Process Definition: Thermal Friction Drilling

Process Definition: Thermal Friction Drilling / Flow Drilling / Flow Forming
Thermal Friction Drilling
    
The Process is knows as:
Thermal Friction Drilling,
friction drilling,
flow drilling,
flow forming,
stir friction  drilling,
form drilling, and
thermal drilling.

Today, the availablity of this old technology is reliable and the process is fast, because of modern material and grinding technologies for tungsten carbide materials, (solid carbide tools).
Thermal Friction Drilling is a process for generating bushings or holes in thin-walled sheet metal, metal tubes, or pipes without metal removal. A rotating, center punch type tool, "Fdrill", is forced into the material. The heat generated by the friction, heats the surrounding area and plasticizes the material. Without removing material, a hole is then formed by the entering tool, similar to a forging process. The excess material increases the wall thickness of the metal and provides an area of increased support. This eliminates addional welded bracing or the insertion of plugs. Friction drilling is an excellent process to create reliable, stronger connections or bushings.

Friction Drilling can also be used to weld two materials together in the area of the holes - (Friction Welding.)

The process is applicable to radial drills, drill presses, milling machines, or CNC machines.
Friction Drilling is fast, reliable, economical, and "environmentally friendly."
A stronger connection at a lower price.

Thread Former / Thread Forming is replacing thread cutting / tapping with a highly reliable cold-forming process.

Thread Former are also known as Thread Rollers, Thread Roller Taps, or Thread Forming Taps.
 
Thread Former are used in a tapping like chipless process to from threads. The prosses is called thread forming. Thread forming is a cold forming process which generates a thread in applicable metal materials. It offers greater reliability for automation and provides a better thread than tapping. Somtimes, threadforming is called chipless tapping, or thread rolling. Thread forming can increase the material strength as a result of the cold forming process, creating a more dense, compressed material suface ares. And while it does not generate cutting chips, the potential for tool breakage caused by cutting chip interfering with already threaded areas is eliminated. Thus threadformer have increased production reliability. Overall a great cost saving and time saving tool for manufacturing.