What is mechanical cutting drilling tools?

Mechanical cutting drilling technology is a non-blasting construction technique that uses the power generated by drilling machinery to drive drilling tools (cutters) to cut through rock and soil, completing drilling construction. Currently, the mechanical cutting drilling technology in China is in a rapid development stage, and the drilling tools (cutters) are key components in mechanical cutting tunneling, whose type and quality directly affect the application range of mechanical equipment, drilling efficiency, and production costs. Therefore, the development trends and market dynamics of mechanical cutting drilling tools have always been closely monitored by drilling tool manufacturing companies.

Classification of mechanical cutting drilling tools

(1) Non-excavation engineering drilling tools. Non-excavation construction technology is a new process in underground engineering construction, which has been applied in engineering construction in China for less than 10 years. This technology can perform drilling operations without excavating the surface, does not affect traffic, does not damage the environment, and has a short construction period, thus it is widely used in municipal engineering and underground pipeline laying projects that cross rivers, railways, highways, and airports (see Figure 1).

Figure 1 Non-excavation directional drill bit and expansion drill bit

The most commonly used tools in non-excavation construction are horizontal directional drilling tools, which are generally used to lay large-diameter, long-distance pipelines across obstacles such as rivers, lakes, and buildings. During construction, a guiding hole is drilled according to the designed arc trajectory to cross the obstacle, the guiding drill bit that emerges from the ground is removed, and a large-diameter expansion drill bit is installed to pull back the drill head, which involves three steps: drilling the guiding hole, pulling back the expansion hole, and pulling back the pipeline (see Figure 16). In non-excavation engineering drilling tools, drilling tool companies should focus on the research of production processes and product market dynamics of guiding drill bits (see Figure 17), pull-back expansion drill bits (see Figure 18), and pull-back expansion drill bit cutting tools (see Figure 19).

Figure16Schematic diagram of horizontal directional non-excavation drilling tools and construction

Figure 17 Non-excavation guiding drill bit diagram (left)

Figure18Non-excavation pull-back expansion drill bit diagram(right)

Figure19Non-excavation pull-back expansion drill bit cutting tools