Mcdonnell Douglas Corporation

The Boeing Company

Thomas O Blankenship

David L Fritsche

James Morrison

Brian Joseph Martinek

Daniel C King

William K Luebbert

James L Morrison

Raymond J Slesinski

Scott Anthony Martin

Kenneth D Harper

Robert O Becker

Roy H Freeman

Lawrence F Kuberski

Stanley V Tiefenbrun

Kenneth W Bates

Jimmy Williams, Jr

Brian J Martinek

Dan B Hoelter

A drill clamp comprising a clamp mechanism and a hole-locating pin. The clamp mechanism has a first clamp portion and a second clamp portion. The second clamp portion includes a drill-receiving opening sized for receiving a drill bit. The hole-locating pin is operatively connected to the first clamp portion. The clamp mechanism is adapted and configured for movement of the first and second clamp portions relative to each other between clamped and unclamped positions. The hole-locating pin is farther from the drill-receiving opening when the clamp mechanism is in the unclamped position than when the clamp mechanism is in the clamped position. The hole-locating pin and the drill-receiving opening are aligned with one another when the clamp mechanism is in the clamped position.

Drill clamp and method

A pneumatic motor trigger actuator includes a trigger housing adapted to engage a pneumatic motor trigger of a pneumatic tool. A top plate is coupled to the trigger housing. A primary valve is coupled to the top plate and has an open configuration and a closed configuration. The primary valve is pneumatically coupled to the trigger housing such that air flow through the primary valve, when the primary valve is in the open configuration, enters the trigger housing and causes a plug to physically engage the motor trigger with sufficient force to move it to is fully engaged position. The primary valve includes a primary switch and an automatic stop switch. The primary switch is engagable by an operator to configure the primary valve in the open configuration. The automatic switch is engagable by an object to move the primary valve to the closed configuration when a predetermined condition is met.

Pneumatic motor trigger actuator

An apparatus for forming features in a workpiece is provided. The apparatus includes a nosepiece that engages a boss of a template and guides a tool member therethrough. The nosepiece includes a housing and an adjustable member positioned at least partially in an interior space of the housing. The adjustable member defines radial apertures that hold locking members such as spherical bearings. The locking members are configured to contact a tapered portion of the inner surface of the housing so that as the adjustable member is adjusted from an unlocked position to a locked position, the locking members contact the tapered portion of the housing and are urged radially inward to retain the boss.

Locking nosepiece and template

A fastener installation tool that is configured to feed fasteners from a magazine assembly into a housing where one of the fasteners is aligned to a reciprocating tool bit. The fastener installation tool is configured to set the fastener into a workpiece such that the head of the fastener is spaced apart from the surface of the workpiece by a predetermined amount. A method for coupling a first workpiece to a second workpiece is also provided.

Through-the-drill plate fastener installation tool

A power feed attachment that has a coupling structure to couple it to a hand held drill. A double-acting cylinder, which has a piston and a rod, and is fixedly coupled to the coupling structure. A two-position valve assembly is configured for directing a pressurized fluid to the double-acting cylinder. When the two-position valve assembly is in a first position is directs a fluid to a first side of the piston moving the piston to a first position. When the two-position valve assembly is in the second position it directs the pressurized fluid to a second side of the piston to move the piston to a second position. An arm is coupled to the piston. A control mechanism having a housing and a control rod, wherein the control rod is movable within the housing of the control mechanism between an extended position and a retracted position. The control mechanism has a biasing device for biasing the control rod toward the extended position, the control rod being configured to contact the arm to resist movement of the piston toward the second position to thereby control a rate by which the piston is advanced toward the second position. The assembly may also include a four-way two position air piloted valve to control the flow of a fluid to the arm.

Power feed aline-a-drill attachment

An apparatus having a controllable dwell for drilling and or countersinking a hole in a workpiece is provided which generally comprises a feed mechanism, a retraction mechanism, and a dwell mechanism. The feed mechanism is configured to feed a spindle from a starting position to a predetermined feed limit during a feed cycle. The retraction mechanism is configured to retract the spindle from the feed limit to the starting position to complete the feed cycle. The dwell mechanism is in communication with the retraction mechanism and comprises a mechanical bias member that stores energy during at least a portion of the feed cycle, wherein the mechanical bias member releases at least a portion of the energy once the spindle reaches the feed limit. The retraction mechanism is only actuated once the spindle reaches the feed limit and the mechanical bias member releases at least a portion of the energy. A predetermined dwell period is thereby provided between the spindle reaching the feed limit and the retraction mechanism being actuated. An associated method is also provided.

Apparatus having a controllable dwell and associated method

An axial feed apparatus having an adjustable feed stop is provided. The axial feed apparatus generally comprises a power feed module having an adjustable stop mechanism engaged therewith, wherein the adjustable stop mechanism may comprise a spindle threadedly engaging the power feed module. An adjustable depth-controlling device is further included intermediate the spindle and the power feed module, which uses a series of calibrated graduations in communication with the spindle such that a rotational change in the engagement of the graduations moves the spindle by a predetermined axial distance and thereby adjust the position of the feed stop for the power feed module. Such a power feed module may be combined with a drill motor to produce a device capable of drilling/countersinking holes in a workpiece. A drilling/countersinking device is thus facilitated that is capable of providing a readily adjustable feed stop for positively controlling the depth of the drilled/countersunk hole in a consistent, accurate, and repeatable manner. An associated method is also provided.

