If You’re Drilling Holes, Use A CNC Drill Chuck!

You might be asking yourself “What’s a CNC drill chuck?” which is exactly why I’m writing this article. When I show these to my customers, the first thing they say is… “So, if I get one of these, I never have to buy a random sized collet for drill bits again?” to which my answer is “Exactly!”. If you have a handful of collets that you use for all your drill btis, then I’m guessing that you’re really interested in what it is now.

These are the HSK32E, ISO30, and HSK63F CNC drill chucks:

A drill chuck is a tool holder with an HSK32E, ISO30 or HSK63F taper that holds all sized drill bits with a ½” shank or smaller. Loading and unloading a drill bit into a drill chuck works similar to a handheld drill. You simply adjust the holder, by hand, to open or close the clamping teeth to secure or release the drill bit. These are rated to run at proper drilling RPM’s (which should always be low for drill holes), ensuring that your spindle is being taken care of.

Like I mentioned before, this eliminates having a collet for every size drill bit that you plan to use on your CNC machine. It’s a great product that can save an immense amount of time, hassle, and money. There are three taper options for these: HSK63F, HSK32E, and ISO30 (both HSD & COL). Warning, don’t confuse “drill bits” with “Endmills or standard router bits”. If you need any clarification, please reach out at tooling@cnctoolingshop.com.

Feel free to request help with the optimal plunge rates and spindle speeds. It is important to know the lowest spindle speed your machine is capable of before using these, as that is sometimes the spindle speed recommended for drilling operations. For example, we recently drilled holes in HDPE and ACM at 4,000 RPM which was that particular machines slowest spindle speed.

---