Okuzeka
Mechanical Engineering vocabulary · Manufacturing Processes

Drilling

Meaning in mechanical engineering, with examples

/ˈdrɪlɪŋ/nounCommon term

In mechanical engineering, drilling means: Making round holes in a workpiece with a rotating cutting tool called a drill or drill bit, on a drill press, on a CNC machine or by hand.

In Turkish: delme, delik delme, delik açma

How it is used

Used in machining and assembly. Holes are drilled and then often reamed for accuracy or tapped for threads. Machinists talk about drill size, pilot holes, through holes and blind holes. Deep, accurate holes may need special drilling methods.

Example sentences

  1. Drilling and tapping the 24 holes takes longer than milling the whole face.

  2. Use a pilot drill before drilling the 20 mm hole.

Common collocations

  • drilling machine
  • drill bit
  • pilot hole
  • through hole
  • blind hole
  • machiningShaping a part by cutting away material with tools, for example by turning, milling, drilling or grinding, usually on a lathe or a CNC machine.
  • millingA machining process in which a rotating cutting tool with several teeth removes material from a workpiece to make flat surfaces, slots, pockets and complex shapes.
  • CNCShort for computer numerical control: machine tools such as lathes, mills and routers whose movements are controlled by a program instead of by hand.
  • toleranceThe allowed amount of variation in a dimension or property, for example ±0.05 mm. A part is acceptable if its measured value falls inside this range.

More terms: Manufacturing Processes

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: