Deep Hole Drilling GuidePractical technical reference
🔍️ MACHINE BUILDERS · TOOLING · COOLANT · CONTRACT SERVICES

Suppliers & Services

A practical directory of deep hole drilling capability — machine builders, tooling specialists, high-pressure coolant systems, and contract job shops. Where to buy, what each supplier actually specializes in, the model lines that matter, and the evaluation criteria that separate a process partner from a parts seller.

45+Suppliersprofiled on this page
4Tiersmachines · tools · coolant · services
6RegionsEU · US · Asia
≈$225M2024 markettop-5 ≈45% share
THE SUPPLY CHAIN

Four Tiers of Supplier, One Process

30-Second Summary: When selecting suppliers, look beyond product specifications to technical support capability. Deep hole drilling relies heavily on process experience — a supplier with applications engineers is far more valuable than a cheap single-product vendor. The global deep hole drilling market was valued at roughly $225–228 million in 2024, and the top five machine builders (TBT, Mollart, Kays, Entrust, TechniDrill) account for about 45% of it. Asia Pacific leads with roughly 40% market share.

🏭️
Machine BuildersTurnkey gundrill/BTA cells, retrofit kits, automation
🛠️
Tooling MakersGundrills, BTA heads, ejector, indexable inserts
🔧️
Coolant & FiltrationHigh-pressure pumps, filters, chillers
🔍️
Contract ServicesSubcontract deep hole machining & prototypes
💡 Process experience is the product: Deep hole drilling is a process business, not a parts business. The cheapest quote in the world is worthless if no one can tell you why the chips stopped evacuating at 40:1. Weight application engineering at least as heavily as price.
MACHINE MANUFACTURERS

Deep Hole Machine Builders

Dedicated deep hole machines vs. retrofit kits — the process envelope (diameter, L/D, batch) decides which you need.

CompanyCountrySpecialtyBore RangeModel Lines & Notes
UNISIGUSAHigh-end BTA machines, gundrillers, automationBTA 20–500 mm; gundrill Ø1.4–40 mmB-series drop-bed (B700-6M to Ø700 mm × 6 m, counter-rotation, 216 hp); UNE job-shop gundrillers to 3,000 mm deep; UNE6 sub-millimeter; 5-axis machining centers
TBT TiefbohrtechnikGermanyFull-range deep hole machines, tooling & service0.8–400 mm (ML); 20–400 mm (B)ML200–ML700 multi-spindle (1–6 spindles); B3S–B6S large BTA to Ø1,000 mm combo tools, depths to 15 m; BW220/250/500 milling & deep hole centers
Mollart EngineeringUKCustom deep hole machines, turnkey cellsVariousExclusive UK partner of botek; strong in defense & automotive; in-house subcontract services
Kays EngineeringUKCustom deep hole drillsVariousBuilds the Eldorado, DeHoff & TechniDrill brands; top-5 global share; non-standard parts
PreciholeIndiaGundrill/BTA machines1–250 mmGood value, depth up to 10 m, strong mid-range option
Entrust / TechniDrillGlobalSpecialized deep hole machinesVariousAmong the top-5 global machine manufacturers
Star CutterUSAGun drills (tools) plus machinesGundrills Ø0.5–75 mmOssineke, MI plant since 1972; single-flute, solid-carbide, double-jet gundrills; deep hole operations since 1955
SunnenUSASkive & burnish, honing, BTA primary drilling12.7–914 mm (BTA Heller)Authority on finishing & bore sizing; BTA Heller tooling; TIBO Tiefbohrtechnik alliance adds gundrilling & rifling; drill-to-finish single source
Galbiati GroupItalyDeep hole drilling machinesVariousEuropean specialist with automation focus
Dezhou Guanlu / JutaiChinaEconomical deep hole drillsVariousDomestic cost-effective choice, strong in the Asian market
Honge PrecisionChinaDeep hole drilling machinesVariousGrowing regional supplier
Nanyang ZonjetChinaMulti-axis CNC deep hole machinesVariousThree- to six-axis machines; tube-plate & shaft machine tools; CE/GS/ISO 9001
ASCENDER MachineryTaiwanGun & trepan drilling machinesLengths 1–3 mGC gun drilling series; AMB/BTA trepanning for large bores

