# US 12,006,773 B2 · Drilling tool having pre-fabricated components > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,006,773 B2 - Document ID: US12006773B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/151,306 - Filed: 2021-01-18 - Published: 2021-07-22 - Granted: 2024-06-11 - Earliest claimed: 2020-01-16 - Assignees: Schlumberger Technology Corporation - Applicants: Schlumberger Technology Corporation - Inventors: Youhe Zhang; Mingdong Cai; Sudarsanam Chellappa; Huimin Song; Ting Ren - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12006773B2 ## CPC - E21B 10/46: characterised by wear resisting parts, e.g. diamond inserts - B22D 19/06: for manufacturing or repairing tools - B22D 23/06: Melting-down metal, e.g. metal particles, in the mould - B22F 7/08: with one or more parts not made from powder {(B22F7/062 takes precedence)} - B22F 10/00: Additive manufacturing of workpieces or articles from metallic powder (apparatus or devices therefor B22F12/00) - B33Y 10/00: Processes of additive manufacturing - B33Y 80/00: Products made by additive manufacturing - E21B 7/06: Deflecting the direction of boreholes - E21B 10/43: characterised by the arrangement of teeth or other cutting elements - E21B 10/61: characterised by the nozzle structure - B22F 2005/001: {Cutting tools, earth boring or grinding tool other than table ware} - B22F 2998/00: Supplementary information concerning processes or compositions relating to powder metallurgy - B22F 2998/10: Processes characterised by the sequence of their steps - C22C 29/08: based on tungsten carbide - Y02P 10/25: Process efficiency - E21B: EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS - B22D: CASTING OF METALS; CASTING OF OTHER SUBSTANCES BY THE SAME PROCESSES OR DEVICES (shaping of plastics or substances in a plastic state B29C; metallurgical processing, selection of substances to be added to metal C21, C22) - B22F: WORKING METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER; MAKING METALLIC POWDER (making alloys by powder metallurgy C22C); APPARATUS OR DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR METALLIC POWDER - B33Y: ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING - C22C: ALLOYS (treatment of alloys C21D, C22F) - Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS ## Abstract The disclosed drill tools have metal matrix composite (MMC) or steel alloy bodies that are formed around one or more pre-fabricated components using either a casting or infiltration process. The pre-fabricated components are made of sintered, infiltrated, and/or cemented particles of an ultrahard material, and may form any suitable portion of the bit blades. The pre-fabricated components may be loaded into a machined mold, and the mold cavity is subsequently filled with powder, such as tungsten carbide powder, filler metal powder, binder metal powder, or combinations thereof. During a casting or infiltration process, the mold and pre-fabricated components are heated to a sufficient temperature to melt the binder metal and/or filler metal, wherein the molten metal superficially interacts with the inner surfaces of the pre-fabricated components to form a metallurgical bond to secure the pre-fabricated components to the bit body. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A bit for removing material from a formation, the bit comprising: a bit body comprising a metal alloy and a first ultrahard material, wherein the bit body comprises a plurality of blade cores extending from the bit body; and a plurality of pre-fabricated components that form a plurality of blade portions of the bit, wherein each of the plurality of pre-fabricated components comprises a second ultrahard material and has a density of at least 90%, wherein the plurality of blade cores is metallurgically bound to inner surfaces of the plurality of pre-fabricated components by only a superficial penetration of the metal alloy into the inner surfaces. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The bit of claim 1, wherein the metal alloy of the bit body superficially penetrates less than 500 micrometers (μm) into the inner surfaces of the plurality of pre-fabricated components to metallurgically bond the plurality of pre-fabricated components to the plurality of blade cores of the bit body. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The bit of claim 1, wherein the inner surfaces of the plurality of pre-fabricated components comprise micrometer-scale to millimeter-scale features to increase a surface area of the inner surfaces, wherein the features comprise dimples, ridges, troughs, grooves, corrugations, undulations, or combinations thereof. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The bit of claim 1, wherein the plurality of blade portions of the plurality of pre-fabricated components form at least a top blade portion and a front blade portion of a bit blade of the bit. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The bit of claim 1, wherein the plurality of pre-fabricated components is manufactured via an additive manufacturing process. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The bit of claim 1, wherein the plurality of pre-fabricated components comprise a metal matrix composite (MMC), and wherein the MMC includes a tungsten carbide (WC, W2C) as a matrix material and a binder metal. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The bit of claim 1, wherein the plurality of pre-fabricated components include pockets, and wherein the pockets include ultrahard cutting elements that are brazed into the pockets. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The bit of claim 1, wherein the metal alloy is a steel alloy, and wherein the bit body comprises only the steel alloy. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The bit of claim 1, wherein the bit body comprises a matrix powder and a first binder metal powder, the metal alloy comprises a steel blank, and the plurality of pre-fabricated components comprises a second binder metal powder, wherein a melting temperature of the first binder metal powder is more than 100° C. below a melting temperature of the second binder metal powder. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The bit of claim 9, wherein the binder metal powder comprises a copper alloy or a nickel alloy. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The bit of claim 9, wherein the matrix powder comprises the first ultrahard material. ### Claim 12 A bit for removing material from a formation, the bit comprising: a bit body comprising a first ultrahard material and a binder material; and one or more pre-fabricated components that form portions of a plurality of blades of the bit, wherein each of the one or more pre-fabricated components comprises a second ultrahard material, has a density of at least 90%, and is metallurgically bound to the bit body by only a superficial penetration of the bit body. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The bit of claim 12, wherein the binder material comprises a nickel alloy. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The bit of claim 12, wherein the metal alloy of the bit body superficially penetrates less than 500 micrometers (μm) into an inner surface of the one or more pre-fabricated components to metallurgically bond the one or more pre-fabricated components to the bit body. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The bit of claim 12, wherein an inner surface of the one or more pre-fabricated components comprises micrometer-scale to millimeter-scale features to increase a surface area of the inner surface, wherein the features comprise dimples, ridges, troughs, grooves, corrugations, undulations, or combinations thereof. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The bit of claim 12, wherein the one or more pre-fabricated components form at least a top portion and a front portion of the plurality of bit blades of the bit. ### Claim 17 (depends on 12) The bit of claim 12, wherein the first ultrahard material and the second ultrahard material comprise a tungsten carbide (WC, W2C). ### Claim 18 A bit for removing material from a formation, the bit comprising: a pre-fabricated component comprising a shell that forms a crown of the bit, wherein the pre-fabricated component comprises an ultrahard material and a binder, and the pre-fabricated component has a density of at least 90%; and a bit body metallurgically bonded to an inner surface of the pre-fabricated component during casting of the bit body within the pre-fabricated component, wherein the metallurgical bond of the bit body is a superficial penetration of less than 500 micrometers (μm) into an inner surface of the pre-fabricated component; and wherein the bit body comprises a filler metal having a melting temperature more than 100° C. below a melting temperature of the binder.