Drilling holes in strange places

Thought I might tap the hive for an odd question about drilling holes in strange places. I have some instruments that need a couple of holes added through the outer housing. The housing is 0.030" Aluminum and I need to add 1/8" holes. The housing is about 270 degrees of a circle of 8 inch diameter. No shavings can fall inside. This came up a while back but I just used some tape to capture most of it then thoroughly cleaned with shop air and vacuum. Now I have 80 to do and I'm looking for a no clean up plan or at least less clean up.

I found this Flowdrill.

Seems like a neat idea. Combine pressure and heat over a small area then push the metal outwards. With the thin wall housing the pressure is at the limits of what is acceptable and the heat is concerning because of rubber tubing near by.

I found a deep throat hand punch but it won't really be deep enough to reach. Realistically it needs to be a very specific shape to fit. I could probably make one.

Any other ideas?

If you have 80 to do, I'd buy or make the punch system. Otherwise, a drill press with someone holding a shop vac right up next to the bit will catch the shavings.

I don't think the flowdrill will work in thin wall. It needs a lot of force. And a mill to run it....

In reply to java230: A mill isn't a problem but the material thickness might be. The flowdrill needs about 200 lbs to make the hole I need which won't happen without a fixture to support the material.

I might be able to get away with a strangely shaped bracket if I anchor it well enough.

If you can't have ANY shavings in the housing, drilling is not an option. It will always leave some shavings inside, and if this is something very sensitive those could be a problem. Like if it was a hard drive housing for instance.

If you can have minimal shavings inside then I'd say drill upside-down (so gravity will help keep the shavings from falling inside) at the lowest possible speed (so shavings won't be flung so far from the hole) with a shop vac near the drill. If it were a ferrous metal, magnets would be handy.

The only way to make a hole in a material and not leave shavings is by melting...then you only have to worry about droplets and fumes.

Drilling holes in strange places? Like the back of a Volkswagen?

I've heard that grease in the flutes of the bit will hold onto the shavings, I've never tried it personally.

It it too difficult to remove the housing and drill separately?

Thank you, thought this would be about body modifications.

Whathehell did Prince Albert ever do?

In reply to rustyvw: Yes, too difficult to remove the housing. Some of it is riveted together which means drilling and shavings.

I think a long bracket screwed into the closest mounting point (and maybe epoxied at the less accessible area) seems like a decent idea. I don't think the aluminum shavings can be minimized enough.