type of drill needed to make holes in aluminum

[SilverSlugger]

What kind of drill do I need to make holes in an aluminum beverage can?

 

[Aliva]

Step drill

 

[thestelster]

This has worked well for me in the past

 

[Doggggboy]

This has worked well for me in the pastView attachment 48503

Maybe not recommended for home shop use?

 

[BaitMaster]

Maybe not recommended for home shop use?

Take me home, country roads

 

[Stuart Samuel]

What calibre, uh, diameter hole are you trying to produce? Top of the can? Bottom? Sides?

From a more serious perspective, trying to make tidy holes in the side of an aluminum can would be pretty awkward. The step drill suggestion is a good one, but it’ll still be hard to keep the can from distorting. Really top notch options would be laser cutting, or maybe edm?

If I had to produce a decent sized hole, without caving the side in, I might look at freezing the can so it was supported. It’d puff up from the expansion, but if you can open it first and let some fluid out, that’d fix that.

 

[Susquatch]

How about filling it half full with water and then freezing it on its side with the target area down. That might provide enough internal support to allow you to drill it.

A foam core might absorb the expansion too.

Sure wish we knew what you are up to. I feel like we are stabbing in the dark without knowing that info.

 

[BaitMaster]

Speaking of stabbing in the dark, if you have a welder you could probably use that to make some holes in a can without deforming it too badly?

I’m pretty good at making holes in thin metal with mine.

 

[YYCHM]

 

[PaulL]

Maybe not recommended for home shop use?

Use the sub-sonic ones.

 

[jorogi]

My cans have tabs on them to make holes.

 

[SilverSlugger]

What calibre, uh, diameter hole are you trying to produce? Top of the can? Bottom? Sides?

From a more serious perspective, trying to make tidy holes in the side of an aluminum can would be pretty awkward. The step drill suggestion is a good one, but it’ll still be hard to keep the can from distorting. Really top notch options would be laser cutting, or maybe edm?

If I had to produce a decent sized hole, without caving the side in, I might look at freezing the can so it was supported. It’d puff up from the expansion, but if you can open it first and let some fluid out, that’d fix that.

top of the can mainly, but a couple of small 3/16 holes on top of the sides as well.

 

[SilverSlugger]

Step drill

what about a hole saw with a cobalt drill?

 

[Perry]

I did 255 pop cans, ends only. 1.5" with a wood bit in a drill press. Made a clamp to hold the can. (I would not even think about holding the can. If the bit catches the thin side of that can could do a lot of damage.) Slowly lowered the points of the wood bit into the can and it cut clean perfect circles.

 

[Stuart Samuel]

Yep, as Perry notes, wood/brad drills are pretty good in sheet metal, at least for non ferrous stuff (They’ll certainly cut steel, I just find I have to resharpen frequently).

With those locations you should be okay, just go easy on the feed pressure.