Reference product lines

ML200–700
TBT
Multi-spindle all-rounders, Ø0.8–400 mm, 1–6 spindles
B3S–B6S
TBT
Large BTA/STS with steel-concrete beds, combo tools to Ø1,000 mm, 2–15 m depth
UNE Series
UNISIG
Job-shop & production gundrillers, Ø1.4–40 mm, to 3,000 mm deep
B700-6M
UNISIG
Drop-bed BTA to Ø700 mm × 6 m, counter-rotating workpiece, 216 hp total
SHD / BTA Heller
Sunnen
Skiving & roller burnishing; BTA heads Ø12.7–914 mm
BW220–500
TBT
Milling/deep hole centers with automatic long-tool changer
💡 Counter-rotation is the straightness unlock: For L/D > 100:1, machines that rotate the workpiece opposite the tool cancel radial deviation. This is standard on UNISIG B-series and why those machines hold 0.05 mm/m straightness in landing-gear work.
⚠️ Common trap: Buying a machine without auditing coolant flow, filtration, and pressure is like buying a car without an engine. The coolant system is a core cost center — confirm it is specified, not optional.
TOOL MANUFACTURERS

Gundrills, BTA Heads, Ejector & Indexable Tooling

Only about a dozen dedicated gundrill manufacturers exist worldwide — tooling is a specialist's market.

CompanyCountryCore ProductsDiameter RangeKey Technology
botekGermanyGundrills, BTA drill heads, ejector drills, trepanning headsØ0.5–500 mmSolely focused on deep hole drilling tools; conventional tip & tube or solid carbide; full-line supplier
TBT ToolsGermanyGundrills, modular tool systems, tool heads, guide padsFrom Ø0.8 mm upSingle-lip (gundrill) reference manufacturer; special coated edges for defense, automotive, hydraulics
GühringGermanySolid carbide drills, micro-drillsEB100 gundrill Ø0.9–8 mmSmall-diameter deep hole expertise (<5 mm); EB100 one-piece tube & head increases torsional strength
Allied MachineUSAGEN3SYS XT indexable drills, APX drill, BTA systems11–35 mm (XT); 33–101.6 mm (APX)AS geometry for stainless / Inconel / Hastelloy / titanium; XT Pro to 12×D for deep holes; AM300/AM420/AM440 coatings
Sandvik CoromantSwedenCoroDrill 860, deep hole drills for machining centersVariousMachining-center deep hole solutions; Coromant Capto interface
IscarIsraelTRI-DEEP indexable drills, SUMOCHAMVariousIndexable insert deep hole drills; extensive reference data in the Drilling Handbook
WalterGermanyTitex X-treme, DC170 SupremeVariousHigh-performance drills with deep hole variants for machining centers
MapalGermanyCustom gundrills, reamers, BTA toolsCustomHigh-precision custom solutions, often for automotive engine components
Hammond & CoUKSingle-point gundrills, gundrill tubesShank Ø2.8–38 mm, lengths to 3 mOne of the few complete-gundrill makers; tungsten-carbide tip + chrome-moly shank + soft-steel driver; exports to 40+ countries; since 1939
PROTOOL IndustrialTaiwanIndexable insert gundrills11.5–40 mm, to 5,000 mmPG211 tungsten-carbide; drilling length to D×250, tolerance IT7
ToolzoneChinaStandard, chip-breaker, twin-lip, all-carbide, insert & PCD gundrillsD×50–100 capabilityIT9 tolerance, Ra 0.1–3.0 µm; serves automotive, oil, medical
Dezhou DrillstarChinaGun drills, carbide drill bitsØ2.9–45 mmCustom-made gun drill bits; gundrilling machines too
Chengdu Sino-Metal (SMT)ChinaIndexable BTA & ejector drills, gun drills, trepanningBTA heads D25–D300Insert types, cartridges & guide pads; single-insert heads D14–D32
Hunan EstoolChinaBTA solid-carbide heads, trepanning, counter boringVariousFactory-direct deep hole tools; inserts & guide pads
Dezhou BtadrilltoolsChinaBTA drill heads, bars, honing heads, skive/roll headsHeads 25–65 mm30 years in special deep hole tooling

Which tool family fits which supplier

🎯
GundrillsØ0.5–50 mm — botek, Gühring, Hammond, Star Cutter, PROTOOL
⚖️
BTA headsØ6–500 mm — botek, Sunnen/BTA Heller, TBT, Mapal
⚡
Ejector (DTS)Ø18–250 mm — botek full line
🛠️
Indexable11–102 mm — Allied, Iscar, Sandvik, Walter
💡 Regrind is part of the purchase: A gundrill is a consumable with a resharpenable life. Ask every tool supplier for regrind turnaround in days, re-tip service, and a documented regrind count per tool before you buy a single drill.
COOLANT & FILTRATION

High-Pressure Coolant & Filtration Systems

Deep hole drilling is a fluid-dynamics process. Coolant pressure, flow, and cleanliness decide chip evacuation — treat the system as core hardware.

