Large-diameter drilling can become a major production bottleneck when manufacturers need to control cycle time, spindle load, chip evacuation, and tooling costs at the same time. Traditional solid drills remove the entire cross-section of the hole, which increases cutting resistance and generates a large volume of chips as the hole diameter becomes larger.

For manufacturers seeking a more efficient solution, Rapid Core-Stay Drills with throw-away inserts offer a practical alternative. Instead of removing all material inside the hole, the tool cuts around the circumference and leaves a solid core in the center. This reduces the amount of material being cut while allowing worn inserts to be replaced without discarding the entire drill body.

SHANG TZANG WANG ENTERPRISE CO., LTD. has developed indexable drilling tools for different machine configurations and large-diameter machining requirements. Its Rapid Core-Stay Drill products can be used on CNC lathes, conventional lathes, CNC milling machines, boring machines, and vertical or horizontal drilling machines.

What Is a Rapid Core-Stay Drill?

A Rapid Core-Stay Drill is an indexable large-diameter drilling tool equipped with replaceable carbide inserts. The cutting edges remove material around the outside of the hole while retaining a cylindrical core.

This machining principle can provide several benefits:

• Less material is converted into chips
• Cutting resistance is reduced
• Spindle load can be lower than with a solid drill
• Worn inserts can be replaced quickly
• The drill body can remain in service
• Tooling costs can be controlled more effectively in repeat production

For a more detailed explanation of its structure and working principle, read What Is an Indexable Core-Stay Drill? The Next Evolution of Large-Diameter Drilling. This product is designed for large-diameter drilling applications, generally beginning at approximately 45 mm and above.

Where Can Rapid Core-Stay Drills Be Used?

One of the main advantages of a Rapid Core-Stay Drill is its adaptability across different machine tools. This allows manufacturers to introduce core-stay drilling into existing production environments rather than relying on only one type of dedicated machine.

CNC Lathes and Turning Centers

On a CNC lathe, the workpiece rotates while the drill is fed along the centerline. Rapid Core-Stay Drills can be applied when turned components require a large central hole and when removing the entire hole volume with a solid drill would create excessive load or long cycle times.

This type of application may be relevant to:

• Large round components
• Flange-type parts
• Heavy machinery components
• Automotive and truck parts
• Industrial equipment components

Because only the inserts are replaced after wear, the tool can be suitable for repeated production where manufacturers need consistent tooling management and predictable replacement costs.

CNC Milling Machines and Machining Centers

CNC milling machines and machining centers frequently process large plates, frames, housings, and structural parts that require large-diameter holes. Core-stay drilling allows these holes to be machined while reducing the volume of material that must be removed.

The tool can be especially useful when:

• Multiple large holes are required in one setup
• The workpiece is already fixed on a machining center
• Reducing tool changes is important
• Production requires consistent hole quality
• Cycle-time reduction is a major objective

For machines equipped with suitable coolant delivery and BT50 interfaces, the Rapid Core-Stay Drill with BT50 Spindle Through Coolant Feeding provides an integrated option for large-hole machining.

Boring Machines

Boring machines are often used for large and heavy workpieces that cannot be moved easily between production stages. A Rapid Core-Stay Drill can perform the initial large-diameter hole operation before subsequent boring or finishing processes.

Using the core-stay drill for material removal may help reduce the amount of work required during the later boring stage. This can be valuable when machining:

• Machinery bases
• Large housings
• Structural equipment
• Heavy industrial parts
• Fabricated steel components

The retained core also reduces the amount of loose chips generated compared with drilling out the complete hole cross-section.

Vertical and Horizontal Drilling Machines

SHANG TZANG WANG’s Rapid Core-Stay Drill product range can also be applied to vertical and horizontal drilling machines. This provides flexibility for manufacturers processing components with different sizes, orientations, and workholding requirements.

Vertical drilling may be suitable when the workpiece can be positioned horizontally and accessed from above. Horizontal drilling can be considered for large components, long workpieces, or setups where side access is more practical.

Industrial Applications of Rapid Core-Stay Drills

Rapid Core-Stay Drills are not limited to one manufacturing sector. They are particularly relevant wherever large holes must be produced repeatedly in thick, heavy, or high-strength metal components.

Industry	Common Machining Requirement	How a Rapid Core-Stay Drill Helps
Automotive and Truck Manufacturing	Large holes in thick plates and structural components	Reduces cutting load and supports stable repeat production
Shipbuilding	Large-diameter holes in structural steel components	Improves drilling efficiency when machining large and heavy workpieces
Heavy Equipment	Holes in machinery structures, frames, housings, and bases	Reduces the amount of material removed and lowers machining load
Energy and Infrastructure	Large-hole machining in pipelines, machinery bases, and structural equipment	Supports large-diameter drilling on different CNC and industrial machines
Aerospace	Large holes in high-strength and lightweight components	Provides replaceable cutting edges and more manageable tooling costs
Metal Fabrication	Large holes in beams, frames, plates, and welded structures	Reduces chip volume and avoids replacing the complete drill body

Automotive and Truck Manufacturing

Automotive and commercial vehicle manufacturers often process thick metal components, structural parts, and production fixtures that require reliable large-hole machining.

In a production environment, the initial purchase price of a drill is only one part of the total cost. Manufacturers must also consider:

• Cycle time per hole
• Insert consumption
• Tool-change downtime
• Machine utilization
• Hole consistency
• Cost per finished component

Because the drill body can be reused and only the cutting inserts are replaced, the Rapid Core-Stay Drill can help manufacturers build a more predictable tooling-cost model for repeat production.

