What is Thrust Force and Torque in Drilling?

What role do thrust force and torque measurement play in drilling?

Drilling is probably one of the most important and widely used machining operations. The ability to predict cutting forces is essential in order to optimize the design and manufacturing of products as thrust force and drilling torque measurement are indicators of the resistance of the material against the intrusion of the cutting tool.
Designers strive to better understand the heat generation and temperature changes during friction drilling operation on difficult-to-machine materials, and thrust force and torque measurement support this effort with crucial data on the cutting force.

What are other benefits of measuring thrust force and torque measurement in drilling?

Accurately measuring drilling torque and thrust also helps in the design of fixtures and the prediction of wear and tear of cutting tools. Based on the drilling measurement data, operators and manufacturing engineers can make the following optimizations:

Prevent process failures
Predict power drill or drill bit maintenance or replacement
Investigate the drilling process parameters, including cutting speed, feed rate, drill bit geometry, and composition, on the output product quality.

Thrust Force and Torque Measurement in Surgical Drilling Applications

In remote robotic surgery, thrust force and torque in drilling systems offer valuable haptic feedback. As the surgeon conducts the procedure in a remote console, the tactile force and torque feedback of an electrically powered hand drill gives the surgeon a virtual sense of touch.

How it Works

1. In this application, the QMA150 Torque and Thrust Biaxial Sensor is mounted in between the power drill and the holding guiding bracket. While the sensor is bolted to the power drill and the bracket, the drill bit is free to pass thru the sensor central hole. FUTEK's Engineers can customize a bi-axial sensor to be embedded into the power drill if the application requires.

2. As the power drill operates, the thrust force and reaction torque is measured by the bi-axial sensor. Different drilling conditions and materials cause different thrust and drilling forces, which is captured by the sensor.

3. These measurements are sent directly to a paired instrument which provides excitation voltage and conditions the signal (filtering, amplification, digitalization). Depending on signal conditioner selection, the operator can either view the data on a digital load display or stream the data directly onto a PC or a PLC/DAQ for data logging, control loop safety interlock or alarming.

4. Based on the drilling measurement data, operators and manufacturing engineers can optimize the process, prevent process failures, predict power drill or drill bit maintenance or replacement, and investigate the drilling process parameters, including cutting speed, feed rate, drill bit geometry, and composition, on the output product quality.