The wear status of a micro-endmill tool may be inferred by monitoring the chip production rate of the tool in operation. Chips may be extracted from a work area, captured on an adhesive surface, imaged, and counted to determine the chip production rate. When the rate of chip production falls, the feed rate of the micro-endmill may be modified to a level suitable for the current state of tool wear. In this manner, costly and inconvenient work stoppages to evaluate the wear status of a tool are eliminated.

A magnetically mountable portable drill assembly includes a magnetic base adapted to be mountable to a working surface, a housing coupled to the magnetic base, a motor coupled to the housing, an arbor coupled to the motor for rotation by the motor, a cutter coupled to the arbor for rotation with the arbor and adapted to cut the working surface or a workpiece supported on the working surface, the magnetic base having a front surface facing the cutter, and an illuminator coupled to the magnetic base to emit light from the front surface of the magnetic base for illuminating an end of the cutter and either one of the working surface and the workpiece.

A method and system are provided to position and drill an opening for a fastener through one or more workpieces. In the context of a method, a peen mark is formed on a workpiece at a location at which the opening is to be drilled. The method also includes utilizing a robotic vision system to identify the peen mark on the workpiece and thereafter drilling the opening configured to receive the fastener at the location designated by the peen mark. In the context of a system, the system includes a dot peen marking system configured to form a peen mark on a workpiece at a location at which the opening is to be drilled. The system also includes a robot comprising a vision system configured to identify the peen mark on the workpiece and a drilling machine configured to drill the opening at the location designated by the peen mark.

A drill bit includes a shank, a transition portion, and a body portion defining a plurality of axially stacked, progressively sized steps. The steps include a first step and a terminal step coupled to the transition portion. The first step defines two tip flutes each disposed at a tip flute angle. The body portion defines a body flute extending from the first step to the transition portion. The drill bit also includes an indicator band formed on a portion of the body flute and a portion of an outer surface of one of the plurality of steps.

A multi-purpose layout tool and drill guide, and related components and accessories, including a mounting L bracket, laser, swivels stand, headband and lamp.

A powered high-speed cutting tool that also locates objects behind sheet material and subsequently cuts around the object. The tool incorporates at least one sensor having a transceiver emitting a signal to detect at least one from the group of object density, conductivity, distance, and identification. The sensor is housed within a sensor unit that is part of the body of the cutting tool. The sensor unit can be incorporated into the body or removable from the cutting tool. A marking unit is used to mark the cutting area of the sheet material and is generally part of or located near a sensor unit. Indicator members, such as lights, audio, and/or display screen, are used to provide information to the user.

A manual drilling apparatus equipped with a device for control of advance, which includes a fixed part and a mobile part with movement of translation relative to the fixed part during the drilling, as well as a system for control of the movement of translation of the mobile part relative to the fixed part, wherein the fixed part and the mobile part comprise respectively at least one fixed tube and at least one mobile tube which slide relative to one another, the fixed and mobile tubes being coaxial to the axis of rotation of the tool supported by the apparatus.

Drilling apparatus and method, the apparatus comprising: a first robot (10); a first member (30) (e.g. a pressure foot) and a drilling tool (38) both coupled to the first robot (10); a second robot (12); and a second member (52) coupled to the second robot (12); wherein the apparatus is arranged to press the members (30, 52) against opposite sides of a part to be drilled (2, 100) (e.g. an aircraft panel) so as to hold the part (2, 100) and prevent deflection of at least a portion of the part (2, 100); and the first member (30) and the drilling tool (38) are arranged such that the drilling tool (38) may drill into the portion of the part (2, 100) of which deflection is opposed from the side of the part (2, 100) pressed against by the first member (30). The robots (10, 12) may be robotic arms.

Drilling apparatus and method, the apparatus comprising: a first robot (10); a first member (30) (e.g. a pressure foot) and a drilling tool (38) both coupled to the first robot (10); a second robot (12); and a second member (52) coupled to the second robot (12); wherein the apparatus is arranged to press the members (30, 52) against opposite sides of a part to be drilled (2, 100) (e.g. an aircraft panel) so as to hold the part (2, 100) and prevent deflection of at least a portion of the part (2, 100); and the first member (30) and the drilling tool (38) are arranged such that the drilling tool (38) may drill into the portion of the part (2, 100) of which deflection is opposed from the side of the part (2, 100) pressed against by the first member (30). The robots (10, 12) may be robotic arms.

A drill bit includes a shank and a body portion defining a plurality of axially stacked, progressively sized steps. The steps include a first step and a terminal step. The first step defines two tip flutes each disposed at a tip flute angle. The body portion defines a body flute extending through the steps. The drill bit also includes an indicator band formed on a portion of the body flute and a portion of an outer surface of one of the plurality of steps.