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THE FINE ART OF CONCRETE CORING
PDi’s editor Andrei Bushmarin has taken a look at the current situation in terms of concrete core drilling systems on the market. In this annual feature he draws the general conclusion that machine downsizing and modular systems are the current trends in concrete drilling.
With Bauma looming closer and bigger every day, the industry is slipping into high gear. The triennial fair is usually a feast of engineering creativity and cutting-edge innovation, which neither suppliers nor contractors want to miss out on. This year’s show promises to be as sumptuous as ever, despite the continued economic meltdown. As manufacturers are preparing to unveil their latest masterpieces, PDi looks at what is on offer in the field of core drilling.
Husqvarna’s bag of inventions
The Swedish manufacturer keeps putting out new products at breathtaking speed. In the drilling segment alone, it has recently launched three new motors the DM230, DM280 and DM340 that together with the DS150, DS250 and DS450 drill stands, provide a solution to any core drilling task. Equipped with an ergonomic handle, compact and lightweight the DM230 can be mounted on a drill rig or used in held hand mode. All motors feature the Softstart, Smartstart and Elgard electronic functions that facilitate start up and drilling, and protect the motor from overloading. The DM280 and DM340 motors have LED indicators on their topside to help the operator work at maximum efficiency. The DM340, the most potent single phase motor of the range, is devised for high-performance drilling. It is especially efficient when used with the DS450 rig. The rigs, designed to accommodate 150 to 450mm drill bits, come complete with a two-speed carriage with quick connection plate and roller guides for sturdy and accurate drilling. The vacuum base plate and wheels options make it easier for the operator to set up and move the rig around the site.
Innovative drilling solution from Norton-Nimbus
Norton-Nimbus has announced a new drilling solution for nuclear demolition and eco-sensitive jobs, which excludes the use of water. As water collection can be a major problem on those projects, engineers at Norton-Nimbus have come up with an idea to use foam as a cooling agent. Once developed for wire sawing by the company’s research and development centre in Japan, this approach has now been successfully transferred to core drilling. The foam drilling set up consists of a tank, where water and an eco-friendly foaming agent is mixed. The foam mixture is routed by a compressor through valves and motor to the drill bit to cool them during operation. The spent foam is then vacuumed and reduced back to water. Foam drilling has a number of advantages compared to the conventional technique. Much less slurry is generated because the volume of water required for foam forming is just one tenth of the regular volume. There is no need to protect the site before or clean it after the drilling, and there is less impact on the environment. The invention has been put up for the Bauma innovation award.
Shibuya’s light touch
Shibuya will present its new hand-held drill motor RH1532. This compact and powerful model comes with an electronic control device and three LED indicators. The green and red ones are designed to help the operator stay within the rated power range, and to prevent the motor from overheating. The electronic control device counts the accumulated operation time. When the regular maintenance is needed, the orange lamp lights up. The motor’s other features include a three speed gearbox and three position water connection valve. The RH1532 does not have a trigger lock button to prevent an unintentional lock of the trigger. Instead, it is equipped with an ON/OFF switch for rig mounted coring. 14.5-65 mm drill bits are recommended for hand-held applications. Optionally, a drill stand is available for rig mounted jobs up to 180 mm.
Double-column behemoth from Cedima GmbH
P-12500, a double-column giant of a drill rig may not be the newest item in Cedima’s catalogue, but it still retains its allure for those contractors regularly faced with large drilling tasks. The machine, designed for coring of up 1.25m diameter holes in construction materials, consists of two stainless steel columns connected at the top by a cross tube. Two steel rods fastening each column to the single footplate provide extra robustness to the entire set-up. The carriages glide up and down the columns via a system of ball bearings and adjustable brass contact plates. A shaft for synchronous feed links the carriage feed devices. The rig is powered by hydraulic motor BSP-4 driven by a hydraulic power pack with an operating pressure of 250 bar and oil consumption of 30 l/min. The machine is equipped with two lifting eyes for transportation purposes.
EDT Eurodima to launch a new line of hand-held devices
EDT Eurodima has decided to widen its range of hand-held motors. The new model, DM20, is suitable for both hand-held and on-rig applications. The machine can take up to 100 mm drill bits when used on hand-held jobs, and up to 160 mm when it is operated on a drill stand. The DM20 is a forerunner of Eurodima’s entirely new line of drill motors, which is expected to hit the market in the coming months. The motor, which weighs 5.6 kg, is available in two versions: with a pistol grip and D-handle. Eurodima also offers a selection of lightweight and compact drill rigs for light and medium duty drilling applications.
