Power consumption
Rated power consumption of the machine. In this case, the total power consumption of the machine is indicated, which, as a rule, is equal to the power of the main engine responsible for rotating the spindle. The design may also include other motors - for example, for automatic feeding (see “Control”) or coolant pumping (see “Functions”) - they are also taken into account. The “gluttony” of such motors is relatively low for low-power machines, and the power of the main engine is one of the main characteristics for any machine: it determines the class of the unit and its general capabilities.
A more powerful motor allows you to drill at higher speeds (which reduces drilling time) and/or with higher torque (important for hard materials and large size drills/bits). Accordingly, the more powerful the machine, the more advanced, as a rule, it is, the more opportunities are available when working with it. The downside of this is that with increasing power, the dimensions, weight, price and, accordingly, energy consumption of the unit increase. Therefore, you need to choose based on this indicator taking into account the work for which the machine is purchased. So, for simple tasks (for example, a home workshop, where you plan to work only from time to time), a power of about 300 - 600 W is quite sufficient, for daily use in relatively “light” production (for example, furniture) - from 600 W to 1 kW, but for large metal parts, models fro
...m 1 kW and above are recommended. We also note that, in addition to power, you should also focus on the maximum drilling size (see below).Max. spindle swing
The largest spindle overhang provided in the design of the machine.
The overhang is the distance from the centre of the spindle to the supporting column. The maximum overhang corresponds to the greatest distance from the edge of the workpiece to the centre of the planned hole, at which this hole can be drilled on this machine; if this distance is greater than the overhang, the workpiece will rest against the support column and the drill simply will not reach the right place.
Note that this parameter is relevant only for vertical and radial machines (moreover, in the first case, the overhang is generally unchanged; see "Type"). But magnetic models do not have a limit on the size of the workpiece, so the overhang is not indicated for them at all.
Work table dimensions
Dimensions of the base plate installed in the machine.
The base plate is the surface on which the workpiece is placed during operation. Accordingly, the larger this surface, the better this model is suitable for working with large parts (especially since the dimensions of the vise for the workpiece installed in many models depend on the size of the plate). However, usually manufacturers choose a base plate, focus on the overall level of the unit and approximately assuming the largest size of the workpiece with which it will be used. And magnetic machines are not equipped with a base plate at all (for more details, see "Type").
Note that for base plates, dimensions are usually indicated by the greatest length and width, and regardless of the shape. This means that, for example, a plate measuring 300x300 mm can be not only square, but also round.
Max. drilling diameter in steel
The largest diameter of holes that can be drilled in metal with this machine. At the same time, the characteristics give an indicator for a certain “average” (in terms of hardness, density, etc. metal), while in fact the characteristics of the material may be different; this must be taken into account when choosing. Nevertheless, the maximum drilling diameter is a fairly descriptive parameter that describes well the capabilities of the machine and the limitations on its use.
Note that regardless of the material, the larger the hole diameter, the higher the resistance that must be overcome during drilling, and the greater the engine power should be (see above). This means that powerful and heavy machines are required to efficiently drill large holes. So, when choosing, it doesn’t always make sense to chase after a “large-caliber” model — it can turn out to be unreasonably expensive, bulky and heavy.
It is also worth considering that the size of the cartridge (see above) is often larger than the maximum drilling diameter; however, it is still impossible to exceed the manufacturer's recommendations — in order to avoid overloading the tool.
