Novator: drilling system development
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2008-08-29
Orbital drilling company, Novator, wanted to develop a cost-effective, reliable drilling system that was very precise and accurate. The system would be used for drilling in difficult materials and the finished product was to be targeted for the global aircraft manufacturing market. Oxyma was chosen to carry out the concept and mechanical design.
(Assignment: Reinforcement, mechanical design)
For aircraft manufacturers it has always been expensive to drill in difficult materials such as composites, aluminum and stainless steel. This presented a great business opportunity for Novator if they could only develop a drilling system that could drill more holes, faster and cheaper than traditional techniques. This was the challenge that Novator presented to Oxyma.
"We chose Oxyma because we had a long collaboration involving similar products, and because Oxyma has good knowledge in the area of concept development and mechanical design. They have been involved in producing several different versions of our products and have always been quick to contribute good ideas. They have also conducted product testing and trial drilling," says Niklas Bredberg, Project Manager at Novator.
The aerospace sector needs to be able to drill holes with great precision. The predecessor of this drilling system had a relatively simple control system. The new machine was designed for enhanced usability and therefore fully programmable. This meant, in particular, that the accuracy improved, but it also led to shorter cycle times.
"This machine was developed because of customer-specific requirements that Novator’s previous machine did not meet. Above all, it was space considerations that guided the changes. In connection with the changes, the PLC control was moved from the control cabinet to the drilling unit, which makes everything much easier for the operator. This placed extra high demands on effective integration of mechanics, electronics and pneumatics in a very small area," explains Niklas Bredberg.
The drilling system was developed according to broad and advanced specifications, which required great accuracy in design details. Using studies, tests and prototypes the machine was tested continuously to ensure light weight, good ergonomics, high impact resistance and high reliability.
"Oxyma’s main role was to develop a concept that fulfilled the requirements of the customer. Time pressure meant that an existing product was used as the base. The collaboration with an industrial designer has also successfully made the product more attractive to the eye," says Niklas Bredberg.
The project took eight months from first sketch to the functioning prototype, and a further six months to the finished product. The machine makes a hole of the right tolerance at the right time at low cost. The project team is still working hard to lower the cost per hole even further. The market shows great interest in the system and the production run is just over a hundred in the first years.
"This is another example of several finished products that Novator has produced along with Oxyma, and which are currently being delivered to our customers. We can certainly imagine working with Oxyma again," concludes Niklas Bredberg.
