Project Number: S2869

Project Title: Deep Hole Tight Tolerance Drilling

Period of Performance: JUN20 – NOV22

Alignment of precision Grade A shock machinery components requires very close tolerances and installation of long fasteners. Additionally, due to the size (diameter
/ depth) of the holes, they are drilled multiple times to adhere to the required final size. Clearance for the current portable drilling equipment and length of drill bits prevent the use of a standard set-up. The use of current assets is inefficient and the equipment is outdated. The drills currently available are not maintenance-friendly. If the tool breaks, it is sent to a clean environment for full disassembly and repair, rather than allowing a mechanic to repair the drill at the job site. Although there have been previous efforts by Huntington Ingalls Industries – Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) to address this issue, no commercial off-the-shelf drills are robust, compact or maintenance-friendly enough to replace current drilling tools.
The Center for Naval Metalworking (CNM), NNS and General Dynamics Bath Iron Works (BIW) developed a solution that resulted in a robust, compact and maintenance-friendly deep-hole drill. The project team developed a prototype that can be used in confined-space to drill through 6.75” of high strength steel to fill an unmet need in shipbuilding. A rigorous vendor down-selection process was completed to partner with Hougen Manufacturing for the development of a prototype compact annular cutter with a magnetic base that was designed to have increased bit life that can handle the depth and tolerance requirements of Grade A shock machinery holes. The project concluded in November 2022 with great success in reducing the time to drill one hole from 2 days down to just 2 hours with for a finish hole. It established a new process for deep-hole drilling, resulting in improved first-time quality, tool reliability, and operator safety. Hougen Manufacturing expects to have the drill commercially available by December 2023 for implementation beyond NNS and BIW.

By reducing the amount of labor hours and drill set-up time, NNS and BIW estimate this CNM effort to provide savings of $1,743K/CVN and $369K/DDG-51. Over the next 5 years this equates to a combined estimate of $4,513K with an ROI of 3.33.

Tool quality and performance was evaluated and accepted through user testing and demonstration at BIW and NNS. Upon acceptance of both the technology and associated business case by the acquisition program offices, the results will transition to NNS and BIW facilities. NNS and BIW anticipate implementation in the second quarter of FY2024. Target hull numbers for the beginning of implementation are CVN 80 and DDG 132. The drill was presented at DMC 2022 to the broader DOD industrial base and was received well. Multiple demonstration days were held at both BIW and NNS with Ingalls Shipbuilding and General Dynamics Electric Boat expressing interest for potential implementation in their yards.