Coring Concrete | Megasaw
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Concrete Coring Allows the Creation of Precisely Positioned Openings in Concrete Structures

Core cutting or concrete coring is the process of drilling a large hole in concrete.

With this, you can make precisely dimensioned holes in concrete walls, floors or slabs or any other structure that requires the creation of such an opening.

Most concrete cutting companies offer this as a basic service and will have the specialised diamond tipped core cutters that can easily undertake such jobs.

Once the concrete has been laid it is necessary to create circular openings so that there are spaces for ducts, cables and other utilities. These will be used in the installation of phone lines, plumbing, and electrical wiring. Openings are also required to create ducts from climate control or other needs.

These needed spaces can be made without compromising the structure itself. Drilling can be done on any hard surface, not necessarily concrete, and to any required depth. Core drilling can make holes from three-fourths of an inch, up to about six feet in diameter. Depths can reach sixty feet.

 

When a hole is made, a solid core is removed from the structure.

This shows that the concrete does not get pulverised and the hole is made neatly. This undisturbed core of concrete has also been used by engineers to test the strength and soundness of any concrete structure.

These cutters are made from high strength steel that has carbide or diamond tips along the circular edges of a hollow or tubular drill bit. The drill bit to be used depends on the size of the hole you need.

Core drilling machines require a lot of power and most of the equipment uses electricity, hydraulic or air compressors. Machines that have adjustable speeds are the most versatile and make the work that much simpler and easier.

You can get equipment that is mounted on stands and may use a vacuum to grip a floor and retain the drill in position. If the drilling has to be done in walls, you need to secure the drilling stand with proper anchors that can take the strain of the equipment and drilling vibrations.

 

Concrete Coring | MegaSaw

 

The spot where you require the opening must be clearly marked so that you will not hit rebars or conduits within the concrete.

Start drilling slowly without exerting any pressure so that the drill bit cuts the path you require it to follow. Once this is correctly determined, you can increase pressure and increase the speed of drilling.

You should check the correctness of the alignment at various intervals till the final depth is reached. If you have to drill through the thickness of the concrete the core will come out along with the drill bit. You may require a hammer or other means to remove the core from the drill bit.

Given these advantages, keep in mind concrete coring on your next construction project.

 

 

What Is Concrete Core Drilling Used For In Modern Construction Jobs
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Concrete Core Drilling in Construction | Megasaw

Even buildings that won’t be made entirely out of concrete start out with a concrete foundation. This is because concrete is durable, inexpensive, and can be made quite beautiful. That’s why there are hundreds of concrete projects you can do.

Concrete Drilling | MegaSaw

But on the flip side, concrete’s durability and strength make it difficult to change or remodel a building. This is where drilling concrete cores can help you. Here are some tips to take advantage of this process.

Concrete Core Drilling Uses and Advantages

Holes for Subterranean Termites

There are a number of instances when you need to drill holes in the slab. For one, when there are subterranean termites you’ll need holes and a special long-lasting insecticide pumped into the ground. This is to stop their movement towards the underground as they look for wood and other organic matter to eat.

While termites do not affect a concrete structure, they make tiny tubes and tunnels on the side of a building looking for food. They come up in the most inconspicuous places where they’re unnoticed and then infest everything from wooden studs to wooden furniture. Besides wood, they also feast on paper.

 

Holes for Bathroom and Electrical Wires

Electrical Holes and Installation | MegaSaw

You’ll also need to drill holes when putting up a new bathroom, need more electrical wires, or even conduits for more IT cables.

 

Holes for Plumbing Pipes

This also applies when you need to run plumbing pipes, especially when refitting an older manufacturing facility to turn it into office space. Plenty of new bathrooms, lunchrooms, and still more computers will are needed for the upgrade. Luckily, concrete can be re-fitted when necessary.

Core Drilling Is Often Used To Remove Large Sections Of Concrete

Large concrete saws are too difficult to manoeuvre in small spaces so concrete core drilling is used to make rows of holes. This is called line drilling.

After all the holes are drilled, the smaller connections between them can be removed, without the need to ruin the entire building. This happens when for instance, you need to install a staircase between concrete floors.

 

Megasaw Concrete Drilling | Drilling Specialist

If you have a big project that seems too big for you there are quite a number of competent concrete core drillers in most areas. Just make sure they come highly recommended and read online reviews before choosing a concrete core drilling specialist or a concrete cutting company. Better to tap professionals for the job. They have the necessary tools and experience to do a good job.

