A fastener including a chisel point that pre-bores a hole in a work piece to prevent damage to the work piece as the fastener advances. The fastener can include a head, a shaft and a chisel brake point formed at an end of the shaft. The chisel brake point can include first and second opposing inclined surfaces disposed at an angle of about 80° to about 150° relative to one another. A thread can begin adjacent the chisel brake point and form an extension of an inclined surface and/or a chisel edge. The chisel brake point can scrape material from a work piece while pre-boring a hole. The material can be transferred to the thread, and subsequently fed up the thread, out of the pre-bored hole. The chisel brake point can also selectively retard advancement of the fastener into the work piece. Methods of installing the fastener also are provided.

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.

The present disclosure relates to a drilling worktable for manufacturing tube support plates of a steam generator constituting a primary system of a nuclear power plant. The drilling worktable includes a plate having a drill insertion groove formed to face a position at which a heat transfer tube insertion hole is drilled in a member to be processed. In addition, the present disclosure relates to a method of manufacturing tube support plates using the drilling worktable for manufacturing tube support plates. The method includes fixing the member to be processed after locating the member to be processed on the upper surface of the seating section, and drilling the heat transfer tube insertion hole in the member to be processed using a drill unit.

A transfer center for machining at least one workpiece is disclosed, having a machine frame, having a plurality of preferably stationary machining spindles arranged in the machine frameparticularly in a machining head, having a workpiece carrier on which at least one workpiece to be machined is arranged by means of a respective clamping device, and having a workpiece manipulator arranged in the machine frame, onto which workpiece manipulator the workpiece carrier is flange-mounted and which is movable by drive means in at least one spatial direction in relation to the machine frame. To achieve a high machining accuracy in parallel machining, according to one proposal, the transfer centerin order to compensate for a deviation between the actual position and the desired position of the workpiece or workpieceshas a position compensation system with at least two pressure elements situated between the workpiece or workpieces and the machine frame, whose operating directions enclose an angle with each other.

A reaction tool for forming openings in an aircraft fuselage joint is provided. The joint includes (i) a first side from which a forming tool is to be applied at a plurality of opening locations and (ii) an opposing second side. The reaction tool includes a plurality of connectors configured to couple to the joint second side, and a reaction bar coupled to the plurality of connectors. The reaction bar is configured to extend across the plurality of opening locations. The reaction tool also includes a plurality of reaction members coupled to the reaction bar. Each of the reaction members includes a clamping surface configured to couple to the joint second side such that each clamping surface at least partially surrounds a corresponding one of the plurality of opening locations.

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.