We offer a number of different machining services here at National Jet Company, including mechanically drilling some very small holes. We routinely drill holes as small as .001’’ diameter (about 25 microns). We can drill in many different materials, including stainless steel.
When drilling holes like this, we can typically drill thru a depth that is 7 times the diameter of the hole. (We can drill a .0010’’ diameter hole thru .0070 of material’’, we can drill a .0015’’ diameter hole thru .0105’’ material.) One of the keys to this, of course, is the drill; we make this diameter drill here at National Jet Company. (Tolerance on the drill is +.0000’’, -.0001’’). We make this drill from either carbide or high speed steel.
We drill these holes on our micro drilling machines. Typically, we can keep the tolerance on the diameter of the hole to ±.0001’’ (about 2.5 microns). Of course, we can inspect and measure the hole (and even provide photos) of the .001’’ diameter hole that we drill.
Since we make the drills, we can also make nearly any size (to within .0001’’). So if your part requires a hole that is .0016’’ diameter, we can make that size drill for your application. (Our “hole in the hair” that we drill is actually drilled with a .0012’’ diameter drill).
We look forward to any drilling challenges that you have!