quartz, etc.). However, diamond has relatively poor toughness and is relatively brittle. If subjected to a large impact force, the ball teeth are prone to cracking or breakage. For example, if the drill bit suddenly collides with a hard object during use, the diamond ball teeth may be damaged.
Scope of application
Tungsten steel ball teeth drill bit
It is suitable for drilling materials with medium hardness, such as various rocks (except super-hard rocks) and some metal materials (such as aluminum alloys, copper alloys, etc.). In mining, tungsten steel ball teeth drill bits can play a better role in the mining of ores with not particularly high hardness (such as iron ore, lead-zinc ore, etc.). It can have good durability while ensuring a certain drilling efficiency.
Diamond ball teeth drill bit
It is mainly used for drilling super-hard materials. For example, in the stone processing industry, diamond ball teeth drill bits are the first choice for high-precision drilling of granite, marble and other high-hardness stones. In the electronics industry, diamond ball teeth drill bits are also needed to drill materials such as ceramic substrates with extremely high hardness to ensure the accuracy and quality of drilling.
Drilling performance
Tungsten steel ball teeth drill bit
During the drilling process, tungsten steel ball teeth drill bits can withstand certain cutting forces and impact forces. Its cutting speed may be slightly slower than that of a diamond drill bit, but it can also efficiently complete drilling tasks at the appropriate speed and feed rate. For example, when drilling steel with a hardness of HRC40-50, the speed of a tungsten steel ball tooth drill bit can be set at 100-200 rpm, and the feed rate is about 0.1-0.2mm/r, which can ensure a good drilling effect.
Diamond ball tooth drill bit
Due to its extremely high hardness, it can cut materials at a higher speed during drilling, and the drilling efficiency is high. However, its requirements for drilling parameters are more stringent. If the speed and feed rate are not properly controlled, it is easy to cause damage to the ball teeth. For example, when drilling quartz stone with a higher hardness, the speed is generally controlled at 200-500 rpm, and the feed rate is about 0.05-0.15mm/r, so that its advantages of efficient drilling can be fully utilized.
Service life
Tungsten steel thread button drill bits
The service life of the drill bits is greatly affected by the hardness of the drilled material and the drilling conditions. When drilling softer materials or under suitable drilling conditions, tungsten steel thread button drill bits can be used for a long time. For example, when drilling wood or soft plastics, tungsten steel thread button drill bits may be used for hundreds of hours. However, when drilling materials with higher hardness, as the ball teeth wear, the drilling efficiency will gradually decrease. When the ball teeth are severely worn (such as the height of the ball teeth is worn more than about 1/3), the drill bit needs to be replaced.
Diamond thread button drill bits
If the drilling conditions are suitable, that is, the ball teeth can be effectively prevented from being subjected to excessive impact force and the drilling temperature can be controlled well, the service life of diamond thread button drill bits can be very long. Especially when drilling ultra-hard and uniform materials, the ball teeth can maintain good cutting performance for a long time. However, once the ball teeth are cracked or damaged, the performance of the drill bit will drop sharply and need to be replaced in time.
Price cost
Tungsten steel thread button drill bits
The price is relatively cheap, because the cost of tungsten steel materials is relatively low and the manufacturing process is relatively simple. This makes tungsten steel ball-tooth drills widely used in some cost-sensitive industries (such as small-scale mining, general construction, etc.).
Diamond ball-tooth drills
The price is high, mainly because diamond itself is expensive and the manufacturing process requires high standards. For example, in the field of high-precision industrial processing, although diamond ball-tooth drills are expensive, they are still an indispensable tool because they can meet high-quality drilling needs.
