Need Help!- Orbital Drilling

[Mohan]

Hi all

I have to make a presentation/literature review about Orbital drilling to the team and boss.can anybody suggest or provide the link or study material related to Orbital drilling.Its new to me.Please help

[Andre' B]

http://www.novator.eu/Orbital_Drilling_Concept.asp
I guess I am not seeing how that is any different the just programming a helical path on a CNC.
Does not seem that the process is anything new maybe the cutting geometry on the tool but the rest of it looks like nothing more then a programmable boring head with a live tool in place of the boring bar.

[Chris D]

Looks to me like someone has re-documented basic CNC machining practices and relabeled them as "orbital drilling". Apparently, they are making money with this scheme too. What they are showing on that website is stuff we have been doing since the 70s (and prior).

Chris

[mactec54]

I don't know, they are calling it drilling, & it is normal milling,I would like to see them use a drill in there orbital spindle, I don't think it would work to well

[Hennessy]

http://www.novator.eu/Orbital_Portable.asp
LOL ... That has got to be the worlds most expensive hand drill !!! and its not even cordless Maybe i just don't get the need for a portable spindle that can interp. Seams like something you would need to fix a big screw up and not much else. But it looks like people are buying them so there must be a need.

Hennessy

[Mohan]

It is actually used in aerospace industry where you drill large no of holes and composite materials.I need some material so that i could make a presentation about it to the team.You know the pros and cons or even research papers or somebody who have evaluated it before buying it. The axial tool path is helical in this different from what we program to machine holes with endmill.

[Mohan]

Originally Posted by mactec54 I don't know, they are calling it drilling, & it is normal milling,I would like to see them use a drill in there orbital spindle, I don't think it would work to well

They have a tie up with kennametal who are providing the kind of tool the machine needs.

[RICHARD ZASTROW]

It is still basically helical milling with an end mill. It is even possible to perform with 2 1/2 axis (used to be called 3rd axis departure). Was available on G&L machining centers in the 1970's.

As a portable tool, the unit must be well secured or the portable machine will become the object that is in orbit.

Dick Z

[cygnus x-1]

Near as I can tell this is *exactly* helical milling. Mastercam has a tool path called helical milling as well, that does this. Kennametal supposedly makes special bits for it too.

http://www.americanmachinist.com/304...e/False/11714/


C|

[Mohan]

Originally Posted by cygnus x-1 Near as I can tell this is *exactly* helical milling. Mastercam has a tool path called helical milling as well, that does this. Kennametal supposedly makes special bits for it too. http://www.americanmachinist.com/304...e/False/11714/ C|

Thanks for the reply. Its helical milling, but the difference is the radial motion to machine the dia is mechanically adjusted and locked by the special spindle while as moving in the z direction.

[Donkey Hotey]

Interesting thread. It looks like--yes--it is the same motion as helical milling. The difference is that they are building mechanical spindles to duplicate that motion, without all the lines of code.

Some of you are saying, "so what?" If you go to the website listed in the first post, then download the video they have, you'll see the difference. It's now a process that can be added to the end of a robotic arm, or to a 5 axis drilling machine.

Imagine drilling aircraft structure: you have to position each hole in 3 dimensional space, plus the A&B axis positions. From there, each hole would be helically interpolated. There is all kinds of room for error in that process, from mathematical rounding to rigidity and repeatability of the gantry. As long as the head can position the Orbital Drilling head correctly, they can take advantage of the technology, without moving the machine.

It's also a process you could do anywhere that you could fasten a drilling fixture (non-CNC). A mechanic could fasten a portable drill to local structure and with the Orbital Spindle, they could do the same type of drilling.

I like it. Thanks for the thread.

[Mohan]

Originally Posted by Donkey Hotey Interesting thread. It looks like--yes--it is the same motion as helical milling. The difference is that they are building mechanical spindles to duplicate that motion, without all the lines of code. Some of you are saying, "so what?" If you go to the website listed in the first post, then download the video they have, you'll see the difference. It's now a process that can be added to the end of a robotic arm, or to a 5 axis drilling machine. Imagine drilling aircraft structure: you have to position each hole in 3 dimensional space, plus the A&B axis positions. From there, each hole would be helically interpolated. There is all kinds of room for error in that process, from mathematical rounding to rigidity and repeatability of the gantry. As long as the head can position the Orbital Drilling head correctly, they can take advantage of the technology, without moving the machine. It's also a process you could do anywhere that you could fasten a drilling fixture (non-CNC). A mechanic could fasten a portable drill to local structure and with the Orbital Spindle, they could do the same type of drilling. I like it. Thanks for the thread.

thanks for higlighting the possible draw backs of this technology. Boeing and Airbus have implemented this to automate the hole drilling of wings.if there is anything more if you come across please add it.