SupplierCountrySystemPressure & FlowFiltration
All World MachineryUSASpindleShot high-pressure coolantTo ~1,000 psi (≈70 bar) at the toolCyclonic, self-cleaning; no bag filters
ATS SystemsUSACoolJet UltraFlex® / CoolJet TL®300–3,000 psi (20–210 bar), 4–20 gpm10 µm quick-change; optional cyclonic / magnetic
Sumitomo Precision ProductsJapanSUMIJET X (pump + tank + valve + filter)High pressure, deep hole ratedSeries B bag, C cyclone, E 2-stage, W backflow
WULI PumpTaiwanWBP-2240M integrated coolant system140 bar, high flowDrum paper filter 15 / 30 / 50 µm; VFD pump
Lex TechnoaidIndiaCentralized filtration & high-pressure systemsHigh-P for gundrilling; high-flow for BTA/ejectorMulti-stage to 5–10 µm; magnetic conveyors & chillers
Huangshan AikeChinaSpindle center-outlet coolant systems30–150 bar, 20–180 L/minDual-filter and screw-pump variants
⚠️ Filtration spec is not negotiable: Gundrilling oil is typically filtered to ≤10 µm; superalloys (Inconel, Waspaloy) demand ≤10 µm to prevent particle embedding in the bore wall. Above ~25 µm, gundrill guide pads wear in hours, not weeks.
💡 Pressure defines the process: Ejector runs 10–50 bar, BTA 15–100 bar, gundrilling 50–150+ bar, aerospace finishing 70–120 bar. If your machine builder cannot tell you the coolant pressure and flow for your worst hole, the process is not yet designed.
CONTRACT SERVICES

Subcontract Deep Hole Drilling Services

Outsource when: the part is a prototype, the alloy is exotic, the batch does not justify a machine, or you need certified aerospace capacity now.

🏭️ Mollart Engineering (UK)One-stop subcontract deep hole drilling; oil & gas components in Inconel 625 and Hastelloy C276; holes to 3 m deep; 5-axis machining under one roof
🛡️ Hunting Dearborn (USA)Contract deep hole, gun drilling, trepanning & honing; Ø0.02–762 mm, lengths 450 mm–12 m; AS9100D, ITAR-registered
🔍️ Hole Specialists (USA)AS9100:2016 deep hole gun drilling; 0.062–2.489 in; depth-to-diameter to 300:1; Inconel, Monel, titanium, tool steel
🎮️ Perfect Bore Manufacturing (UK)Subcontract gun drilling, deep hole boring, honing, superfinishing; AS9100:2016; approvals from Airbus, BAE, Boeing, GE, Honeywell, Rolls-Royce; programs incl. B787, A350
🌍️ HI-TAK (via IPROS)Contract deep hole processing Ø0.5–30 mm, depth to 1,500 mm; Ø0.05 mm concentricity in Inconel, Hastelloy, β-titanium; prototype to mass production
🏮️ Radius Engineering (India)Gun drilling 1–30 mm and BTA drilling 30–100 mm; aerospace, automotive, die & mold sectors
💡 How to vet a contract shop: Ask for proof of the alloys they have actually drilled (not the ones they list), their maximum certified L/D, and their dimensional records (straightness, roundness, concentricity) on a part like yours. Certifications matter: AS9100 for aerospace, ISO 9001 otherwise, ITAR for defense work.
EVALUATION

How to Evaluate a Supplier

Eight checks — the first four are the non-negotiables; the last four separate suppliers that sell machines from suppliers that sell capability.

✅ Technical capability

Can they deliver a complete process solution — cutting data optimization, troubleshooting, training — or only hardware?

✅ Application engineering

Do process engineers support trial cuts and troubleshooting onsite? The single most important differentiator between suppliers.

✅ Delivery & after-sales

Spare parts availability, response time, and training services — confirm them in writing before purchase.

✅ Industry references

Successful applications in your industry with similar part geometry. Ask for specific case studies, not general testimonials.

✅ Regrind & re-tip turnaround

Gundrills are consumables. A regrind cycle measured in days — not weeks — keeps production alive.

✅ Trial-cut process

Will they run a process study on your parts before quoting, and share speeds, feeds, and expected tool life?

✅ Documentation & traceability

Cutting data records, coolant certification, and tool serialization — required for aerospace, useful everywhere.

✅ Stability & capacity

You are buying a long-term service relationship, not a one-off. Check installed base and after-sales staffing.

⚠️ Ask price last: In deep hole drilling, the cost of a failed hole — scrapped part, broken tool, machine downtime — dwarfs any difference in purchase price. Qualify the process capability first; negotiate price once the process works.
REGIONAL LANDSCAPE

Supplier Landscape by Region

Asia Pacific holds roughly 40% of the market; Europe owns the process-depth premium; North America anchors BTA and aerospace/defense work.

