Drilling Rubber Sheet

Step 2 place the rubber onto the work surface.

Drilling rubber sheet.

The most expensive drill presses are floor standing models but you can buy a decent benchtop unit for about 100. I typically cut at feedrates of 200 400 mm min setting spindle speed at 16000 rpm see the initial video. Rubber processing is common in the automotive industry where holes are drilled in rubber car door seals and material is cut for windscreen wiper blades. When drilling plastic the larger the hole the slower drill speed you should use since high speeds can melt the plastic.

Looking for other suggestions to make nice smooth hole in the mat. Drill presses also come with beefy cast iron tables with tilt and height adjustments and allow a variety of clamping options. Speed changes are as easy as opening the lid and moving a rubber belt from one pulley to another. Insert the rubber between the work station and vice.

Other applications include drilling holes in silicone baby bottle teats and cutting sheets of rubber to make gaskets seals and other components. Also always reduce the drill speed as the drill bit exits the material. Of course just drilling it wouldn t work very well either. For this reason epdm material is an excellent medium for outdoor uses.

Tighten the vice to keep it stable. The most important part of drilling rubber is to keep it from moving during the drilling process. Using a rotary dremel style tool and a lathe here a nice hole is m. Step 1 mark the desired drill area of the rubber with a permanent marker.

I suggest you to start with a silicone rubber sheet since silicone appears to cut best with needles you will then need to experiment with feedrate and spindle speed but usually higher spindle speeds and lower feedrates work better. The mat is almost 1 4 inch thick so that is going to take some doing. However it s best to consult with a professional before undertaking a project on your own. Drill bits for plastic are available in a variety of sizes.

It achieves an ideal balance to create an all purpose weather resistant rubber.