October 22, 2014 - Hougen Manufacturing, Swartz Creek, Mich., inventor of the mag drill annular cutter and leading manufacturer for magnetic drills has added the first ever pilot light to the magnet of their new models of drills. The three new models of magnetic drills, the two speed HMD905, the heavy duty two speed HMD917, the two speed power feed HMD927 plus the redesigned HMD904, all include an LED light in the magnet. This feature shines light along the bottom of the cutting teeth and over the pilot tip which extends from the end of the cutter. By shining the light in this area, it allows the operator to easily see the pilot point and center punch of the hole. This increases operator productivity and hole location accuracy. The new light vastly improves visibility in two ways: in low light to no light conditions it sheds light on the pilot point and in brighter conditions the LED light helps to counteract the shadows from the light.

The new light works on a simple on/off switch located on the drills control panel. The operator can easily turn on the LED light to line up the pilot point and then if desired, switch off before drilling. The high output, long life LED light is built into the magnet and protected from possible damage of chips, coolant and debris. 

In addition to the new magnetic drills with the included pilot light, Hougen Manufacturing provides machine shops, fabricators, erection and installation crews, and maintenance personnel with a wide range of holemaking equipment, from lightweight ultra-low 

profile drills to large heavy duty multispeed production style magnetic drills. Other products offered include a wide assortment of magnetic drill accessories that broaden their application potential, plus a wide range of “12,000-Series” annular cutters, heavy-duty industrial annular cutters for machining applications and cutters for holemaking in sheet metal and plate.