Engineering students create a replacement for conventional drilling machines

The prototype was developed by Vidyavardhaka College of Engineering (VVCE) students - Hare Ram Singh, Ritwik D, Ronish Alinkil and Sandesh K S - under the guidance of senior lecturer K S Ravi.

While drilling is one of the most important operations in a manufacturing industry, it needs the presence of skilled workers for the efficient completion of the projects. Using the prototype developed by the students solves the problem of procuring skilled labour.

Users can enter the coordinates using a keypad attached to the drilling arm. Based on the coordinates entered, the robotic drilling arm moves to the location where the hole has to be created.

The prototype offers drilling operations to be carried with the use of 6V batteries, which are readily available in the market. The robotic arm can be used to implement drilling operations on materials of low weight and density.

Speaking to Deccan Herald, student Ronish said that conventional machines require constant supervision and they have to be manipulated and handled every minute to minimise loss. He said the prototype developed gives a higher accuracy level and can be used without the need of any human supervision. The prototype at present can conduct drilling operations up to a height of 260 mm.

Describing the applications of the arm, Ronish said that it can be widely used in the manufacturing process of printed circuit boards and also electronic circuits used to make switches.

He said that prototype with minor modifications could be as replacement to the conventional drilling machines used in saw mills, which cost around Rs 20,000. He said the prototype at a similar cost could improve efficiency and accuracy.