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Electric engraver: choose a dremel or drill

This WordPress post looks at the different types of electric engravers available. It examines each engraver's features, advantages, and distinct qualities. The post focuses on two of the most common types of electric engravers, the Dremel and drill. It describes how the Dremel can be used for both engraving and cutting materials, while the drill engraver is better suited for straight lines and holes. It looks at each one's varying features, such as the Dremel's variable speed settings for professional-quality results, as well as the drill's interchangeable, easy-to-replace bits. In conclusion, the post looks at the ideal situation for each type of electric engraver, outlining the areas where each excels.

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Most artisans and specialists in the processing of various materials use electric engravers and drills for delicate work, which are often called simply dremel by the people. They must exactly match the purposes of use, which means that it is time to consider the differences and features of choosing such a tool for your workshop or small household tasks..

What works are planned to be performed

In our educational program, we will give answers to most of the popular questions regarding hand drills and engravers. The most important of them is what determines such a variety of instruments and what is the specialization of individual varieties. The first thing a novice engraver or a micro-machining enthusiast needs to understand is that a drill is not a universal tool. Before buying it, you need to know exactly what operations will be carried out during the work, and what specific materials will be processed.

The three most important criteria for any drill are power consumption, rpm range and torque. Power is a very relative concept, the actual performance of the working body of the drill depends on both the engine efficiency and the efficiency of the speed control system. Nevertheless, it is precisely by power that it is possible to quite accurately determine the suitability of the drill for processing parts of various massiveness:

  • For engraving and invoicing โ€“ up to 50-70 W.
  • For artistic carving โ€“ 100-150 W.
  • For cutting and grinding small parts โ€“ 100-250 W.
  • For multidisciplinary work with massive parts โ€“ from 200 W.

Mini drill

The ratio of spindle speed and torque is determined solely by the properties of the materials being processed. So, for milling plastic and ductile metals, low speed with a high torque of 3.5โ€“5 N / cm is required. In turn, stone carving, bone and grinding processing require a rotation speed of at least 35-40 thousand rpm, and torque is a secondary parameter that determines the amount of material removed in one pass. All these nuances will be considered during our review..

A few words about โ€œDremelsโ€

Drills are often mistakenly called dremels, although this is just one of the brands. More knowledgeable people ask the question: are expensive branded tools of this class really worth the money spent and whether such a purchase is justified in the absence of experience?

If you are interested, be aware that a limited number of power tools are produced under the Dremel brand, and they are mainly rotary hand drills. Their range is quite large โ€“ a dozen models of various capacities with different ratios of spindle speed to torque. As a rule, branded tools are purchased not for one-time work, but with the expectation of their payback in the course of professional activity. For beginners, the Dremel or Proxxon drills can also be a profitable purchase, this tool has a solid margin of reliability and is quite tolerant of mistakes when choosing processing modes. In addition, the proprietary tool does not have such diseases as inaccurate collet fit, problems with cooling, centering and balancing of the engine. However, buying a branded drill will be an adequate solution only if the tool will be used more or less regularly, and not just as a sample.

Dremel 7700-1 / 15 MultiPro 7.2-VoltDremel 7700-1 / 15 MultiPro 7.2-Volt

But what about other types of drills? In total, at least five can be distinguished:

  1. Manual rotary drills.
  2. Drills with micromotor.
  3. Hanging drills.
  4. Engravers.
  5. Pneumatic drills.

Saeyang Marathon Multi 600 DUOSaeyang Marathon Multi 600 DUO

If, in the course of studying the material below, you come to the conclusion that a certain type of tool is ideal for your purposes, it is better not to focus on a specific manufacturer. Comparing the features of processing some materials and working conditions, you need to establish the exact characteristics of the equipment, and only after that think about the issue of quality and reliability..

Nuances of processing different materials

The processing of materials using drills and engravers is performed either by cutting, that is, by milling, or by abrasive grinding. A special processing mode is implemented in engravers, they are essentially micro-perforators, that is, they process the material with a high-frequency impact method. And if, when working with an engraver, the processing mode is determined mainly by the pressure on the tool, then the efficiency of cutting and grinding with a drill depends on the speed and torque.

Working with rotary cutters requires the most accurate and correct choice of cutting mode. With an increase in the radial distance of the cutting edges from the spindle axis, the angular velocity increases; accordingly, it is required to reduce the spindle speed. The speed of rotation of the cutting tool must be high enough to effectively throw off the chips, while not too high so that the edges have time to cut off portions of material, and not rub against the surface uselessly.

Proxxon Battery-Powered Drill / Grinder IBS / AProxxon Battery-Powered Drill / Grinder IBS / A

You also need to take into account the viscosity, fusibility and hardness of the materials. Practically no type of milling equipment is designed to operate at speeds above 30โ€“35 thousand rpm, and at the maximum speeds, needle cutters are mainly used. The above speed limit is determined for hard metals like steel and stone, but for fluoroplastic or polyethylene, this bar is reduced to 4-6 thousand rpm, at higher speeds the chips simply melt. Working with rotary cutters requires a sufficiently accurate and smooth speed control, which allows you to debug the cutting mode on waste samples of material.

Dremel Professional Engraver

Abrasive grinding, on the other hand, is designed for high rotational speed, which contributes to better cooling of the working surface and effective removal of the removed microchips. For such a mode, drills capable of delivering 50 thousand revolutions or more are optimal. The torque for this type of processing is not of fundamental importance, because grinding and polishing are among the final types of processing, where the material removal is absolutely scanty. A separate position from grinding and milling is occupied by work with diamond burrs, which require the highest possible spindle speed โ€“ from 100 thousand rpm.

