Concrete is one of the most used materials in the world. Take a look around, it’s in your house, your roads, and your buildings. Concrete is strong, cheap, easy to work with and is resilient to a variety of environments. While concrete has some great properties to it, it also has some downfalls. One main downfall is silica. Silica is a component of sand, stone, rock, concrete mortar and more. When silica is inhaled, even in small parts, it’s very hazardous. With that said there are new standards to help protect the workers from this harmful particle. One cool product to help protect the worker is the Bosch speed clean bit.
Bosch Speed Clean Bit – About
Bosch isn’t first to market with this technology, but that doesn’t matter because when it comes to concrete, Bosch is one of the best. The Bosch speed clean bit is designed to work with your dust extraction. The bit starts from the top where you will see two holes. The holes lead up through the hollow drill bit to where your dust extraction attaches. This way when you drill holes, the harmful particles are not being pushed into the breathable air. Instead, they are being contained in your dust extraction system.
The Bosch speed clean bit starts with a solid carbide tip which is embedded in a steelhead. The four cut geometry enhances the bit speed making this ideal for creating anchor holes. This is one of the most durable bits of its kind since it uses a one piece design instead of multiple pieces welded together.
Bosch currently offers a 1/2″ and a 3/4″ solution for drilling with their speed clean bit.
Bosch Speed Clean Bit – Protection
Silica is a very harmful particle that leads to and causes silicosis. Some of the effects of silicosis can be lung cancer, Tuberculosis, and a range of other harmful problems. As we know more about this harmful particle, we are able to protect ourselves much better.
As you know when you are installing fasteners into concrete, you have to drill into the concrete. When you drill, you are creating dust. In the dust is Silica, so it’s only ideal to stop this dust from entering your breathing air.
With the Bosch Speed Clean Bit, it produces 90% less dust. Less dust means a safer working environment. This is a huge plus for any jobsite where they are creating silica dust.
Bosch Speed Clean Bit – Time Saver
Not only do these bits protect the worker, but they also make the worker more efficient. A higher efficiency means more profit and more work. Since most of the dust is being extracted while you are drilling the hole, you can actually drill faster. With the old concrete bits, you get dust that sits in the hole. Obviously, that is slowing down your drilling since you are now dealing with the particles. Bosch claims that the drilling speed is increased by 25%, which is great for efficiency.
Another key to this bit is as you are drilling and the dust is being sucked up, you no longer have to stop and blow out and clean the hole. You are basically doing it all in one motion.
Bosch Speed Clean Bit – Final Thoughts
While you might first look at these bits and be taken back by the higher price tag, overall they are worth it. First, they protect the worker and second, they make the worker more efficient. In the long run, these are great bits to have around the jobsite when you are working with concrete or other materials that produce silica.