 

core drilling can save time and money
MegasawConcrete Drilling, Core Drilling, Rock Drilling

How Core Drilling Can Save Time And Money On A Retrofitting Project

Due to the changing economic climate, there are plenty of older, well-built concrete buildings that are being retrofitted and repurposed into other types of uses. In older industrial parts of the city, old structures are converted to loft apartments, small retail businesses, and restaurants.

core drilling

Doing these involves a lot of concrete core drilling, so that plumbing, electrical, and IT conduits can be installed. Let’s take a quick look at how this type of drilling can make working on concrete structures easier.

Most Older Warehouses And Manufacturing Facilities Are Shut Down

In many old cities, there are large sections that have been vacant, left in the aftermath of manufacturers relocating to other countries.

Good thing there are plenty of new companies that would like to get prime downtown locations that would love to move into the neighborhood. This has created a demand for retrofitting the older buildings into modern offices, lofts, artist studios, online offices, and restaurants.

For this to work, each small section of the building should have bathrooms, kitchens, plumbing and wiring and compliant to existing laws. This is where concrete drilling comes in. It allows pipes and electrical cables and conduits to run into every part of the building.

core drilling

In concrete drilling, a diamond-tipped hole saw is used to make round holes of several different sizes to accommodate each type of access. Of course, an architectural plan will have to be made, approved by the local inspector, and then followed to the letter.

Core Drilling Can Also Be A Lifesaver In Removing Sections Of Concrete

stone staircase

This is also needed when you’re turning an old warehouse into a couple of townhouse apartments.  Several staircases will have to be retrofitted into the structure.

One of the best uses of core drilling is to make core line holes in the thick concrete floor between levels and then connect the dots to remove a large portion of concrete. This makes concrete removal easier.  Even with space limitations, the core driller has enough room to maneuver.

core drilling

Another advantage of using diamond core drilling apparatus is that it makes precise cuts, making the job dust-free. With this, the activity won’t disrupt activities in an office or even a restaurant.

If you do have a project that is going to need lots of concrete core drilling it’s usually best to hire a professional concrete cutting company. That way they’ll have all of the right tools available and every imaginable bit to make them work without having to run to the store to purchase more.

RELATED:

Five Essential Tips For Core Drilling

Core Drilling Guide: Introduction to Core Drilling

Core Drilling Techniques, Applications, and Available Tools

concrete core drilling activity
MegasawConcrete Drilling, Core Drilling

The Importance of Choosing the Right Machine for Concrete Core Drilling Jobs

All seasoned core drilling services know that an excellent project results from drilling machines used. That’s why they invest in the best hydraulic core drilling or electric core drilling machines, depending on their predisposition. Choosing the right drilling machines is crucial to the success of your projects. Here’s why:

Right Machines, Precise Job

The truth is you can use other machines to drill concrete holes. But the result can be completely unsatisfactory. A hydraulic core drill can give you the precise hole and circle.

The same goes for an electric core drill. Depending on power outages, these machines can be used interchangeably, to produce the results you so ardently desire.

Hire the right core drilling service with the right equipment to take care of things.

Gets the Job Done Quickly

Here’s a quick scenario:

  • You have an electric core drill
  • You need to drill a hole underground or somewhere

The problem is there’s no:

  • Access to electricity
  • Backup battery
  • Power for your core drilling equipment

Would you wait until someone

  • Goes into town to get battery/backup?
  • Finally sets up a circuit that will power your drill?
  • Fires up the hydraulic core drill to do the job without delays?

Chances are it’ll be the latter. Why is that? It gets the job done.

The point is hydraulic core drills can get the job done faster than electric ones. You need the right equipment to do an awesome job.

Drills Specific Hole Measurements

construction site with core drilling job

Sometimes, you need a 16mm hole. Other times, you may need holes as big as 1m. To get these precise measurements, you need core drilling machines that

  • Accurately measure hole sizes
  • Drill with precision, so holes are neither excessive nor too small

Machines that aren’t built for this job description will

  • Do a poor job
  • Also cost you more to pay your contractor, and redo the job
  • Have negative consequences for a bad drilling job

Your supposed savings won’t be enough to damage your reputation or put people’s lives at risk.

Getting the right machines is non-negotiable, if you want an excellent job. Get the right core drilling services, too.

MegaSaw has the machines and experts with technical skills set. We do awesome jobs for your drilling projects. As leading drilling specialists in Melbourne and all of Victoria, we’re the best for your flawless drilling project. Call us now at 1300 920 419 or email us at info@MegaSaw.com.au for more information and a no-cost drilling consultation.