🇮🇹 Europe — Germany, UK, Italy
  • Germany: TBT, botek, Gühring, Mapal, Walter; Sandvik Coromant (Sweden)
  • UK: Mollart, Kays, Hammond & Co, Perfect Bore
  • Italy: Galbiati Group
  • Deepest process expertise, strongest tooling ecosystem, highest prices
🇺🇸 North America — USA, Canada
  • UNISIG, Star Cutter, Allied Machine, Sunnen
  • Coolant: All World Machinery, ATS Systems
  • Contract: Hunting Dearborn, Hole Specialists
  • BTA & gundrill heavy; aerospace/defense certification depth
🇺🇾 Asia Pacific — China, Japan, Taiwan, India
  • China: Dezhou cluster, Zonjet, Sanhe, Estop, SMT, Toolzone
  • Taiwan: PROTOOL, WULI, ASCENDER
  • Japan: Sumitomo, HI-TAK, KMS
  • India: Precihole, Radius, Lex Technoaid
  • Cost-effective machines & tooling; quality improving rapidly
💡 Geography is a service decision: For regrind turnaround, spares, and on-site support, the best supplier is often the one nearest your plant — not the one with the cheapest quote. A German machine running with a Chinese tooling source and a local coolant integrator is a perfectly rational stack.
PROCUREMENT

Seven Procurement Rules

1
Define the process envelope first

Diameter, L/D, material, tolerance, batch size, current method. Hand the supplier a problem statement, not a purchase order.

2
Ask for a process study, not a quote

Speeds, feeds, pressures, flows, expected tool life, and a proposed cycle time — not just a price.

3
Demand a regrind & service agreement

Tooling is a consumable relationship. Lock in turnaround, re-tip pricing, and spare guide pads/inserts.

4
Negotiate training & documentation

Operator and maintenance training, machine manuals, and a process document you actually own.

5
Verify the coolant infrastructure

Pressure, flow, filtration, and chilling are part of the buy. Confirm capacity for your worst hole before signing.

6
Pilot before you commit

Run trial cuts on your parts. Verify chip shape, straightness, and bore quality, then scale.

7
Plan for a second source

One machine brand, but at least two tooling sources. A single-source tool strategy is a supply-chain risk.

✅ Total cost of ownership wins: Purchase price is a fraction of lifetime cost. Count regrind, consumables, downtime, training, and resale — the machine with the best process support usually wins on TCO.
SUPPORT & TRAINING

Support & Training That Actually Matters

Application Engineering

What separates a partner from a vendor

  • On-site trial cuts with process studies
  • Cutting-data optimization per material
  • Troubleshooting for chip-ejection failure, drift, chatter
Operator & Maintenance Training

Classroom plus on-machine

  • Coolant certification & pressure monitoring drills
  • Tool inspection & regrind criteria
  • Fixture, bushing & seal maintenance
After-Sales & Spares

The long tail of the purchase

  • Spare parts stock with response SLAs
  • Remote diagnostics & firmware updates
  • Process documentation handover & revisions
💡 An applications engineer beats a discount: Every deep hole process — gundrilling, BTA, ejector — fails silently and expensively when parameters drift. The supplier who answers the phone with a process engineer on the line is worth more than any price concession.
VERIFICATION

Quick-Reference Supplier Directory

Core websites from the machine, tooling, coolant, and service tiers. Capability claims are marketing — validated trial cuts are engineering. Always confirm current specifications and model lines with the manufacturer.

CompanyWebsiteFocus
UNISIGunisig.comBTA & gundrill machines, automation
TBT Tiefbohrtechniktbt-tiefbohrtechnik.deFull-range machines + tooling
Mollart Engineeringmollart.comCustom machines, botek UK, subcontract
Kays Engineeringkaysengineering.co.ukEldorado/DeHoff/TechniDrill machines
Preciholeprecihole.comGundrill/BTA machines, value tier
Star Cutterstarcutter.comGun drills & deep hole tooling
Sunnensunnen.comSkive/burnish, honing, BTA Heller
botekbotek.deDeep hole tools, Ø0.5–500 mm
Allied Machinealliedmachine.comGEN3SYS XT indexable, BTA systems
Sandvik Coromantsandvik.coromant.comCoroDrill 860, machining-center deep holes
Iscariscar.comTRI-DEEP, SUMOCHAM indexable
Gühringguehring.comSolid carbide & micro gundrills
Walterwalter-tools.comTitex X-treme, DC170 Supreme
Mapalmapal.comCustom gundrills, reamers, BTA
Hammond & Copesmedia.com profileComplete single-point gundrills
ATS Systemsatssystems.usCoolJet high-pressure coolant
Hunting Dearbornhuntingplc.comContract deep hole & trepanning
Perfect Boregtma.co.uk profileAS9100 subcontract gun drilling
⚠️ Verification note: This directory is compiled from public web research and is not an endorsement. Model lines, diameter ranges, and capabilities change — request current data sheets and a paid trial before any commitment.
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