Engine type and location

The classic type of hand drill has a monoblock design. A collector motor is located in the housing, its armature shaft simultaneously serves as a spindle, at the end of which there is a collet for attaching the equipment. In the rear part of the case there is a simple speed control circuit, the principle of which is to change the applied voltage. The advantages of such an arrangement include high accuracy, simplicity and reliability, the disadvantages are a significant increase in the mass of the tool with an increase in power..

Open body engraverDirect Rotary Engraver Device

Drills with a micromotor have a stand-alone power supply, with the electric motor located in the handle, and the power supply in a separate housing. This arrangement provides higher ergonomics due to reduced weight and ease of use of the drill with a pedal. Another advantage of micromotors is the ability to use more efficient power supply and speed control circuits, which have large dimensions and require active cooling of the components. As a micromotor, both a conventional brushed DC motor and a brushless motor designed for more accurate speed control can be used..

Drill Drill โ€œProfile B-05โ€ with power supply โ€œProfile-6Tโ€

A special type of drills with a freestanding motor โ€“ suspended, they are designed to connect the spindle to the handpiece by means of a flexible shaft. The main advantage of such drills is the practically absent power limit. You can also point out the possibility of attaching a wide range of tips to the shaft, which are quite cheap in themselves. In addition to the rotary handles, impact engraving can also be used, designed to install a graver or chisel for wood carving.

Hanging drillHanging drill

Pneumatic drills have the same advantages due to the layout, but their handpieces have a higher cost and are designed for use at extremely high rotation speeds โ€“ more than 300 thousand rpm.

Pneumatic drill Sealey GSA671 Air Die GrinderPneumatic drill Sealey GSA671 Air Die Grinder

Mains or battery

The standard benefit of battery power is the ability to operate offline. This advantage is especially pronounced when working in hard-to-reach places or on non-electrified objects. Disadvantages are also obvious โ€“ limited battery life and limited battery life.

However, in the context of a drill, battery power can have an additional benefit. For example, bone, some plastics and glass composites require wet grinding and milling. The degree of protection of the power tool does not allow processing material with coolant supply, but in the case of working with a cordless tool, at least the possibility of electric shock is excluded.

Bosch GRO 10.8 V-LI ProfessionalBosch GRO 10.8 V-LI Professional

We will separately mention such a disadvantage of cordless drills as weight growth, which is even stronger in comparison with network hand tools. We can talk about any convenience in working with such a drill with a power consumption of up to 70-100 W, a more productive tool cannot be used for a long time โ€“ the hand simply gets tired and numb.

Ergonomics and control

When choosing a drill, the convenience of gripping the body and the absence of vibration are of particular importance. If everything is relatively clear with the first factor โ€“ it is enough just to hold the tool in your hands and test it in operation before purchasing, then getting rid of vibration entirely depends on the device and layout of the motor with the spindle. If it is not possible to evaluate ergonomics, as is the case when ordering in online stores, you should pay attention to the quality of casting, the shape of the case and the presence of rubber pads that exclude slippage.

Milwaukee 2460-21 M12 โ„ข Rotary Tool KitMilwaukee 2460-21 M12 โ„ข Rotary Tool Kit

The vibration of the drill is categorically unacceptable, because even with the slightest tremor after 3-5 minutes of work, painful itching appears in the hands, irreversible damage to the wrist and phalangeal joints occurs. Vibration in drills appears as a result of resonance arising from the transmission of vibrations from the working body to the engine and vice versa. The main reason for this phenomenon is poor centering of the armature, the presence of a poor-quality intermediate kinematic transmission unit or excessively rigid fastening of the engine. It is optimal if the armature of the collector motor is fastened in shock-absorbing cups and there is a fixation of the spindle with a needle-type backlash-free bearing. For DC motors, the best mounting method is to fit the motor housing into neoprene segmented covers, as in Dremel drills. Also, the original technical solution is used in tools of the Profil trademark โ€“ connection of the spindle with the motor with a damper clutch.

Silverline 794340 Rotary Tool Flexi Drive ShaftSilverline 794340 Rotary Tool Flexi Drive Shaft

The quality of speed control depends on the circuit and type of engine. In hand-held power drills, a resistive or electronic circuit for changing the applied voltage is used, which captivates with its cheapness and simplicity; the same control principle is implemented in most of the budget drills with a micromotor. The disadvantage of such a scheme is a significant drop in torque at low revs and low control accuracy. At the same time, high-quality overhead drills and micromotors use PWM control, which does not have the described disadvantages..

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Comments: 3
  1. Tatum

    Which option, a dremel or a drill, would you recommend for an electric engraver? Iโ€™m looking to invest in one and would appreciate any insight on which tool would be more suitable for engraving tasks.

    Reply
  2. Giselle

    I would like to know which option is better for electric engraving purposes, a dremel or a drill? What are the key differences between the two in terms of functionality, precision, and ease of use? Are there any specific features or considerations I should take into account when making this decision? Any insights or personal experiences shared would be greatly appreciated!

    Reply
  3. Nova Reed

    Which is a better option for electric engraving: a Dremel or a drill? Iโ€™m torn between the two and would appreciate some advice or insights from experienced users. Are there any significant differences in terms of performance, precision, or versatility? Which one is more comfortable to use? Any recommendations or personal preferences would be great! Thanks in advance for your help!

    Reply
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