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Core Drilling Guide Part 3: Output Quality versus Technical Requirements

What output quality do you want from your drilling project? Your answer to this question will help determine what kind of drill bit to use.

Here are the two most common user requirements:

a) Material hole

– Drilling tasks in most cases involve creating a round and even hole. For such applications, you should use either a hollow or a solid drill. Hollow drills can be quite fast and efficient. The primary application for solid drills is in drilling primary holes in the range of .001” to 3/8”. On the other hand, hollow core drills are for drilling larger holes.

b) Obtaining material plug– Obtaining a material core is often the main reason for using diamond core drills. For this purpose, hollow drills offer the best results. The inner diameter of the core drill plays a critical role in such cases. Manufacturers take special care in developing drills with differing tolerances and specifications.

Aside from these two major requirements, there are other less common ones:

Finish or chipping requirements– The grit or mesh size of the diamond drill determines the finish quality of the surface, chipping level, microstructure deformation or damage of material, and smoothness.

In situations where chipping and surface finish are a critical factor, the perfect tool would be a metal bond, sintered diamond drill with very fine grit.

For getting the highest surface finish quality, you should use electroplated multi-layered core drills with a swivel water adapter running a high-pressure coolant. Water-soluble synthetic coolants offer the best surface finish results.

Cost of material– When the material drilled is expensive, valuable or precious, the associated drilling costs take a backseat.

Use thin walled drills to minimize deformation and loss of material. However, when it comes to cost of materials it is necessary to have a prior estimate of the target cost versus the quality of the resulting job.

Tolerances– To work with materials with specific tolerances you will need custom drills that are designed for very specific tasks.

Specification of tolerances may depend upon concentricity, run out, OD, and ID of diamond drills.

Use of coolant

Did you know that different drills have different coolant requirements? If you’re using a core diamond drill, use a coolant for the best results.

Regular drilling projects can use tap water, mineral oils, or a water-soluble synthetic coolant.
Using a drill dry will most certainly result in shorter drill life and the deformation of the material being drilled.

Nickel bonded electroplated drills are often used for dry drilling even if this is not the recommended method.

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Core Drilling Guide Part 2: Understanding Basic Drilling Components and Requirements

To understand basic core drilling components and requirements, you must familiarize yourself with various drilling tools. This part of the guide aims to throw light on this aspect of drilling.

Different Types of Drilling Equipment

For successful core drilling, you need equipment that ensures the best results from your endeavours.

Other factors such as coolants, RPMs, and feeds with the diamond bit or drill should also be taken into account. Remember even the best quality diamond drills will fail when paired with the wrong equipment.

Use them with equipment such as

  • Drill Press
  • Milling/CNC Machine
  • Hand Held or Angle Grinder
  • Air High Speed Spindle
  • Hand Held or Cordless Grinder

So who uses drill equipment such as CNC Machine or Drill Press? These are industrial manufacturing units, R&D departments, homeowners, hobby enthusiasts, and contractors. They use drills of the handheld variety, angle grinders, drill presses, and drilling rigs.

Various Applications

How often will you be using your diamond bits or drills? What specific tasks do you need them for? Your answers will help you determine your drill requirements.
These bits and drills have a wide application:

a) Production & Industries

They are part of standard equipment in many production and manufacturing operations. These include aerospace composite application, ceramic parts technical or advanced machining, countertop stone fabrication, and lens optical machining.

Machinists and engineers demand a high level of consistency, accuracy, and yield from their drill bits. For heavy-duty applications involving thousands of drillings per day, sintered metal bond drills are ideal.

b) Craft & Hobby

When it comes to art and craft projects, diamond bits or drills come in handy for working with glass, river rocks, beads, jewelry and lapidary.

One thing these applications have in common is that you can use these drilling gadgets occasionally for specific requirements and then keep them stored away.

For, something less than 100 holes, use nickel bonded electroplated drill. These are ideal for beginners since they are more forgiving to mistakes and errors.

Save time money and frustration, by choosing the right drill for your projects.

c) Research and Development

Whether it’s about drilling holes or obtaining core samples, nothing tests the limits of diamond bits or drills more than research and development.

The field is diverse and so are the requirements of researchers.

Research applications involve numerous fields such as advanced materials, material science, geology, optics, metallography, and technical/advanced ceramics.

Also, breakthroughs and new fields such as Nano, Biotechnology, and MEMS use such drilling equipment for various applications.

