Concrete coring or core drilling is the backbone of the mining and construction industry.  This article contains all the information that you need to know about concrete drilling. Here, you’ll find out why you need concrete drilling, what equipment to use and its functions.

Concrete Drilling in Simple Terms

Concrete core drilling is a technique used to make holes that are cylindrical into concrete surfaces. The holes can be drilled in ceilings, floors or even on walls. This technique is usually done if one wants to install plumbing pipes, conduits and HVAC ducting among other things.

Core drilling, unlike hammer drilling, is a technique that is commonly used in areas that require less or no noise at all, for example, in hospitals, schools and health centres.

Diamond Core Drilling

Diamond core drilling is the latest concrete drilling technique that most operators are using.

Back in the day traditional core drilling methods used hammering gestures. This exposed the workers to a lot of risks. For example, the worker risked facing a rock or a stone being shot out from the drilling point. Still, on the conventional type, a lot of stress was put onto the machine which made them not last for long.

Diamond core drilling on the other hand is a revolutionised technique that produces accurate, fast and very effective work. This technique is very safe, it doesn’t cause any vibration or damage to the environment. It minimises the risks of surface cracking.

When Do You Need Core Drilling

Majorly concrete coring or core drilling is normally done during construction. Core drilling is mainly done to make way for electric cables and conduits and reinforcements such as starter bars.

Core drilling is mostly needed in the following applications;

• Plumbing piping
• HVAC system
• Routing cables
• Electrical conduits 
• Ballard installation

Meaning of a Diamond Drill

This type of concrete drill is used to core out concrete from surfaces. This drill has steel tubes that have diamonds at the end of the drilling point. The diamond drill works by allowing the drill to rotate slowly with soft pressure while on the other side being slicked with specialised liquid like water to prevent it from overheating.

Unlike other core drilling equipment, diamond drills are more accurate. They emit little dust, noise and vibrations. Diamond drills don’t leave the area messy.

Inverted Drilling in Simple Words

This is a concrete coring technique drilling is done upside down. This method is perfect on areas or surfaces where access from above is restricted or limited.

Inverted drilling is applicable on ceilings, tunnels, walls and bridge surfaces. Just as in core drilling, the inverted method can also be used to create cylindrical holes to allow the passage of cables, plumbing pipes and electric wires.

The equipment used for inverted drilling varies depending on the structure and the environment. The following are some examples of brands that produce different types of equipment used for inverted drilling.

• WEKA
• Stihl
• Husqvarna

Inverted drilling equipment from these brands is used for filling files with a diameter measuring approximately 11 to 800mm irrespective if the depth.

Dry or Wet Core Drilling

Many operators prefer wet core drilling to dry core drilling. This is because of its ability to drive the drill quickly and efficiently. Wet ore drilling is applicable in the following areas;

• Plumbing
• Piping
• Electrical conduits
• Drilling into walls ceiling and floors

Bottom Line

You are advised to find professionals to meet all your drilling needs. Experts are time bond, they’ll maintain the quality of the structure and above all safety of the client is always the priority.