Concrete core drilling
Concrete core drilling (or concrete coring) is the process of removing a clean, circular cylinder of concrete from the rest of the product. Concrete coring utilizes a diamond cutting drill to cut a perfect round hole in any concrete structure. Various environments may have restricting factors, such as noise-sensitive spaces such as hospitals, healthcare facilities or schools. In this instance, core drilling produces less noise and vibrations than hammer drilling. The process is low-noise, dust free and non-percussive, meaning it is the most popular choice when it comes to concrete cutting.
There are many applications of this requirement across a range of fields, including plumbing, electrical, drainage, manholes, and structural testing. Depending on the requirement a range of sizes can be drilled. A Teksam coring machine offer the coring of holes sizes up to 1500mm/60” and a drilling height up to 2800mm/ 72” from table with turntables up to 3500 mm/138″.
When do you need to core holes in concrete?
Coring of concrete is utilized for a variety of purposes. Mostly, it is used in the construction industry.
One of its main purposes is to make way for new electrical conduits and cables, plumbing piping, reinforcement (starter bars, hold down bolts, and storage units), which may be necessary in-home extensions or commercial fit-outs.
Core drilling is generally needed to create openings through existing concrete or brick structures, including, but not limited to, the following applications:
- Plumbing in building high-rise buildings
- Creation of vaults and manholes
- Large structures
- Plumbing piping
- HVAC systems
- Electrical conduits
- Routing cables
- Commercial fit-outs
- Vertical concrete drilling
- Bollard installation
Traditional core drilling vs diamond drilling
Particularly, diamond drilling has revolutionized the core drilling world and has become an integrated part of the construction process.
Before, traditional core drilling methods the equipment to use a hammering motion, without the use of a diamond drill bit. This meant that operators were subjected to a lot of risk factors, including random projectiles of concrete, rock or ore being shot out sideways from the drill point. Conventional drilling methods also put a large amount of stress on the machinery and risk damaging the equipment.
Diamond Core Drilling is a revolutionary method that has allowed for more accurate, faster and more efficient core drilling that doesn’t cause any damage or vibrations throughout the surrounding area.
Utilizing a diamond drill bit, Diamond Core Drilling is significantly more efficient with minimal mess, while eliminating the risk of cracking or damaging to surrounding structures.
How does it work?
Below, you will see a video of a running coring machine from Teksam. This particular machine is a HCSP machine, which drills holes up to 1000 mm/39″ on a turntable covering products up to 2800 mm/110 “. The operator is without any hassle automatically drilling holes for the insertion of PVC pipes.
Dry core drilling vs wet core drilling
For the most part, wet core drilling is more commonly used for its efficiency and ability to drive the drill bit faster through concrete structures than traditional core bits. With a hollow center, this helps remove a core from a surface or structure, leaving behind a perfect hole and cleaner surface. In addition, there are fewer fragments left behind on the surface and helps control the amount of dust produced by flushing out the cuts with water.
Applications of wet core drilling
- Plumbing
- Electrical conduits
- Air conditioning and refrigeration
- Masonry for piping
- Drilling into concrete structures or surfaces (walls, floors and ceilings)
Key benefits of a Concrete Coring Machine
- Accurate cored openings to fit any need
- Reduction in production time of concrete products having unique hole placements
- Close tolerance allows for trouble-free seal installations
- Manufactured to meet specific requirements
- Fast and effective drilling to get the best result
- Water feed during Drilling Operations ensures a Clean, Dust-free and low-noise environment
We believe that a quality coring machine balances both speed and pressure control of the drill bit. The ability to control both functions independently allows the diamond bits to clean themselves during drilling, provides maximum bit lifetime and ensures optimal efficiency. Furthermore, it also allows the operator to leave the machine during drilling.
