Drilling

I need to drill a very small 0.03mm diameter hole in steel to form a pilot hole light for a propane gas burner. Can it be drilled and what sort of equipment would be required.

I didn't know you could get .03 mm drill/milling cutters but you can @ £200 plus! You would need a super fast machine & a very accurate method of holding the drill as a minimum. Be interesting what others say.

Tony

I think i would look for a pilot jet in brass and drill and tap your hole in the steel to take the jet

Post removed, I thnk that I was over optimistic.

Edited By Clive Brown 1 on 20/02/2021 14:39:05

Brian, don't you mean 0.3mm?

Thanks Bill, Its an age thing, the diameter should read 0.3mm.

Ideally, Brian, you'd use a high spindle speed and have good stiffness in the set-up.

Jewellery-makers working free-hand tend to use micromotors to drill very small holes, though the metals drilled tend to be softer than steel.

I would probably attempt your job with either one of my micromotors (Foredom and Saeyang) or my Proxxon MF70.

I forgot to ask: how deep is the hole to be drilled?

Edited By Bill Phinn on 20/02/2021 15:11:37

I would go with Ians idea. Buy a jet and screw it in. Noel

One of my tool suppliers in the USA, McMaster-Carr, has drill point counter sinks that have drill points as small as 0.010" (0.25mm). These are what I use to drill holes this small.

Carbide circuit board drills go down that and are pretty cheap RS do one for £13.50 (RS Stock No.:198-4678) but there are cheaper offerings on eBay etc.

Be warned you can snap one by merely looking at it.

I have used them at low speeds (3000 rpm) on my CNC mill but be prepared to lose a few.

I have just had a look and I have a pack of 0.3mm if you pm me your address I will put a couple in the post.

David.

If you can set it up in the lathe then Joe Pieczynski showed a technique that could work demonstrated with a 26thou drill through s/s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqU5wS0J4MU

pgk

Gentlemen, thank you for you help and direction.

Brian

Hi

Get a 24 gauge hypodermic needle has a bore of
.31 mm and an od of .55 mm which would be much
easier to drill and solder in to make the jet.

John

How about a 0.3mm diameter nozzle from a 3D printer. They are inexpensive and easily come by.

Peter

Re J Pieczynski Youtube video

Arc sell a micro drill adaptor that works on the same principle.

I think I have saved the cost of it by reducing the number of broken drills

0.3 mm (0.0118" in old money ) is the lower end of the size of holes drilled in Diesel fuel Injectors.

CAV at Sudbury used to drill the hole and measure it before saying what the drill size was!

Memories, Martin?

Howard