Typical application scenarios include

  • Commercial Laboratories
  • Large organization R&D
  • Government Laboratories
  • Military Research
  • Universities
  • Science & Space

As the core drilling requirements increase, diamond bits and drills are available at increasing levels of quality, ensuring the best results for various projects.

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Core Drilling Guide Part 1: Introduction to Core Drilling

Are you ready to obtain the best drilling results for your project? If so, you need to determine what kinds of diamond bits or drills are perfect for the job. This is important since knowing the right tools to use will save you both time and money.

To which category do you belong? Are you a novice, an experienced engineer, hobby enthusiast, researcher, or a contractor? Knowing this will help narrow down your choice to the types of diamond bits that are most appropriate for completing your project.

To ensure that everything goes smoothly, take heed of these three prerequisites to core drilling success:

  • Proper detailing
  • Suitable preparation
  • Following basic techniques

Type of Material

What kind of material are you working with in your core-drilling project? What are its features or characteristics? This will help in determining the tools and techniques you’ll need to obtain the desired outcome.

The kind of material you are planning to drill is an important consideration in your choice of drills:

a) Hardness of Material

For ultra-hard Alumina, Sapphire, natural/precious stones, materials with high metal content and advanced ceramic; metal bonded sintered diamond drills are the best.

For less expensive or softer materials such as tile, soft stones, glass, and composites, nickel bonded electroplated diamond drills work the best.

The basic rule for core drilling is that you will require soft bonds for hard materials, for free and fast drilling. Similarly, abrasive or softer materials require hard bonds for long-lasting performance.

b) Cost of Material

What kind of material are you going to drill? Determine how expensive it is. For expensive or precious material, the cost of the bit or drill matters little.

The use of a diamond thin wall core drill will help minimize deformation and loss of material. Having an estimate related to per-hole quality and target cost surely helps.

c) Density & Geometry of Material

Each type of material has a specific composition, density, and hardness. A method or technique that works for one, may not work for the other.

If you are looking for optimal, consider custom diamond drills that suit perfectly the type of material you’re planning to drill.

Material properties such as brittleness, size, shape, hardness, and diameter, will help in your choice of bits, clamping methods, feeds, speeds, and drilling equipment.

d) Thickness of Material

The thickness of the material you’re drilling determines how much pressure and coolant to use.

Multiple direction coolant works the best with through the drill, coolant submerged drill, and from the sides. This ensures enough lubrication and coolant will reach the drilling zone.

Running the coolant at high pressure through the diamond bit/drill centre using a swivel water adapter is ideal for drilling a material thicker than 1 inch or 25.4 mm. With, long-depth drilling you will require a stepwise mechanism using multiple bits or drills.

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Core Drilling for Reinforced and Non-Reinforced Concrete Surfaces – An Overview

Reinforced and non-reinforced – both types of concrete surface are often encountered in highway drilling and construction applications. Both require unique drilling methods and also differ in drilling results.

For instance, drilling through steel bar produces a different sort of pressure and therefore, has a different wear on the cutting surface. Thus, it is important to determine the type of concrete surface first and then choose the right drilling equipment that will perform the job efficiently.

What is Core Drilling?

Core drilling is one of the most effective, non-vibratory ways of drilling through reinforced and non-reinforced concrete surface. It creates holes without causing aggressive demolition or too much strain.

The core drill is a highly efficient and powerful tool for boring holes through reinforced concrete, block, brick, masonry, and stone.

The typical core bits are made of hollow steel cylinders that are fitted with segmented diamond teeth. The teeth grind away the concrete surface for creating a hole of any desired size.

Usually, core bits vary in size from 3/8” to 14” in diameter. Most core bits are capable of drilling through 12” and even more. However, longer extensions, threaded barrels and bits are also available.

Diamond drilling is essentially preferred.This is how to get neat and clean holes through all types of reinforced and non-reinforced concrete, block work and bricks. The core drilling procedure is most effective in getting precise and accurate circular cuts through varied concrete surfaces.

Benefits of Core Drilling

The significance of core drilling is unparalleled. Unlike traditional drilling procedures, diamond drilling is more comprehensive in nature and environmentally sound. Discussed here are some of the key benefits of core drilling:

  • Core diamond drilling is most efficient where precise circular cut and neat holes are required
  • The drilling method can be equally used for reinforced as well as non-reinforced concrete surfaces
  • Drill holes of virtually any diameter to make openings for electrical, plumbing, and HVAC installation
  • Core drilling can also be used for studying and analyzing rock, structures, and strata
  • It produces less vibration and strain as compared to conventional methods, thus, causing minimal structural damage
  • Use core drilling procedure for increased accuracy and minimal labor cost

Drilling Reinforced Concrete Surface

Drilling through reinforced concrete surfaces can be difficult and takes longer than other concrete and allied material.

