What Goes Into Drilling Cycle Time
Drilling time looks simple, depth divided by feed rate, but two things consistently get left out of quick estimates: the drill point's own length, which adds real travel before the flutes reach final depth, and the rapid retract moves required for peck drilling on deeper holes.
Why Peck Drilling Adds Real Time
Peck drilling breaks a deep hole into shorter plunges with a retract between each one to clear chips and help coolant reach the cutting edge. Every retract-and-return adds a rapid move that doesn't cut any material, so a hole pecked in eight steps can take noticeably longer than the same depth drilled in one continuous plunge, even though the feed rate never changed.
Scaling to a Whole Job
Multiplying per-hole time by hole count gives a useful first estimate for quoting or scheduling, though it still excludes tool changes, rapid positioning between holes, and spindle start/stop, which add up across a part with many holes.