The detail that surprised me most is the price. A drill that pulls 23hp and sinks a 1.25 inch hole 3 inches deep into 6061 cost the maker $350. For that kind of work, that seems like a bargain to me.
The setup is straightforward on paper and clearly effective. The drill is a Haas 01-0674, sitting in a tool holder on the spindle of a new 50 taper machine the maker calls Pam. That spindle is a two-speed 60hp unit reaching 10k rpm with a BT50 taper, and the cut runs at 2900 rpm with a 50 ipm feed, or 0.017 inch for each revolution. Coolant sprays hard from the ring of nozzles around the spindle housing during the plunge, and after the cut the spindle retracts with coolant washing over the workpiece and the bed.
What stands out to me is how uneventful the results have been. About 200 holes are done so far, with no binding or gumming of material on the drill yet. The block sits across a pair of blue vises, and a tool-setting probe is placed on the right side of the bed. To me this reads as an ordinary, well-organized production setup rather than a one-off stunt.
One trade-off is worth noting. The maker finds the spindle speeding up and slowing down tedious when tapping. In my view, a big two-speed unit may not be the snappiest tool for lighter work. The maker also calls this a first big drill, likely below what others push, and plans to drop to 6k rpm for an upcoming 1 inch drill. Watching that next step will be interesting.