VACDRILL vs a drill press
A press has the rigidity. This has the mobility.
What a press gives you
A rigid column, a heavy base and excellent perpendicularity, with the workpiece brought to the machine.
Why that is not always available
Construction workpieces are buildings. You cannot bring a wall to a bench.
A self-anchoring drill applies the press principle — fixed axis, controlled feed — to work that cannot move.
Trade-offs
A press is more rigid and typically more accurate in absolute terms.
A vacuum-anchored machine is limited by its attachment: it is exactly as rigid as the seal beneath it.
When to use which
Fabrication of movable components: press.
Fixings into structure, panels and finished surfaces in place: self-anchoring.
Questions about this
Is a vacuum-anchored drill as rigid as a press?
No. A bench press has a heavy base and a rigid column. A vacuum-anchored machine is exactly as rigid as the seal beneath it, which is why surface quality matters so much.
Why use one over a press at all?
Because construction workpieces are buildings. A press requires bringing the work to the machine; this brings the machine to the work.