Pipe Hole-Making Guide with Clamping for Perpendicular Drilling
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for drilling holes in tubular bodies, such as pipes, face challenges like drill slippage and ensuring perpendicularity, especially when pipes are installed high or under ceilings, and current tools lack stability and accuracy, particularly for larger pipe dimensions.
Innovation Solution
A hand-held apparatus with a housing and rotatable cutting tool, featuring a centring device for perpendicular alignment and a clamping mechanism with adjustable gripper arms to securely attach to the pipe, along with a mechanism for controlled axial movement of the cutting tool and connection to a driving means for precise hole-making.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a hand-held drill with centre drill is used for freehand drilling, then the drilling operation is simple and quick, but the drill slips on the pipe surface and the hole axis is not perpendicular to the pipe centre axis
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary device (holder or guide) that mediates between the hand-held drill and the pipe. This guide device provides a stable reference frame with guides that ensure the cutting tool enters perpendicular to the pipe surface, eliminating the need for freehand drilling while maintaining operational simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the purely manual freehand drilling mechanical system with a guided mechanical system. The guide device with its specific geometry (45-degree angled faces, longitudinal groove) substitutes the operator's manual positioning skill with a mechanical constraint system that automatically ensures perpendicularity and prevents slippage.
2Length of moving object
If the pipe diameter is small, then the pipe is easier to handle, but the risk of drill slippage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The guide device acts as an intermediary that distributes the drilling forces over a larger area of the pipe surface. The holder's geometry allows it to engage with the pipe at multiple points, increasing friction and stability without requiring larger pipe dimensions.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the pipe is fixedly installed high on a wall or under a ceiling, then the installation position is fixed, but the drilling operation becomes difficult and less accurate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dynamic elements that allow the guide device to adapt to different working positions. The holder can be positioned and secured at various heights and angles, and the cutting tool can be fed through the pipe wall from different directions, enabling accurate drilling whether the operator is standing, reaching overhead, or working in confined spaces.
4Manufacturing precision
If a holder with guides is used to support the cutting tool, then the cutting tool is supported, but the guide becomes worn and inaccurate over time due to radial pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the guide device, specifically the angle of the facing surfaces (45 degrees to the pipe surface). This angular configuration distributes the radial pressure more evenly across the guide surfaces, reducing localized wear and extending the service life while maintaining cutting tool support and alignment accuracy.
5Manufacturing precision
If tapping sleeves with surrounding clamps are used for larger pipes, then the cutting tool can be driven through the pipe wall, but the device is not adapted for hand-held drilling machines and includes multiple loose elements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple previously separate functions into a single integrated holder device. The holder combines the guiding function, the support function, and the adaptation interface for hand-held drills into one unified structure, eliminating the need for separate tapping sleeves, surrounding clamps, and multiple loose fastening elements while maintaining the capability to drill through large pipes.
Data Source
AI summary
A hand-held apparatus is for hole-making in an elongated body. The apparatus has a housing including a rotatable cutting tool arranged to be axially movable from a non-cutting position into a cutting position. The first end portion of the housing comprises a clamping device arranged to be adjusted from a first, inactive position into a second, active position, wherein the clamping device, in the active position, is arranged to hold the apparatus fixed to the elongated body. The apparatus further has a device for connecting to a driving means, for example a hand-held drill.