Problem- machining FX

[stovepipesteve]

Finkle FX,,ive never heard of it. I think it has a hardness of kryptonite.
i need to drill 10 holes thru 2'' plate with 1'' C'bores .690 deep.
Its 24 x 6 x 1.9 thick ,finished.(several inches oversized rough)
No scrap job

C'bore .690 deep,completed with Dapra high feed insertable.
Now comes the hard part,,drill thru 11/16.
Standard HSS drills will not touch it. I do have a 1/2 carbide drill(for rough pilot) but have no idea what speed and feed to use. Should i even try to use stardard carbide drill in FX. Maybe TiNAL coated?
I do know i cant peak due to work harden, so its gotta be a strait shot for a drill.
im already over budget so more toolin purchases will be tough.

Plan "C" right now is to flip it, probe the one hole i did get thru and use a Millstar 3/8 high feed insertable and spiral mill the rest of the holes in from the back side., then hope all matches with the C'bores on front. This sounds crazy but do-able.

Can anyone help me out with any advice, i dont want to flip the pc.
All i have to do is (10) 11/16 holes thru plate FX.
thanks in advance.

[Geof]

Did you Google it?

I found this which has a little chart on machinability on page 3. It sounds like tough stuff.

http://www.finkl.com/downloads/pdf/fx.pdf

[HuFlungDung]

50 to 55 Rc isn't extreme.

I would not step drill. Drill only from solid. Use a good quality masonary bit, and resharpen it so that it will penetrate. Do not use coolant on carbide as you want to take advantage of its hot hardness over that of the material being drilled.

I would listen to the cut to gauge performance of the tool. I might try the first one by hand feeding carefully with the part in a manual drill setup. You need to judge the quality of the drill grind.

You could likely interpolate the first part of the hole in the cnc using a carbide endmill, to create a 'drill bushing' that you can use to guide the drill tip in the manual drilling setup, to drill the last inch or so.

When drilling hardened materials with carbide, I usually am cautious with the speed and ambitious with the feed. The chip may need to come off dull red hot, but not bright red and no sparks if you want the drill to survive the distance. Use an air blast to keep the tool from stirring in its own chips. I don't think it will hurt to ease off once in a while and inspect the tool condition if it starts to complain.

If you don't have a drilling machine available, you can hand feed the tool with the MPG on the mill. Until you gain some experience with the tool life, it pays to be cautious, but not overly reserved on the feed. If it won't cut, immediately resharpen. I hope you have a nice diamond wheel to shape the carbide tip of the drill with.