Understanding the point

As vendors reduce application support, distributors need to keep up on material and machine capabilities to make recommendations on drill points -- Industrial Distribution, 5/1/2001

Other articles from this Cutting Tools Report:
 
Profile: Factory Supplies of Rockford, Ill.
Using cost controls in a downturn
View point: Empower your salespeople
  

By Peter Fretty,  Contributing Editor

Know the application
Educate the user
Partnership aproach


As end users downsize their supplier lists and tool vendors clean up their distribution channels, it’s the eager distributor with the strongest knowledge base that secures the sweet spot in the supply chain.

Selecting a cutting tool can determine the profitability of an application, so it is crucial to have a firm understanding of what the tool is capable of doing and in what instances it should be recommended.

The most widely used cutting tool is still the drill bit, and its point is the most important because it’s the only portion of a drill that cuts or produces chips. The balance of the drill is primarily intended to serve as a channel for removing chips and supplying coolant to the cutting point. With this in mind it is critical to match the point configuration to the application.

Know the application

Distributors should work closely with the customer to understand the application at hand so they can make appropriate suggestions of new or existing technologies to suit their need. Before doing so, workpiece material, machinery availability, and primary customer concerns should be considered. In many instances drill points have designs that are appropriate for use with specific workpiece materials — in some cases these are mentioned in the tool literature, unless you are designing a special drill.

Machinery is especially important when considering the newer drill technologies. Some drill technologies require high-speed machinery in order to properly perform. Other drill designs require a machine with high-pressure coolant capabilities or the ability to force coolant through the spindle. So before recommending any coolant fed tool to an account, check the age and capabilities of the equipment.

Keep in mind that each material may have a handful of suggested drill points, and each point may have a slightly different advantage. This is probably the most important aspect in selling a drill point. Understand the customer’s concerns with each application. In some instances the drill is the final tool that will touch a hole and the only aspect that the customer may want to concentrate on is the overall quality of the hole, so recommend a configuration that will provide the cleanest hole.

Others may plan on reaming the hole after drilling so they are looking for a combination of speed and cost per hole. Again, match the technology to the need. Some points are designed as workhorses, but leave relatively rough surface finishes.

Educate the user

It is important that either the customer understands how to apply the correct point when resharpening to extend tool life or that the distributor offer a quality resharpening service. Unfortunately, many end users repoint their own drills and do not know how to maintain the proper point configuration. A National Twist Drill distributor in New England recognized this while servicing an aircraft component manufacturer. The end user was experiencing over size holes particularly when using refurbished drills.

According to Gene Delett, national sales manager for Regal-Beloit Corp. Cutting Tool Division, National Twist Drill’s parent company, “Our test showed the real culprit in this case was lip height. Hole over sizing was directly proportional to the inaccuracy of the cutting lip height on a two to one ratio. For example for every .001 over on lip height, the hole produced would be .002 over size. On the other hand, the ratio for centrality is one to two—for every .001, a resulting hole only .0005 oversize.”

"When you are looking out for the customer's best interest and solve some of their frustrations, they tend to come back when they have new applications." -- Wayne Garrison, Deco Tool and Supply

Wayne Garrison, outside salesman for Deco Tool and Supply in Davenport, Iowa has experienced first hand the benefits of being able to recognize when the wrong drill configuration has been selected for an application. “Customers no longer have the time to keep up with new technologies. This is undoubtedly the complete responsibility of the distributor if it wishes to maintain the account.”

In a recent dealing with an aerospace account, Garrison recognized that although the customer was using a carbide drill he was not using the correct point configuration. “They were only able to drill a few holes before the drill would break. Once we fine tuned the application and had a high performance M.A Ford split point drill in place, the customer was able to successfully create over 3,500 holes per drill.”

Since the price difference between points is rarely substantial, recommending the change in point styles initially resulted in lower sales volumes. However, Garrison knew that in the long run this would actually help maintain the account.

“When you are looking out for the customer’s best interest and solve some of their frustrations, they tend to come back when they have new applications,” he says.

Partnership approach

Forging solid relations with your tool vendor is crucial to understanding the appropriate applications of new technologies. Tool vendors have reduced the number of people that are devoted to application support; however, this is not routinely the case when a vendor introduces a product or integrates a new technology into their existing product line.

When a vendor sees that a distributor is trying to learn the application support and simplify their processes, they tend to be more supportive in providing information and working with them to make the placement of their product in the field a success.

Take advantage of this relationship since no one knows the prod-uct better than the manufacturer. Be sure to ask the manufacturer for unique applications where certain points and configurations have been successful.