Kennametal

Kennametal Inc. is a global leader in industrial tooling, wear-resistant materials and metalworking solutions, headquartered in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, USA, with manufacturing and research facilities across the Americas, Europe and Asia.

Founded in 1938 by metallurgist Philip McKenna, Kennametal built its reputation on tungsten carbide technology and today supplies metal cutting tools, tooling systems and wear-resistant components to industries including aerospace, automotive, energy, general engineering and medical manufacturing.

The brand is recognised worldwide for innovation, quality and performance, particularly in hole-making, turning & milling applications.

Our range focuses on the Kennametal solid carbide twist drill range, specifically the GOdrill series. The range covers solid carbide drills in three length types (3×D stub, 5×D jobber and 8×D long series), with both through-coolant and non-through-coolant variants.

Drills are available in diameters from 1 mm to 20 mm and are engineered for drilling across steel, stainless steel, cast iron, aluminium & non-ferrous metals and hardened steel.

This makes the Kennametal range on this page a comprehensive solution for precision hole-making in virtually any material.

GOdrill is Kennametal's first purpose-designed microdrill range, a family of solid carbide twist drills engineered to deliver reliable, cost-effective drilling performance across a wide range of materials and applications.

The GOdrill was developed to bring Kennametal's advanced carbide and coating technology into the general-purpose drilling market, where many users had previously relied on lower-quality or inconsistent alternatives.

The range covers diameters from 1 mm to 20 mm and lengths up to 8xD, with both through-coolant and non-through-coolant options, making it a versatile choice for toolrooms, sub-contract shops and production environments alike.

A marginless drill has no conventional cylindrical margin (the narrow land that runs along the drill's flank and normally rubs against the bore wall to guide the drill).

Instead, the GOdrill uses a streamlined profile that eliminates the margin, reducing the contact area between the drill and the workpiece bore. This design significantly reduces friction and heat generation during drilling (the two primary causes of premature tool wear and drill failure) and allows the cutting edge to run cooler and last longer.

The marginless design also reduces the risk of the drill seizing in deep or blind holes, particularly in sticky materials such as stainless steel and aluminium.

The GOdrill features an optimized gashing design (the way the flute geometry transitions into the cutting point). The gashing has been refined specifically for microdrilling to ensure free and unrestricted flow of chips away from the cutting edge and out of the centre of the drill.

In small-diameter drilling chip evacuation is critical because chips that pack in the flutes cause heat build-up, increased torque, poor surface finish and ultimately drill breakage.

The optimised gashing ensures chips flow cleanly up the flutes even at the smallest diameters, improving hole quality, extending tool life and reducing the risk of drill breakage in deep-hole drilling.

These terms refer to the length-to-diameter (L/D) ratio of the drill (the relationship between the flute length and the drill diameter):

• A 3xD stub drill has a flute length roughly three times its diameter, making it short, rigid and ideal for shallow holes and interrupted cuts where strength is critical

• A 5xD jobber drill has a flute length around five times its diameter, providing a good balance of reach and rigidity for general-purpose drilling

• An 8xD long-series drill has a flute length around eight times its diameter, allowing deeper holes in a single pass, though it requires careful attention to pecking cycles, coolant supply and stability to avoid deflection or chip packing.

A through-coolant drill has internal coolant channels running through the drill body, delivering cutting fluid directly to the cutting edge at high pressure through holes in the drill tip.

This provides excellent cooling and chip flushing, particularly in deep holes where external coolant cannot reach the cutting zone.

A non-through-coolant drill relies on external coolant applied from outside the drill, which is adequate for shallow holes and softer materials but less effective in deep or demanding drilling.

Through-coolant drills generally deliver longer tool life and better hole quality in difficult materials, but require a machine tool equipped with a high-pressure coolant system and a suitably prepared tool holder.

The GOdrill is engineered as a general-purpose drill capable of machining a wide range of materials. Within the Kennametal range on this page the drills are classified by application as suitable for steel, stainless steel, cast iron, aluminium and non-ferrous metals & hardened steel.

This broad material coverage is achieved through the combination of the carbide substrate, the marginless geometry, the optimised gashing and the applied coating.

For specialist applications (such as very hard materials (above 50 HRC) or highly abrasive alloys) specific grades and coatings within the GOdrill family are recommended and our engineers can advise on the best selection for a given workpiece.

Selecting the right drill involves considering the workpiece material and hardness, the required hole diameter and depth, the machine tool's capability (spindle speed, feed, rigidity and whether through-coolant is available) and the production volume.

Key decisions include the length type (3xD, 5xD or 8xD), whether through-coolant is needed or available, and the specific grade and coating suited to the material.

For shallow holes in mild steel, a 3xD or 5xD non-through-coolant drill is often sufficient.

For deeper holes or difficult materials, a 5xD or 8xD through-coolant drill is recommended.

Our engineering team can provide specific recommendations and cutting parameters based on your application.