For this, the core drilling procedure is adopted.This is where the steel bar of reinforced concrete is drilled through by fine diamond crystals in a machining mode. However, it puts a high strain on the diamond core bit as steel is a relatively ductile and very tough material.

When the core bit rotates against the same section of drilling surface, it encounters concrete that’s more brittle than before. This facilitates loading and unloading of diamond crystals and bond materials.

Drilling Non-reinforced Concrete Surface

Drilling through plain concrete is relatively different from that of reinforced concrete. However, the core drilling method can also be used in cutting holes of any diameter through non-reinforced concrete surfaces.

Here, the concrete material is removed or drilled through the process of crack propagation. Diamond in the core bit generates stress on brittle non-reinforced concrete that creates a crack on the surface.

The cracks are caused when the concrete is broken away from base material, allowing the core bit to drill through the material efficiently.

Tips for Core Drilling

Core drilling can be used for both reinforced and non-reinforced concrete surfaces, delivering increased accuracy, precision, and efficiency. Here are some valuable tips for core drilling that will help you save time and money, and improve the drilling results.

1. Water – If you are using a wet diamond core bit, it is preferable that you use little water. This enables the diamond to grind away the concrete surface efficiently. Excessive water pressure can wash away concrete grit, preventing the diamonds from becoming exposed. To get effective results, apply little water only till the slurry resembles that of creamed coffee. Appropriate slurry helps in the grinding process and also keeps the core bit cool. The diamonds remain exposed all through and stay in contact with the slurry particles.

2. Vacuum Base – Base vacuum can be used while drilling through concrete surface that is smooth. However, make sure that the gasket is in good working condition. Also, do not use a vacuum base while drilling through ceiling or walls.That can be dangerous. Ensure that the vacuum filter bottle has no debris or water inside as it can harm the vacuum. Also make sure that the vacuum pressure is just adequate for the drilling purpose.

3. Diamond – To get best results and also save time and money, it is important to choose a diamond type that matches the application. For this, it is imperative to consider the material to be drilled and particular diamond bond specifications of the core bit. Too soft a bond may wear away the diamond prematurely; too hard a bond may increase drilling time. For reinforced concrete, choose a soft diamond matrix; for softer materials, choose a hard diamond matrix for effective results.

4. Pressure – For efficient drilling through reinforced and non-reinforced concrete surface, maintaining steady and even pressure is most important. The right amount of pressure ensures maximum life of the core bit. Too little pressure than required for the application can cause the diamond to glaze over, while inconsistent pressure can cause the drill to glaze over. On the other hand, too much pressure can overload the drill, causing significant damage to the drill motor and core bit.

5. Speed – To grind through surfaces efficiently and prevent glazing diamond segments, it is important to set the motor at the right Revolutions per Minute (RPM). It is only at ideal surface speed, which is dependent on core bit diameter that you can cut through efficiently. For instance, smaller diameter core bits require higher RPMs.

6. Power – To achieve the right drilling speed, it is imperative to have adequate power. If the drill is underpowered, it can cause overheating during drilling, thus, damaging the equipment. When the equipment receives too much power, it can also cause increased abrasion and glazing of diamond segments.

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New Core Drilling and Concrete Cutting Projects By MegaSaw

Bunning Store

MEGASAW joins the construction team helping to build new Bunnings Stores. The main contractor has MegaSaw core drilling holes through the concrete panels for down pipe penetrations. Most of these core holes are done out of a Boom lift or a Scissor lift. MegaSaw has operators with Elevated Platform Tickets which enables our operators to operate these machines.

Masters Store Project

MegaSaw joins the construction team helping to build new Masters Stores. Just like on the Bunnings Projects, the main contractor has Megasaw core drilling holes through concrete wall panels for down pipes and plumbing penetrations. On these projects we are core drilling holes up to 250 mm diameter and again some core holes have to be done out of a Boom Lift or Scissor Lift.
We have updated staff vehicles and purchases 2 new Ford XR6 Dedicated gas Utes. MegaSaw now has 3 of these vehicles in our fleet.

Refinery Project:

MegaSaw gets inducted ready for work at SHELL Refinery. One needs to have special skills and machinery to carry out concrete cutting and drilling works around all those fuel tanks. MEGASAW has both.

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