Ramping up production often requires a specialized CNC drilling machine. The feed system must be adapted to guide and handle the parts to be drilled. Also, depending on the hole pattern, the number and orientation of the drill spindles must be customized. Consequently, designing and building a specialized CNC drilling machine is always a custom project for us. Such a project entails detailed conversations with operators and plant engineers to make sure we get it just right.

To start a conversation about a new specialized CNC drilling machine, drop us a line at our contact page. We are always happy to look at a new project and offer a free quote.

CNC Drilling Machine – Design Considerations

When thinking about a new machine, our goal is efficiency.  For example, since we want to minimize down time due to tool changes, we need to think about:

  • Frequency of tool change and ease of access for manual tool changes.
  • Automatic vs. Manual tool change
  • If the drilling machine must handle varying part profiles, should it be able to handle that without re-tooling?
  • Rate of drill bit wear
  • The impact of a tool change on average cycle time

Another critical system to get right is the feed system.  Coupled with the business end of the drilling machine is some sort of part loading system.  Since an automatic feed system can always be faster than a manual system, but is more expensive, it comes down to a cost calculation.  In other words, it’s cycle time vs. capital investment.

West Salem Tool builds specialized CNC drilling machines for customers in the Upper Midwest.  Although we are based in western Wisconsin, we can supply customers on (for example) the West or East coasts.  Shipping costs are a bit higher, but we can still sent people to your plant for install and setup.