Flowdrill

🔴𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧-𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐬

Thin-walled materials are often selected to reduce weight and costs. In practice, however, issues frequently arise at the fastening stage. The root cause is rarely the material itself, but design decisions that do not sufficiently account for limited wall thickness.

Common design mistakes include:
▶ Insufficient thread engagement
▶ Relying on weld nuts or press nuts without analyzing process impact
▶ Failing to account for deformation during assembly
▶ Edge distances or center-to-center distances that are too small
▶ No alignment between design and manufacturability

When the appropriate fastening method is considered during the design phase, thin-walled material can be used structurally without additional components or secondary operations.

With friction drilling, the material is plastically deformed to create a bushing, locally increasing the effective material thickness up to approximately three times. This provides sufficient thread engagement in thin material without the need for weld nuts or press nuts.

𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬 🎄

We would like to thank everyone for the past year. For the trust, the cooperation, and the pleasant contacts.

On behalf of the entire Flowdrill team, we wish you happy holidays and a healthy, successful 2026.

🔴 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞

Conical drills stand out from standard drills because they don’t remove material, they form it. This provides major advantages in production, especially for thin-walled profiles.

What makes conical drills unique:
• Forming instead of cutting
• Increased surface contact for stronger joints
• Minimal material waste, no chips to clog the process
• Better performance under load and vibration
• Cleaner, faster and more efficient manufacturing

For engineers this means lighter components, fewer additional parts and longer-lasting assemblies in demanding environments.

🔴 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝

Many designs get stuck in the production phase because manufacturability is considered too late. Design for Manufacturing (DFM) means taking the possibilities and limitations of the production process into account already during the design phase.

The result: fewer components, shorter assembly time, and a lower risk of errors. This makes constructions more efficient, more sustainable, and often more cost-effective.

🔴𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐄𝐔𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐎𝐃𝐄 𝟑

The Steel Construction Institute (SCI) has incorporated Flowdrill into its EUROCODE 3 manual, marking a significant advancement in construction methods.

Why Choose Friction Drilling Over Expansion or Hollow Bolts?
Traditionally, structures were built on-site using expansion bolts for strong connections to hollow sections. However, with the rise of modular construction and factory-based work, friction drilling offers a superior alternative by utilizing only the parent material for creating reliable connections.

Read all the benefits of modular construction in our new informative post on our website.

Flowdrill Meets EUROCODE 3 Standards A game-changing solution for modular construction. This thermal drilling technique creates strong, threaded connections in SHS (Structural Hollow Sections) without metal removal. Discover faster installations, reduced costs, and simplified processes compared to traditional fastening methods to meet....

🔴𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐬?

You can use the Flowdrill collets for years, provided you maintain them well. Maintenance of the collets is less work than you think.

As you can see, the collet below has not been maintained for a long time. But after a rudimentary clean with some emery roll and cloth, you will manage to remove most of the build-up material, such as cooling paste and metal shavings.

By performing this small task, you ensure that you can use the collets effortlessly for years!

🔴𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧.

When using friction drilling, thin-walled materials don’t have to mean weak connections.

Quite the opposite: the thinner the material, the bigger the advantage over rivet nuts.

That’s why friction drilling is such a powerful solution in lightweight design:
• No inserts or weld nuts needed
• Stronger threads in thin materials
• Faster, cleaner, more sustainable connections

Thinner material doesn’t have to compromise strength.

Reach out to discuss your design challenges.