BTA Drilling Machine Used for Helicopter Manufacturing

In Booth 1939, the DeHoff BTA/STS 2084 from Kays Engineering, Inc. (Marshall, MO) is designed for drilling on-center holes using the BTA/STS process and is being utilized to manufacture drive shafts for helicopter tail rotors. The shaft begins as a solid piece of high-strength alloy steel and a center hole is drilled in a single pass using the BTA machine. This process results in a significant weight reduction for the finished drive shaft. The BTA/STS 2084 has a 2 in (50.8 mm) diameter drilling capacity and an 84 in (2,134 mm) drilling depth. It has a single spindle with a 20 hp spindle motor, and a four-speed gearbox delivers twice the torque of a standard DeHoff model. The machine can also be offered with slide travels of 36 in (914 mm), 60 in (1,524 mm), or 120 inches (3,048 mm).

All DeHoff machines are made in the U.S. and feature a cast iron drill head base with hardened and ground steel box ways, plus hand-scraped and fitted saddle, gibs, and straps (versus linear guide ways and milled surfaces). This results in superior vibration damping, extended tool life, and improved surface finish.

Also on display will be the Eldorado KM75-48, a 3-axis gundrilling machine used to manufacture products like transmission shafts, manifolds, and mold matrices. The machine includes updated Beckhoff controls with G-Code programming that provides enhanced flexibility. Complex gundrilling operations can be performed with a single fixturing setup. The KM75-48 features a “knee” fixture table to provide 3-axis CNC gundrilling capability. Drill capacity is 0.078 in to 0.75 in (1.98 mm to 19.1 mm). Drill slide travel in the Z-axis is 48 in (1,219 mm), with table travel of 24 in (610 mm) in the X-axis and 12 in (305 mm) in the Y-axis. All Eldorado machines are made in the U.S. and feature hardened and ground box ways and hand-scraped mating components (versus linear guide ways and milled surfaces). This results in superior vibration damping, extended tool life, and improved surface finish.

Kays Engineering, Inc., 900 Industrial Drive, Marshall, MO 65340, 660-886-9929, matt.kays@kays-dehoff.com, www.kays-dehoff.com/eldorado/m30, www.kays-dehoff.com.