Is drilling more expensive than punching?

Usually, yes. Punching is a highly repeatable process that uses one die – or one combination of dies – to punch a regular pattern of holes or slots through a high number of aluminium profiles. Drilling doesn’t usually require any bespoke tooling, but it does take longer than punching, making it more expensive. In some cases, we can work with customers to redesign profiles in order to make punching possible; however, on some projects, only drilling will do.