Formdrill USA

Formdrill is a thermal drilling process that uses friction heat to produce bushings in metal tubing and flat stock, typically used to replace inserts or weld nuts.

The combination of rotational speed and the applied downward force results in friction.  This friction heats up the material and softens it enough to form the hole and displace the material to form the insert.  The length of the bushing is roughly 3 times the original material thickness.

The Thermal Drilling System can be used in most ferrous and non-ferrous metals including mild steel, stainless steel, copper, brass and aluminium.  This can be done with standard machine shop drill presses, milling machines or CNC machining centers.