CDV SiC

[KBW]

I am working with CVD SiC, a very hard material chosen for it's low CTE level. Not my first time working with, have been on and off since 2001. Really just looking for anyone else with experience machining it. Preparing to (attempt) drilling .011 dia. holes .118 deep in several pieces. Drill and all cutting tools are diamond plated. Maybe a better question is who has experience with very small diameter diamond drills?

This is my first post to this forum, I've been reading it for a while and am glad to find a forum where the "children" haven't screwed it. Really happy to find ya'll.

[steele]

This sounds incredibly difficult. Could the job be done with a laser?

[KBW]

Steele, ya got me, don't know if it can be have a hole popped by lazer. On a completely different tangent properties of it does not allow it to be EDM.

[KBW]

Follow up, holes drilled with no problems. Long time on set up, and test piece. Aside from a small hole, print also called for pedistal where .011 hole was drilled to be .0177 x .0234
So if you have small holes to drill in super hard material, bring it on.

[CAMmando]

I used to machine SiC reinforced Metal Matrix Composites (70% SiC). The matrix was a high silicon aluminum.

Dont know how similar the application is but ....

We started out using Diamond drills. For small holes <.125" we used Diamond "Vein" Drills from a company called Precorp.
--- Very Expensive. ---


Later we went to EDM "Hole Popping" For holes <.125".

We also experimented with Laser but at the time the recast / heat affected zone was too great for our application.

Additionaly holes were successfully drilled with ultrasonic drilling, but I felt this was too specialized of a technology to be practical for jobshop type production.

For holes >.125" we used sintered diamond core drills (not plated) with high pressure coolunt through the tool. Pecking Drilling approx 30% of the diamond grit size. Usually pecks of .001" or so.

CAM

[Procisepaul]

what brand of carbide cutters works best for roughing 316l stainless in a mill that is?