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.