Hilti updates its line-up of drill motors
Hilti has beefed up its line of drill motors with a score of new models ranging in power rate and application. The DD EC-1, the smallest in the line-up, is designed for wet drilling of reinforced concrete and brittle materials with 8-35 mm drill bits. Hand-held motor DD 110, which Hilti singles out as the handiest and lightest motor of its portfolio is absolutely indispensable for up to 160mm jobs. Versatile drill motor DD 130 is a true “all-a-rounder”: applicable for both wet and dry coring of up to 160mm, it can be used either in hand-held or rig-mounted mode. The larger end of the range is occupied by rig-based motors: the DD 200, equipped with universal drive, and the DD 350 and DD500, whose design boasts of high-frequency drive and e-gears. These powerhouses of machines have been developed for large-size and deep drilling in construction materials. The hydraulically driven DD 750 completes the bigger end of the new line.
Convertible drilling monster from Dr. Schultze
Meissner Kombi-System is the brainchild of German Dr. Schulze GmbH. The system is capable of coring any construction material with up to 2m diameter drill bits to a depth of 10m at any angle. The lynchpin of the system is a strong, yet very light metal rail, which can be as long as 6m. Using a limited number of standard parts a whole line of drilling and sawing machinery can be built. For example, Dr. Schulze’s B600, a rig with the drilling diameter range of up to 800 mm, is assembled that way. The rig can be transformed into plunge saw TL1500 by attaching the plunge set to it within a matter of minutes. B800, a double column unit made for coring of up to 1 m in hard materials, turns into radial saw RD3500 just as easily. Dr.Schulze’s kombi systems have proved themselves on various drilling and sawing jobs.
New range of TYROLIT Hydrostress drilling systems
Tyrolit Hydrostress has developed a new range of drill rigs designed for smooth and accurate drilling. The range includes four models the DRU160, DRA250, DRA400, and DRA500 of which DRA250 and DRA400 are available in two designs. One with a combi foot with anchor and vacuum pad, marketed as DRU250 and DRU400 respectively, and anchor foot. The digits at the end of each model’s name denote the maximum diameter of drill bit that can be used with the particular model. The new rigs sport roller guides that increase accuracy and make the drilling easier. An angle indicator facilities angle drilling by helping the operator align the rig quickly. With the exception of DRU 160, all rigs are complete with a two speed gear and the proven ModulDrill quick fixing system that allows fast and secure mounting of the motor on to the drill stand. Lightweight, robust and versatile, the new core drilling systems will be shown at Bauma.
Made in Switzerland with an Italian flavour
In late 2009, Demco Technic AG launched a new core drilling system, which continued its Italian series of drill rigs. The system called NINO is a lightweight professional set up designed to drill diameters of up to 170 mm. The rig is notable for its excellent user friendliness, a result of the effective two way communication between the manufacturer and customers. Feather light NINO, which weighs a mere 8 kg, is equipped with roller guides enabling smooth movement of the feeder. The rig stand can be inclined up to a 45° tilt for comfortable angle drilling. An optional hand crank can be attached left or right of the feeder, thus further increasing the system’s flexibility onsite. The NINO system is available in two versions that differ in the way the motor is fastened to the rig, either with a 60mm tightening device compatible with most makes of drill motors and with a flat coupling plate to bolt the motor straight on to the rig.
Eibenstock to showcase its ‘Power Line’ at Bauma
Power tool manufacturer Eibenstock has announced a new range of core drilling systems called Power Line and all made in Germany. The first in the line is the hand held motor PLD160, a versatile drilling machine that can be used for both wet and dry coring. The 2.3kW motor, equipped with a three speed gearbox, is capable of operating in a wide range of diameters. Installed on the PLB160 drill stand, it can wet drill up to 162 mm in reinforced concrete. Its dry coring range is limited by 202 mm. The dovetail on its gearbox makes for fast and easy mounting of the motor on to the auxiliary drill stand PLB160, which has a 45° inclinable aluminium column and universal vacuum anchor base plate. The PLD450 motor and PLB450 drill stand make another powerful coring system from the new range that Eibenstock will show at Bauma. This sturdy high performance system is designed for up to 450 mm coring in reinforced concrete. The robust motor housing, made of aluminium, is one of the crucial elements of the set-up.
