How is he drilling those painted enclosures so fast without trouble?

[Bassman1]

I'm stuck on how best to deal with drilling and painting enclosures. I know of the method of tape and centre punching everything, but that method while great for diy seems too slow for manufacturing. I like how Jason of fuzzlord breezes through screenprinting and then drilling. Any idea how he might be able to do this without tape and without scratching the paint or powdercoat. Relevant part starts at 12.50 with marking out the side holes for jacks. Screenprinting at 13.30 and drilling at 15.00  https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TS0L3nZQe9k

[11-90-an]

1. He has a dedicated adjustable silkscreen rig
-It makes printing decals on it a breeze, when changing pedal designs he just loosens some screws and moves the thing around

2. I'm pretty sure that his silkscreen printing templates have some "drill here" markers so he knows where to drill, he has a set measurement for all the side jacks, power jack, etc

3. I guess he practices a lot to get to that stage of speed-ness...

If that still seems slow to you... i guess getting other people to pitch in on the manufacturing process could help...

Hope that helps...

[Mark Hammer]

EVERYTHING gets easier and more precise the second time around.

[Phend]

When drilling it is important to use .. 1) Correct drill bit 2) A sharp drill bit and 3) The correct speed for the diameter drill you are using. Drill speeds can be found on the web. Plus a table top drill press ($100) with a vise !!! will help a lot.

[soggybag]

That video was pretty fast. In real time it was quite a bit slower.

It looks like that board had some wiggle room in the box so drilling didn't have to be spot on. He probably marked all the holes with the silkscreen, though I couldn't tell from the video, then drilled a pilot hole. Like was mentioned earlier a sharp bit helps.

[vigilante397]

These days you can get a small CNC machine for about the price of a drill press and a vice I have a handful of pedals I make a lot of, and I have a drill file saved for them on the computer. Pop the enclosure into the jig and clamp it down, hit start, then go take a nap or have a snack, come back to a perfectly drilled pedal

For those that aren't trying to automate 90% of the building process though, I agree with Phend. Get a nice sharp set of bits (and replace them regularly as they get dull) and a decent drill press. Then practice, practice, and practice some more.

[davent]

When drilling it is important to use .. 1) Correct drill bit 2) A sharp drill bit and 3) The correct speed for the diameter drill you are using. Drill speeds can be found on the web. Plus a table top drill press ($100) with a vise !!! will help a lot.

#2 - paramount. Forget big box store disposable junk drill bit sets, find a tool dealer selling quality products, spend money on the very few small bits you need to step up to step bit range, 1/8" and get a good stepbit to finish the job.
dave

[Bassman1]

Cheers for the replies. I did work out a bit of that on my own, but can't understand how he doesn't scratch the finish. Here everyone recommends taping a painted enclosure before drilling.

[11-90-an]

He always puts some sort of rubber/foam thing to prevent the enclosure from touching his drill press

These days you can get a small CNC machine for about the price of a drill press and a vice I have a handful of pedals I make a lot of, and I have a drill file saved for them on the computer. Pop the enclosure into the jig and clamp it down, hit start, then go take a nap or have a snack, come back to a perfectly drilled pedal

Will you grant us a link of this...? (Please )

[davent]

Cheers for the replies. I did work out a bit of that on my own, but can't understand how he doesn't scratch the finish. Here everyone recommends taping a painted enclosure before drilling.

My guess is because no one bit needs to remove much material, there's very little swarf(?) that's going to get spun by the bit and scratch up the enclosure.

You can always drill first then paint the enclosure.
dave

[vigilante397]

Will you grant us a link of this...? (Please )

This one here is similar to but honestly better than the machine I've been using for 5 years (planning an upgrade soon )

https://www.ebay.com/itm/124037173684

[Bassman1]

Cheers for the replies. I did work out a bit of that on my own, but can't understand how he doesn't scratch the finish. Here everyone recommends taping a painted enclosure before drilling.

My guess is because no one bit needs to remove much material, there's very little swarf(?) that's going to get spun by the bit and scratch up the enclosure.

You can always drill first then paint the enclosure.
dave

Drill and then paint is certainly viable, his method just looks a bit more efficient for manufacturing from home.