Among the most common tools used by machinists today, we have drill mills. They come in many shapes and sizes, making them the most versatile tools in your workshop.

What makes them special is their particular ability to cut along their angled tip, giving them an incredibly extensive range of operations.

There are, of course, subtle style differences between what is usually known as an end mill and a drill mill. The point geometry is one of the most noticeable. Mill-style tools tend to mimic geometries typically found on end and chamfer mills. However, drill mills usually sport an s-gash geometry at the tip that reinforces tool strength and allows the bit to engage the material axially. This gives mills an edge when it comes to drilling, but remains a good choice for OD milling.

Here are some of the uses your drill mill can excel at:

Drilling holes into metal workpieces is, without a doubt, one of the most common uses for drill mills. Rigid tools, like those made out of solid carbide, are extremely accurate and durable which makes them perfect for spot drilling and countersinking, especially for large operations and hardened materials. Just make sure your carbide drill mill has an angle that is larger than that of the drill bit that will follow the hole.

Beveling and chamfering are other great uses for your carbide drill mills. As we mentioned before, their shape makes them incredibly useful for attacking the material axially. Pieces with long sharp edges can be easily chamfered to a smooth finish with the help of solid carbide drill mills. You can also bevel the edges of sheet metals easily by using a larger portion of your cutting surface or giving the piece multiple passes.

V Grooving is another great option when you are working with drill mills. In the case of v grooving, a single pass with your carbide drill mills is usually enough even on hardened materials, but you can play around with different angles and cutter positions to get the results you want.

Slotting is an excellent operation for solid carbide end mills like drill mills. It is best achieved with a single pass, but it is also possible to use two passes.

Other operations you can achieve with drill mills are necking, pocketing, and contouring. Just keep in mind that they tend to be less efficient than dedicated tools for each task. However, if you are aiming for high-performance machining, having versatile tools usually means reduced cycles and an increase in finished parts,

The best part of choosing carbide drill mills is that they are great at keeping their sharpness, even when you use aggressive tool paths and speeds. However, you need to make sure you have tools made with high-quality materials and processes. Online Carbide is an American carbide tool manufacturer that offers incredibly durable and efficient tools aimed at machine shops committed to High-Performance machining operations.