Manual Drills
A modern aircraft is riddled with holes. Even in the era of automation, manual drills play a significant role in the aerospace manufacturing industry, accounting for roughly 20% of all holes drilled. Semi-automated drills account for 45% and fully automated drills stand for the remaining 35%.
Manual drills provide unprecedented flexibility, precision, and reliability. Characteristics needed for specific drilling tasks when manufacturing an aircraft. But with manual drilling operations follows the risk of potential human induced errors. That’s where ergonomics enters the equation.
The performance of a manual drill is all about the tool and the interaction between the tool and the operator. Manually operated drilling tools offer the best result when designed with the operator in focus. Human errors in manual drilling are predominately caused by incorrect training and operator fatigue. Based on aerospace employees’ self-reported average “bad hole” rate it is estimated that approximately 50% of oversized holes can be avoided if the operator has the right training and the right tool for the job.
Having well-trained operators, line engineers, and quality assurance representatives helps significantly improve productivity and quality. The issue of operator fatigue is addressed by ensuring that operators have the right operator friendly manual drilling tools available. Drilling tool ergonomics is defined by their weight, size, handle design and sound levels. Ergonomically designed drilling tools enable operators to be more mobile, accurate, productive, and above all, safer.
In addition, drilling tools equipped with features that provide the operator with continuous operational feedback drive improved control and quality throughout the manual drilling process. Advantages that further reduce the number of errors, delays, and risk of oversized holes.
