25,000 parts: minimal burr drilling, without drill cap

10 Times Tool Life and Reduced Deburring Effort 25,000 Parts: Minimal Burr Drilling, Without Drill Cap

2025-06-19 Source: Press release | Translated by AI 4 min Reading Time

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Replacing a drill turned the entire production process upside down at Tries GmbH & Co. KG in Ehingen (Germany) on the Danube, internationally known for their hydraulic control blocks, valves, and cylinders: Switching to the "Exburrdrill" from deburring specialist Kempf not only improved the quality of the holes but also increased the tool life tenfold and saved a lot of effort in deburring.

The hydraulic housing made of steel, clamped in the CNC machine. The "Exburrdrills" used with TiAlN coating (diameter 5 mm, approx. 0.2 inches, z=3) drills the four holes into the component within seconds, without the need for subsequent deburring. Thus, the workpiece comes directly from the machine, finished and already burr-free.(Image: Kempf) — The hydraulic housing made of steel, clamped in the CNC machine. The "Exburrdrills" used with TiAlN coating (diameter 5 mm, approx. 0.2 inches, z=3) drills the four holes into the component within seconds, without the need for subsequent deburring. Thus, the workpiece comes directly from the machine, finished and already burr-free.
(Image: Kempf)

In the production of a turned part with cross holes for hydraulic blocks, which measures about 120 mm in length and with a quantity of approximately 25,000 parts per year has become a standard product at Tries, the supposedly "simple" drilling application turned out to be a real sticking point in the entire machining process.

Problem: High Burr Formations

The drills used created such high burr formations at the hole exit on the inside of the component that it was necessary to first manually deburr the parts and then have them thermally deburred by an external service provider as a second step.

Gallery

The component on the right and the cut-open variant for investigation on the left. The complete hole is clearly visible as well as the two sawed holes on the left and right (in the left component). The hole diameter is 5 mm (approx. 0.2 inches), and the inner diameter of the main hole at this point is 14 mm (approx. 0.5 inches).(Image: Kempf)

For these components, the "Exburrdrill" is used with a total of three different diameter variants. The fourth diameter variant with 3 mm is currently still in the testing phase.(Image: Kempf)

The bore exit seen in the close-up on the inside of the workpiece was created after about 4000 drillings with the "Exburrdrill." No visible burr is detectable.(Image: Kempf)

In addition, there was the relatively short tool life of the drills used and the resulting lack of or non-plannable process reliability, as the burr formation had to be continuously checked and the drills had to be replaced after varying durations of use (usually at about 2000 drillings).

Many Drilling Tests with Different Manufacturers

Overall, the production process was not satisfactory for Robert König, the head of series production, which is why a new and better solution was sought.

After several attempts with various drills from well-known manufacturers, which all failed to achieve a satisfactory result regarding the burr height at the hole exit, Tries finally became aware of the "Exburrdrill" from Kempf. The burr-minimizing drill, a development by the deburring specialist from Reichenbach-Fils (D), promises through its special geometry that no drilling caps remain attached to the component.

Application and Material-Specific Tool Solution

In addition, the "Exburrdrill," according to the manufacturer, impresses with various other advantages that can optimize machining in many areas compared to the use of standard drills. To fully exploit its performance range, the special drill from Kempf is not offered as an off-the-shelf tool but is individually manufactured for the respective customer application in a diameter range of 0.8 mm to 20 mm.

Taking into account the engagement conditions at the bore exit and the material of the component, the tool geometry of the "Exburrdrill" is parametrically designed. The individual tool manufacturing also allows for the combination of several process steps in one drilling operation.

Residual Burr Significantly Smaller

By using a step drill, for example, both the downstream deburring process and a countersinking or reaming process can be eliminated. This reduces tool change and main times on the machine. The "Exburrdrill" was principally designed to drill with minimal burr at ideally higher feed rates than standard drills, while also not leaving behind any drilling caps that always present a risk to subsequent tools. Due to the special cutting edge of the "Exburrdrill," this risk does not exist. If edge breaking on the workpiece is required, the subsequent deburring tool is significantly relieved by the minimal remaining burr. If the hole is ECM deburred, this also runs with significantly fewer disturbances, as the remaining burr is considerably smaller.

Performance of the Special Drill Surprised

At Tries, expectations for the "Exburrdrill" were kept in check due to the many unsatisfactory preliminary tests. A satisfactory performance would have been achieved if external thermal deburring could be dispensed with. Therefore, the performance of the special drill was all the more surprising.

Run on several machines, the burr formation at the bore exit was not visible or hardly measurable even after many thousands of drilled holes. In the continuous operation running since then, the performance is so good that there is essentially no inspection effort, but the drill is preemptively changed at around 20,000 parts to prevent any potential burr formation.

Bore Exits no Longer Need to be Reworked

Since the implementation of the Kempf "Exburrdrill," the hole exits no longer require reworking. The constant inspection effort and the machine downtime associated with tool changes are also things of the past. "After the first successful use of the 'Exburrdrill,' the drill is now also used in other components with a total of three different diameters," summarizes Robert König. "The drill has to perform up to eight holes per component, and even with these applications, we no longer have problems with burr formation."

Quality was the top priority when the engineering firm Manfred Tries was founded in 1964. Therefore, it did not take long before an in-house production was established and integrated alongside the development and design of hydraulic components. In 1978, the present Tries GmbH & Co. KG was founded, which now employs nearly 180 people and is internationally known for its hydraulic control blocks, valves, and cylinders, among other products.

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Date: 08.12.2025

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The focus today, as it was back then, is on the development and design of custom special solutions, which are carried out in close collaboration with customers. As a result, Tries produces quantities ranging from a few individual pieces to several tens of thousands per year, depending on the component and requirements, primarily used in special vehicles, wheeled excavators, and cranes by various large and well-known manufacturers.

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