Shipbuilding and Heavy Equipment

Shipbuilding and heavy-equipment components are often large, difficult to handle, and expensive to reposition. Completing more machining operations in one setup can therefore provide significant production benefits.

Rapid Core-Stay Drills can be used on CNC milling machines, boring machines, or horizontal drilling equipment to machine large holes in structural steel and heavy components. Reducing the cutting load is particularly valuable when the workpiece size, machine capacity, or tool overhang makes machining stability a concern.

Energy and Infrastructure

Energy equipment, pipelines, machinery bases, and infrastructure components frequently involve thick sections and large-diameter holes. In these applications, manufacturers require a drilling process that balances productivity with tool durability.

Core-stay drilling removes only the outer ring of the hole. Compared with a solid drill, this reduces the amount of material converted into chips and can lower the load placed on the spindle.

For a broader explanation of common production challenges, see Large-Diameter Drilling Problems in CNC Machining and How Core-Stay Drills Improve Efficiency.

Aerospace Manufacturing

Aerospace manufacturers often work with components that require stable machining, controlled cutting conditions, and consistent dimensional results. Tool replacement and process interruptions can significantly affect production schedules, particularly when processing high-value parts.

An indexable core-stay system allows the cutting inserts to be renewed while retaining the main drill body. This can simplify tool management and help manufacturers maintain a more consistent cutting-edge condition between production batches.

Actual suitability must still be evaluated according to the workpiece material, machine rigidity, spindle capability, coolant supply, hole depth, and required tolerance.

Why Rapid Core-Stay Drills Suit Production Machining

Reduced Cutting Load

A solid drill removes material across the complete hole diameter. A core-stay drill cuts mainly around the circumference, which reduces the amount of material engaged during the operation.

Lower cutting resistance can provide:

• Reduced spindle load
• More stable machining
• Less stress on the machine and tool
• Better suitability for large-diameter applications

Shorter Machining Cycles

Because less material is removed, core-stay drilling can reduce machining time compared with conventional solid drilling under suitable conditions. This becomes especially important when the same large hole must be produced repeatedly.

A small reduction in the cycle time of one hole can create a meaningful capacity improvement when multiplied across hundreds or thousands of parts.

Replaceable Inserts

When the cutting edge becomes worn, operators replace the inserts rather than the complete drill. This can reduce:

• Tool replacement costs
• Regrinding requirements
• Machine downtime
• The number of complete tools held in inventory

The indexable design extends the efficiency principles of the Indexable High Speed Drill into larger-diameter hole machining.

For more information about the relationship between these drilling systems, read How Indexable Core-Stay Drills Bring the Advantages of Indexable High Speed Drills to Large-Diameter Drilling.

Improved Chip Management

Large-diameter solid drilling produces a substantial volume of chips. By retaining the center core, a core-stay drill reduces the total chip volume generated during the operation.

Improved chip control can help reduce:

• Chip accumulation
• Cutting-zone heat
• Unexpected tool damage
• Production interruptions
• Surface-quality problems caused by trapped chips

The core itself must still be managed safely within the machining process, particularly in automated or continuous-production environments.

Selecting the Appropriate Rapid Core-Stay Drill Configuration

SHANG TZANG WANG provides several configurations for different machine interfaces and coolant arrangements:

• Rapid Core-Stay Drills with Throw-Away Inserts – BT50 Spindle Through Coolant Feeding Type
• BT50 Core-Stay Drills with Alternative Setting Plates – Spindle Through Coolant Feeding Type
• Rapid Core-Stay Drills with Throw-Away Inserts – BT50 Toolholder Type
• Rapid Core-Stay Drills with Throw-Away Inserts – Side Lock C40/C50 Type

The BT50 spindle-through-coolant and toolholder versions, along with the C40/C50 side-lock version, are designed for different machine configurations and coolant-delivery requirements.

Before selecting a configuration, manufacturers should confirm:

• Machine spindle and holder interface
• Coolant delivery method
• Required hole diameter and depth
• Workpiece material
• Machine torque and rigidity
• Available workholding space
• Production quantity
• Insert availability
• Core-removal method

B2B purchasing consideration:

The lowest-priced tool is not always the lowest-cost production solution. Buyers should compare drilling tools according to cost per hole, cycle time, insert life, setup time, and production stability.

Rapid Core-Stay Drill or Annular Cutter?

Both tools cut around the perimeter of a hole and retain a center core, but their ideal production environments are different.

Annular cutters remain practical for portable magnetic drilling, maintenance work, and on-site fabrication. Rapid Core-Stay Drills are better aligned with CNC and industrial production environments where insert replacement, repeatability, machine utilization, and long-term tooling costs are important.

A more detailed comparison is available in Indexable Core-Stay Drill vs. Annular Cutter: Which One Saves You More Time and Money?.

Conclusion

Rapid Core-Stay Drills provide manufacturers with an efficient way to produce large-diameter holes on CNC lathes, milling machines, boring machines, and vertical or horizontal drilling equipment.

Their core-retaining cutting principle reduces the amount of material removed, while the replaceable insert design allows the main drill body to remain in use. For automotive, shipbuilding, heavy equipment, energy, infrastructure, aerospace, and metal-fabrication applications, these characteristics can help improve productivity and control long-term tooling costs.

SHANG TZANG WANG ENTERPRISE CO., LTD. has manufactured precision cutting tools since 1987 and offers multiple Rapid Core-Stay Drill configurations, indexable high-speed drills, carbide end mills, and other CNC machine cutting tools. Special specifications can also be discussed according to individual machining requirements.

Find the Right Rapid Core-Stay Drill for Your Production

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