Metal drill bits are strong, durable, and powerful, being made of hardened metals, allowing them to slice through some of the toughest surfaces and materials in order to be drilling holes in hard metals and other tough materials.
You will need particular tools and equipment to drill properly, which is why it’s important to ensure you’re selecting the right drill bit for your task.
Drill bits are very significant when it comes to industrial work, like when creating holes in wood, metal, diamond, and other hard materials that do not break easily.
Cobalt and HSS (High-Speed Steel) are two examples of common drill bits used today, though people differ as to which one is the better choice.
We’ll cover more about Cobalt drill bits and HSS drill bits in this article, including what they are and the pros and cons of each component, and what gives them a cutting edge when drilling metal or other materials with high hardness.
You’ll also learn about which tasks each drill bit is best suited for.
Keep reading to learn more about Cobalt and HSS drill bits!
What Do Drill Bits Do?
We need to understand what drill bits are before we can get into each different type.
Drill bits are important tools for hard-material enterprises and diamond makers.
They use the tools to make holes with circular diameters into materials that have incredible wear resistance.
Drill bits and cutting instruments can come in various lengths, sizes, and designs. They use spinning movements to work with drills so that the tools can make holes in a project.
They can even be used, with proper maintenance to start drilling holes into most light metals, and even mild steel.
What Are High-Speed Steel (HSS) Drill Bits?
HSS-made drill bits are the most popular type of drill bits for drilling.
These mix carbon steel with vanadium and chromium, as well as other substances, which helps to make them less brittle, and ensures that they can cut through metal and other elements with less resistance than usual.
They can even withstand higher temperatures and extreme temperatures.
If you’re working with copper, aluminum, brass, iron, or steel, HSS drill bits can handle a variety of surfaces.
You can also use them on wood and plastic, provided that the holes aren’t too big.
This makes them great for those that need tools to use in different types of production environment to create a pilot hole for various screws.
High-speed drills are best for metalwork as they are precise and accurate.
Many of these have self-centering angles which prevent the drill bit from wandering, which is great when working with soft materials.
High-speed steel’s precise nature also drills 40% faster and uses 50% less pressure compared to standard steel. The drill bits also contain carbon and iron to make the drill bit tough and robust.
Types Of High-Speed Steel Bits
There are many different materials used to make HSS, like tungsten HSS and molybdenum HSS.
These instruments can handle high-feed, slower-speed tasks that produce tension from complex types of tools.
For instance, using M42 delivers a balance of strength and control, all while attaining low cutting rates.
M2 is softer than M42, but M2 has better hardness. This is why M2 works well on tasks that have a greater chance of edge chipping. Despite this, the M10 HSS drill bits are ideal for burning tools.
Higher quality HSS are made with more tungsten carbide steel and vanadium. This makes them last longer and stand up to wear and tear better than your usual HSS.
For this reason, these drill bits have a higher price which makes them less popular with a lot of tool owners.
Drill Bits That Contain High-Speed Steel
As high-strength stainless steel is strong and has better heat resistance, a lot of industries have started to choose HSS over carbon steel.
Because it is so versatile, HSS can be used to fix several kinds of modern technology to different types of materials.
HSS is ideal for use at greater speeds, as well as with materials with good abrasion resistance and toughness.
These include files, hand plane blades, kitchen tools, and chisel blades.
Other than drilling hard surfaces and steel, using HSS drill bits has a few benefits.
HSS delivers up to 4 times the slicing speed of cold work steel, meaning it can handle very high temperatures.
Before it is cooled, it is treated with heat and a steel tempering method with temperatures as high as 1,200°C.
HSS drill bits are treated with a Cobalt coating to make them stronger, but this coating won’t be as beneficial as standard cobalt drill bits.
How Are HSS Drill Bits Used?
HSS drill bits are made from steel, as well as some other metals like vanadium and chromium.
This allows them to drill at higher speeds, so they are often used to make holes in lighter metals like copper, iron, brass, aluminum alloy, and steel.
You can also use HSS drill bits on plastic. HSS drill bits can be used on wood if you haven’t got any other bits on hand.
However, if the opening becomes too big or deep, the drill bit will start to burn up, slowing down the overall drilling rate.
What Do Cobalt Drill Bits Do?
Cobalt drill bits are like HSS bits, but they have between 5% and 8% cobalt added to the substance.
This makes them harder than HSS, allowing them to cut into more difficult materials, like stainless steel and red-hardened steel.
Cobalt drill bits have practically all of the traits of HSS, but cobalt has some important advantages.
They are stronger, work well at withstanding heat, and make it easier to penetrate through materials.
It’s best to use cobalt drill bits to drill strong metals and steel as they have great impact resistance. Examples of such surfaces include some types of cast iron and stainless steel.
Cobalt is also great to use on high-temperature substances, as long as they don’t go over 1,100°F.
How Are Cobalt Drill Bits Used?
You can use cobalt alloy drill bits to drill chrome steel. They are different from drill bits made from titanium as they contain a solid alloy and sometimes appointed HSS.
Cobalt within drills makes them better at drilling higher temperatures without faltering.
They are higher in price and can be delicate, which is why they might start chipping along the principal edge.
Despite this, you may be able to drill standard low-carbon steel with cobalt steel bits.
Cobalt Drill Bits Vs HSS Drill Bits
Now we’ll compare each drill bit to see which one is better than the other.
Function
HSS drill bits can drill through light metal, plastic, and wood. Despite this, the process will take longer, which is why the drill bit might start to burn up.
Harder metals and stainless steel are best drilled with cobalt drills, as they can slice right through the material.
Steadiness
If you purchase a well-made and reliable HSS drill bit, it should be fine for many years with regular maintenance.
The cutting side on HSS drill bits can start to become blunt by those who use hand drills, though this is usually down to misalignment.
Cobalt alloys are usually durable and can handle high temperatures well. They also have great thermal welding ability and a greater strength level.
Fragility
Cobalt drill bits are usually more delicate than HSS, so they can break more easily.
Endurance
HSS is less durable than cobalt, but cobalt can last for longer with frequent maintenance.
Multipurpose
HSS drill bits can be used for more tasks, not just drilling into metal.
Cost
Cobalt drill bits tend to cost more than HSS ones.
The Bottom Line
It’s important to use the right drill bit to ensure you are safe when carrying out drilling tasks.
Both HSS and cobalt drill bits have pros and cons, so you need to think about what you need each tool for.
Cobalt drill bits are great for drilling steel, but they aren’t very versatile and can only be used for one purpose.
HSS drill bits can be used on several different materials, including soft metals, wood, and plastic.
If you are cutting through heavy metals, you should go for cobalt drill bits.
If you’re looking for a low-cost option that can cut through softer materials, HSS drill bits will suit you better.