Multi-Position Deep Hole Drilling for Box-Type Housings

Customer Background

The customer is a manufacturer of gearbox and pump housings — box-type castings with oil galleries, sensor bores, and cross-drilled passages. A single housing carries deep holes at six to ten different positions across multiple faces, and the position of each hole relative to the machined faces defines whether the housing seals and lubricates correctly.

The Challenge

Box-type castings are an awkward deep hole drilling job, and not because the holes are hard to drill:

Many positions, one part. A housing needs deep holes at several locations on different faces. On a single-position machine, each hole site is a separate fixture — the part is moved, re-clamped, and re-verified for every position.

Box-type workpieces resist re-fixturing. Special-shaped housings rarely sit on clean flat reference planes. Every re-clamp adds positioning error and risks distorting a casting that was only lightly clamped to begin with.

Oil pressure must match each tool diameter. Deep hole drilling oil pressure must be set correctly for every drill size — too low and chips stall the hole, too high and the drill whips. Manual pressure setting is operator-dependent and error-prone.

Long runs on castings. Cast iron housings contain hard spots that wear tools and contaminate the oil. Over an extended run, poor filtration and unstable oil temperature degrade hole quality and shorten pump life.

Mixed hole sizes on one face. One housing can need a Ø6mm oil gallery next to a Ø25mm through-hole. The machine must cover the range without separate setups.

The Solution

RuidCNC supplied a Three Axis CNC Deep Hole Drilling Machine (RD1010-10H) configured for box-type and special-shaped component production:

• 3-axis CNC with 1,000mm X/Y travel — positions to each hole site across the box, drilling multiple positions in a single clamping
• Ø3-35mm drilling to 1,000mm depth — covers oil galleries and through-holes in housing walls
• Servo high-pressure oil supply — input the tool diameter and the machine sets oil pressure automatically, removing a manual source of error
• 117 N·m spindle torque with ER50 collet — solid drilling through casting sections up to Ø35mm
• 7-stage filtration to 30μm — protects the high-pressure pump and keeps hole quality consistent over long runs
• Compressor-type oil cooler — stable oil temperature for extended machining of consecutive housings
• Widened column with balance counterweight — stable carriage for repeated multi-position drilling

Key Machine Specifications

Parameter	Specification
Drilling diameter	Ø3 – Ø35 mm (up to Ø40 special)
Max drilling depth	1,000 mm
X / Y axis travel	1,000 / 1,000 mm
Worktable	1200 × 900 mm
Max load	5 tons
Spindle max speed	6,000 rpm
Spindle max output torque	117 N·m
Coolant pressure	3 – 10 MPa
Oil filtration	7-stage, 30 µm

Results

Metric	Single-Position Process	RD1010-10H	Improvement
Setups per housing	3–4	1	Eliminated
Cycle time per housing	5.8 hours	3.1 hours	47% reduction
Positioning error between faces	±0.12 mm	±0.04 mm	67% better
Oil pressure setup errors	4–5 per month	0	Eliminated
High-pressure pump maintenance interval	3 months	8 months	2.7× longer
Scrap rate	2.9%	0.6%	79% reduction

Process Validation

The process was validated through:

• Hole position measurement across all faces on a CMM
• Oil gallery pressure testing of finished housings
• Hole straightness and surface finish inspection on sample galleries
• Long-run oil temperature stability check over a full production shift

Conclusion

The RD1010-10H solves box-type deep hole drilling by removing re-fixturing and manual oil pressure setup from the process. With multi-position drilling in one clamping, automatic pressure setting by tool diameter, and a 7-stage filtration system built for long casting runs, the customer cut setups per housing from 3-4 to 1, reduced cycle time by 47%, and eliminated oil pressure setup errors entirely. For manufacturers of special-shaped housings and box-type components, the RD1010-10H turns a fixture-heavy operation into a single, repeatable clamping.

Figures are representative of typical applications.