Automated Floor Drilling Equipment

The Automated Floor Drilling Equipment (AFDE) for the Boeing 737 is fully CNC controlled machine which works inside the completed fuselage and uses the standard entry and exit doors and windows for fuselage access.

The Electroimpact designed and manufactured servo-feed/servo spindle drills for the 737 AFDE were optimized for the 737 AFDE application, including a long nose to allow drilling closely next to upstanding floor structures. The drills are 4" wide and 50 lbs. complete including feed and ISO 30 tool holder with 100mm extension. They deliver 30 in-lbs. at 7000 RPM and 60 in-lbs. at 500 RPM continuous duty with no external cooling for one of the highest power to weight or power to size ratios of any unit on the market. Maximum continuous thrust is 250 lbs. Total runout of the drill 1" past the collet of the 100mm extension tool holder is less than 0.0005". The units drill up to 0.277" diameter holes in titanium and aluminum.

To minimize total drill time all four drills on the AFDE can be drilling at the same time, each with it's own independent drilling parameters including feed rate and chip load. Drilling parameters are controlled with a unique mode of part programming designed to provide Boeing with maximum flexibility and simple, compact part programs. Boeing has rationalized the hole locations in the floor grid to make maximum use of the spindles at each X station. The result is that in actual drilling the AFDE drills about 1200 holes per hour, including mandatory operator interventions.

The Automated Floor Drilling Equipment (AFDE) for the Boeing 767 and KC46A is a fully CNC controlled machine which drills the floor grid of the fuselage.

A 13-foot wide drilling span allows consolidation of floor drilling into a single swath. A lightweight machine minimizes floor grid deflection.

Four servo-driven, air-cooled spindles allow high rate drilling through titanium and aluminum. Electroimpact worked with GMN USA to develop a compact and lightweight (37 lb) spindle cartridge, capable of 64 in-lb constant torque at speeds from 0-7000 RPM and 5.34kW power. The spindles are air-cooled to eliminate the extra weight and complexity of liquid cooling.

The spindles use HSK 40 taper for maximum tool retention and rigidity. Tribos toolholders allow access in tight spaces around airplane geometry while retaining room for chip flow inside spindle nosepieces. The nosepieces were optimized for the application to clear upstanding floor structures. Drilling debris and cutting fluid are contained and removed via vacuum, resulting in a cleaner aircraft.

A custom CNC interface utilizes Fanuc Picture to simplify machine operations and troubleshooting.

To minimize total drill time all four drills on the AFDE can drill simultaneously, each with its own independent drilling parameters including feed rate and chip load. Drilling parameters are controlled with a unique mode of part programming designed to provide Boeing with maximum flexibility and simple, compact part programs.

Bridge track tooling interfaces between the machine and the aircraft grid. An offline calibration plate and transportation dolly complete the cell.