Star Cutter Introduces Four-Flute Gundrill for Deep-Hole Drilling in Series Production

Star Cutter Company has introduced a new gundrill with four flutes and four internal coolant holes to increase productivity and tool life in high-volume deep-hole drilling applications. According to the company, the new design has delivered a 40–50 percent increase in feed rate and tool life in proven applications.

Güç Aktarım Published: November 13, 2026 1:14 am · Updated: November 13, 2026 2:35 am · 2 min read

Contents

Four flutes, four coolant holes
An economical alternative to solid carbide
About Star Cutter

Star Cutter Company has launched its Four-Flute/Four-Hole gundrill, designed to increase productivity and tool life in deep-hole drilling operations in series production. The tool is recommended for drilling compacted graphite iron (CGI) and cast iron components such as engine blocks, cylinder heads, crankshafts, camshafts and other critical automotive parts.

Four flutes, four coolant holes

Gundrills are used to drill holes that are very long relative to their diameter in a single pass and with high accuracy. Traditional designs usually have a single flute. Star Cutter’s new tool, however, combines four flutes, four internal coolant holes and an HSS steel body with a brazed carbide tip.

The four flutes share the cutting load, resulting in more even wear, while the internal coolant holes deliver coolant directly to the cutting zone. According to the company, the four-flute design has delivered a 40 to 50 percent increase in feed rate and tool life in proven applications compared with traditional gundrill designs. Even greater gains are possible depending on the workpiece and machining conditions.

These improvements can shorten cycle times, extend tool life and help reduce overall tooling costs by allowing additional regrinds.

An economical alternative to solid carbide

“The HSS steel body with a brazed carbide tip offers a more cost-effective alternative to solid carbide construction without compromising the cutting performance these applications demand. Combined with the higher feed rates and longer tool life provided by the four-flute design, this construction gives manufacturers the opportunity to increase output while lowering cost per part,” said Richard Rickert, Round Tools Product Manager at Star Cutter.

The Four-Flute/Four-Hole gundrill is available in diameters from 8 mm (0.315 in) to 34.925 mm (1.375 in) and can be manufactured in overall lengths of up to 48 in (approximately 1,219 mm).

About Star Cutter

Headquartered in Farmington Hills, Michigan, USA, Star Cutter Company operates in the cutting tool sector. Each of the company’s six manufacturing facilities specialises in a specific product or service area, such as solid carbide cutting tools, carbide blanks and preforms, gundrills, gear cutting tools, and 5-axis CNC tool and cutter grinding machines.