Axial feed apparatus having an adjustable feed stop and associated method

A tool fixture,includes a body,and a plurality of attachment devices,connected to the body,. A passageway,is connected to the body,and in communication with at least two of the attachment devices,. A connector is in communication with the passageway,and the body,and is for attachment to a vacuum system such that when the vacuum system draws a vacuum the attachment devices,are urged against a work surface to hold the tool fixture,in place.

Vacuum tool fixture

The drill/countersink nosepiece assembly of the present invention permits the fabrication of a precise hole and countersink in a structural assembly workpiece in a single operation with the aid of a drill plate or other hole template. The small size of the nosepiece tip enables multiple holes to be closely spaced without interference between drill plate engagement slots. A close fit between the shaft of the rotating drill/countersink bit and the inner surface of the sleeve prevents the bit from wandering upon repeated or heavy use. The drill/countersink nosepiece comprises a combination drill/countersink bit to be received by a drill motor chuck, a bushing to be received by a fixed housing portion of the drill motor, a sleeve telescopically mounted within the bushing, a spring within the bushing to bias the sleeve forward, and fingers or other features at the end of the sleeve for engaging an alignment slot in a drill plate. In operation, the nosepiece is attached to a power feed or hand-held drill motor and tooling slots or other features about the hole template in the drill plate are engaged by the sleeve fingers, which extend longitudinally from the retractable sleeve and lie within the infinite cylinder defined by the outer diameter of the sleeve. The drill/countersink nosepiece is adapted to be mated interchangeably with power feed and hand-held drill motor units.

Drill/countersink nosepiece assembly

The wedgelock of the present invention prevents the separation of structural members during drilling or other fabrication operations on structural assemblies with curved surfaces or thickness variations and precludes the formation of burrs and delaminations which might result from such separation. The wedgelock also permits more precise and repeatable hole and other feature fabrication by more precisely locating an alignment fixture, such as a drill plate, relative to a structural assembly upon which fabrication operations are to be performed. The bushed spring loaded wedgelock comprises a standard, commercially-available wedgelock modified by attaching a bushing within which a spring loaded spacer is telescopically mounted. Like a standard wedgelock, the bushed spring loaded wedgelock is inserted through collinear holes in a drill plate or other alignment fixture and a structural assembly to clamp the assembly to the fixture. Even when used with a structural assembly with curved surfaces or thickness variations, the bushed spring loaded wedgelock clamps structural members together by forcing a spring loaded spacer against the front surface of the structural assembly while the shoulders of the wedgelock arms engage the rear surface of the structural assembly. A variety of wedgelock sizes and designs can be constructed to accommodate a range of alignment fixture, tooling hole and structural assembly geometries.

Spring loaded bushed wedgelock

This invention discloses an improved cutting tool such as a counterbore cutter or piloted reamer that is comprised of a free-spinning pilot connected to the cutting tool. The free-spinning pilot allows the cutting tool to rotate within it while it makes firm contact with a pre-drilled hole in material to be cut improving the location of the cutter relative to the hole.

Countersink cutters having a free-spinning pilot

A clamping device includes a housing, removably connected to a drill motor, which has a first end portion adapted to be received within an aperture defined in a drill plate. The first end portion of the housing also defines a number of openings in which respective ones of a plurality of ball bearings are disposed. The clamping device also includes means for forcing each ball bearing outwardly within a respective opening defined in the first end portion of the housing such that portions of the ball bearings are extended outwardly beyond the housing and are urged against the drill plate. Thus, the drill motor can be securely clamped to the drill plate. The clamping device can also include a mandrel defining an internal bore through which the cutting element extends. The mandrel typically has an exterior surface in which a plurality of recesses are defined. Each recess can be aligned with a respective opening defined in the housing and can be adapted to receive a respective ball bearing. Each recess can also include an inclined surface extending from a first end outwardly to a second end such that by urging a respective ball bearing outwardly along the inclined surface from the first end to the second end, the ball bearing is extended outwardly beyond the housing so as to secure the clamping device and, in turn, the drill motor to the drill plate during drilling operations.

Pneumatically actuated drill motor and an associated method and

A device for securely clamping a drill motor to a drill plate in order to drill precisely positioned holes in a workpiece includes an annular mandrel and annular collet concentrically disposed about the cutting element. A first end of the collet includes a plurality of longitudinally extending fingers while the mandrel has a tapered end portion having a larger external diameter than the center cylindrical portion of the mandrel. A pneumatically-actuated piston is also coaxially disposed about the cutting element to extend and retract the mandrel and the collet. Once extended, the longitudinally extending fingers of the collet overlie the center cylindrical portion of the mandrel. Thus, the clamping device may be inserted through an aperture defined in a drill plate. Following its retraction, the longitudinally extending fingers of the collet overlie the tapered end of the mandrel and are correspondingly expanded. The expanded fingers hook behind the periphery of the aperture defined in the drill plate and securely clamps the drill motor to the drill plate.

Method and apparatus for attaching a drill motor to a drill plate with a

A drill for use on reinforced composite parts comprising a two fluted marginless drill body with four forward cutting edges, said edges first scribing a hole in the composite and then cutting the plug from the circumference of the hole inward to the axis of the hole.

Symmetrical spur point drill

A drill for producing close tolerance holes in non-ferrous and non-metallic composite materials in which the essentially cylindrical size of the body of the drill is maintained all the way to the drilling point, the cylindrical shape as it approaches the drilling point is tapered by being flattened off on opposite sides to taper the body, and the drilling point has symmetrically formed and angularly related cutting edges in the opposite edges of the flattened and tapered body. The drill having the foregoing characteristics may be combined with a countersink formed either separately from or as an integral part of the drill.

Growing community of inventors

St. Charles, MO, United States of America

Thomas O Blankenship