Pentruder HF systems
Tractive, a developer of Pentruder high-frequency systems is putting the finishing touches to its new line of single and three phase drill motors. The brushless water cooled devices, with electronically controlled spindle, have constant power over the entire speed range. All models are completely watertight, making them suitable for overhead jobs. The new motors have been developed with a view to being compatible with modular concrete cutting system based on Pentruder’s wall saw track. They can also be adapted to Pentruder’s MD1 drilling system. Optionally, the motors can be supplied with a computer controlled feed system. When complete with the four speed MG41 gearbox, spindle unit, base plate and a carriage with automatic feed, the motor turns into a high performance core drilling system. Tractive plans to unveil its single phase motors at the Demcon show in September 2010.
Flexible core drilling system from Longdia GmbH
German Longdia GmbH has released the Deltadrill Twin-System 384, a versatile set-up that allows core drilling at a virtually unlimited range of angles. The system, which is designed to core up to 500 mm in reinforced concrete, is built around the drill stand LD-Deltadrill 142. The stand is equipped with a fine feed gear system and a carriage having a travelling range of 650 to 1,650 mm. The system is powered by a Weka or Dr. Bender drill motor. Thanks to its flexible design, the Deltadrill Twin-System 384 is very handy for tunnel and stitch drilling jobs.
Braun’s customized approach to drilling
The Austrian manufacturer Braun, known for its imaginative approach to machine building, specialises in developing customised equipment for varied and challenging drilling applications. Apart from a range of drill rigs that are capable of coring up to 1.5 m in construction materials to a depth of 2 m, Braun creates exclusive systems for unusual drilling tasks. A tailor made drilling unit for the installation of manholes in the roadway is just one example. The unit mounted on a pickup truck and powered by the truck engine via a special hydraulic system easily drills access holes to sewage pipes. Devised for rail fixing jobs drilling carriages are another product from Braun. Installed on a rail guided carriage, two to four drilling systems perform fully automated simultaneous drilling at a press of a button. On a rail fixing job in France, 14,000 holes, measuring 80 mm in diameter, were cored 200 mm deep in reinforced concrete with flint aggregate within just five weeks using a drilling carriage developed and supplied by Braun.
Heavy-duty coring, Korean style
Doohyeon Engineering Co.ltd, one of the biggest manufacturers of drilling machinery in Korea has the DK-10A1 for heavy-duty coring in reinforced concrete. The system, which is driven by a 2.2kW motor featuring overload protection, can drill concrete 700 mm deep with up 254 mm bits. The steel rig is equipped with a 360° revolvable water feed valve, two speed gearbox and an adjustable clamp system. The base plate allows for both anchor and vacuum set-up. The rig can be optionally supplied with roller guides.
HS300 - another made In Germany brand
Hydro-Tec GmbH has topped up its HS range of core drilling systems with a new HS300. The new rig has a drilling range of up to 300mm. Assembling the HS300 is done at Hydro-Tec’s manufacturing facilities using only German components. The system is powered by an electric motor, which is fastened on to the stand with just a hand crank thanks to the integrated quick-change plate. Four replaceable profiled strips on the column allow for easy movement of the carriage, which results in smooth and vibration free drilling. Reduced wear of the column is another advantage of this design, since the strips preclude direct contact between it and the carriage. HS300 will be shown at Bauma, along with Hydro-Tec’s other products.
Conclusion
Manufacturers seem to be shifting their focus to building smaller and more universal machines. Almost every player has widened its range of versatile hand held motors applicable for all kinds of drilling in almost any construction material. Drill rigs are becoming lighter and more flexible and their design more compact and ergonomic. The second trend that has transpired is making all-in-one modular systems. Meissner Kombi-System from Dr.Schulze and Tractive’s Pentruder range are the most telling examples of this. The time is coming when a contractor will only need to bring along to the site a small set of standardized components and parts to perform a most complex concrete drilling and sawing project. If the speed at which things happen in the fast-shrinking global village is anything to go by, it is just round the corner.
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