How do an impact driver/ drill work?

Impact drivers are cordless tools that resemble power drills in many aspects. They do tasks such as tightening nuts and screws where more power is required or loosening nuts and screws, which the traditional power drills are unable to take out.

Although impact drill can be used for drilling holes, it is limited in that you have to use drill bits with hexagonal shanks, which are not available for all sizes. It performs numerous operations, especially in jobs where extensive use of fasteners is involved.

An impact driver works by combining the rotational force and the hammering mechanism to produce a high torque which loosens or fastens the screw. The hammering process repeatedly compresses, rotates, and releases the hammer using the spring, then hits the output shaft to release the rotational force to it. The power then drives the screws with much ease.

An impact driver/ drill is meant explicitly for driving screws. While the typical power drills can drill as well, it does the work with much torque and speed, which makes it ideal for stuck nuts and screws. It does not use the keyless chuck as many cordless screws do but, instead, uses collet that works with hex-shanked driver bits.

It has an impact function that uses the hammer and the anvil system. When in operation, the impact driver may encounter resistance. Therefore, the tool must produce more power to continue working and overcome the resistance.

Thus, to provide more power, the impact system compresses the spring to pull the hammer back, at the same time; the anvil separates itself from the hammer as the screwdriver bit continues to rotate though under resistance.

The spring then lets the hammer loose, which then releases a rotational force to the anvil while still turning. The process repeatedly happens at a rate of 50 times per second to provide a turning force to the screwdriver bit.

Impact driver as a drill

The impact driver perfectly substitutes the power drill if your goal is to have the work done. However, it would help if you considered the following few things before you engage the impact driver in drilling.

· Are the drill bits shank fit for the tool?

You should first check whether the drill bits have a hexagonal shape of the shank. This will be ideal if you intend to use it on an impact driver for making holes. Most of the impact drivers can only work with hex shank bits since their socket is hex shaped.

· Is the impact of the drill rated?

It is essential to use impact bits, which should work with the driver only. This is because both standard and regular bits may bend or even burst when exposed to the high torque involved or the high impact. Using the recommended bits will give you excellent results.

· The impact driver has no clutch and has limited speed options

Unlike many standard drills, impact drivers do not have a clutch. However, this contributes to their small size, which makes it ideal for use in compact spaces.

Also, they are relatively slow in their operation compared to drills. This implies that you might take some additional minutes to execute your drilling works using an impact drill.

How do you use the impact driver?

An impact driver works the same way as a drill does. However, it has a quick-change and locking collet that holds the hex-shank drivers which it uses to drive nuts or screws. Before you start using it, you have to install the bits then proceed to apply it.

Installing bits

Installing the driver bits is a bit easy. You only need to pull back the collet, drop the bit in, then release the collet. Just like a drill, it has a speed trigger, which is variable, which not only rotates but also releases a fast impact force to the anvil. This gives the tool much more power as compared to the drill and can work on tough materials with much ease.

After installing the bits, the tool functions exceptionally well if used by a professional. One of the distinguishing features of the impact driver is that the tip of its bit stays in touch with the screw head. Hence, it does not slip while working as the drill does.

You can use the impact driver to:

• Loosen bolts, nuts, corroded and over-torqued screws
• To fasten long and thick fasteners into a hardened material
• To drive/ remove screws with broken heads

However, the tool is not limited to the above functions and thus can apply the tool otherwise if fit.

Differences between an impact driver and a drill

Both the driver and the drill are different in many aspects, although they may look alike at first glance. Here are the key differences between the two:

• Size: the power drill is relatively bigger than the impact driver despite having a higher kick punch.

Clutch: power drills have a clutch which avoids over-tightening of the fasteners or damage on the drilling surface.

• Chuck: the power drills have keyed or keyless chuck while impact drivers have collet which holds the hex shanks.
• Power and speed: the impact drivers produce more energy at a rapid rate. The process is automatic once resistance is detected. On the other hand, power drills don’t have such much power since they use one gear.

special bits for an impact driver

It would be best if you used special bits that are impact rated and not any other. The standard ones may bend when used under high torque. Similarly, the regular bits may burst when exposed to the high power impact.

Moreover, the impact drill bits shanks should match the hexagonal shape of the sockets; otherwise, they won’t fit.

Do I need a drill or an impact driver?

Your choice of the right tool to use for your DIY projects primarily depends on the type of your project and the reason why you need a drill. An impact driver drives thick/large fasteners as well as drilling using some special bits. It suits best for jobs that require much torque to for execution. However, its application as a drill is limited since the individual bits are not available for all sizes.

On the other hand, power drills make holes as well as driving small fasteners that do not need much power. It is ideal in works where precision is required.

Both the impact drill and the power drill can still marry well. For instance, you can use the drill to make more precise holes, and then use the impact driver to apply the fasteners. So, you can prefer to have both of the tools at your toolbox since they complement each other.