How to remove a broken carbide drill

Reference: Removing Carbide Tooling

There are two types of metal disintegrator power supplies. AC machines are built for speed and power. DC power supplies use a lower melting point and work better with carbide materials. Some of our DC-powered models include the 2-SC (portable) and the table model 2-SAC.

Removing carbide tooling with your Electro Arc DC metal disintegrator can be very easy if you follow these simple rules. The process for disintegrating carbide is very different than HSS high-speed steel because of the composition of carbide tooling. Increasing the heat or feed rate will only make the problem worse. With higher heat, the carbide will pool at the bottom of the hole and consume the electrode.

Disintegrating Carbide:
1) Use your “Heat Selector Chart” to select the appropriate electrode size and heat selection.
2) Ensure the part is well grounded.
3) Good coolant flow is critical. 90 psi @120gpm.
4) Use your Current monitoring LEDs’ for the feed.
5) LED’s should never exceed the second Green LED. Any faster will stall the process and consume electrode.

Suggested Electrodes for downhole drill heads with carbide bits

Removing carbide bit(s) from drill heads can be made easy. There are many ways to remove the buttons but only one safe way. Using a torch and pounding on the drill hears can damage the structure and the temper of the material. Disintegrators do neither.

There are two types of metal disintegrator power supplies. AC machines are built for speed and power. DC power supplies use a lower melting point and work better with the carbide materials. You will want to use one of our DC-powered models for a job like this 2-SC (portable) and the table model 2-SAC.

Typically, a hex graphite electrode is used. The electrode is sized to disintegrate near enough to leave a thin shell behind. See the time studies below for a better idea of how long your disintegration job will take. After disintegration, the operator would be able to remove the shell with a hammer and punch. If done correctly, there would be no damage to the hole or thermal distortion to the bit.

When you remove carbide bits from drill heads, the following graphite electrodes are recommended:

To remove a carbide bit:

Save the bit:

Disintegrate the hole using the suggested electrode size. With a hammer and punch, crack the bit shell and remove the remnants to clear the hole. 

To save the bit, disintegrate a hole with an inside diameter large enough to leave a thin shell around the bit. Use a hammer and punch to crack the shell and remove the carbide bit.