Drilling apparatus
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsJohn Matthew Sassatelli, Mark Edward Burnett, Jay Waylett, Roger Dean Eglin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A drilling apparatus capable of having a minimal axial length to permit its use within limited confines. The drilling apparatus includes a housing with a housing bore and a first housing end, a spindle rotatably supported within the housing bore, bearing elements within the housing bore and surrounding the spindle to rotatably support the spindle within the housing, and a drive unit for rotating the spindle. The spindle is configured to secure a shank of a drill bit at a first end thereof exposed at the first housing end, and the drive unit is transversely offset from an axis of rotation of the spindle.
Claims20
A drilling apparatus comprising:
- a housing comprising a housing bore and a first housing end;
- a spindle rotatably supported within the housing bore, the spindle comprising means for securing a shank of a drill bit to the spindle at a first end thereof exposed at the first housing end;
- bearing means within the housing bore and surrounding the spindle so as to rotatably support the spindle within the housing;
- and
- drive means for rotating the spindle, the drive means being transversely offset from an axis of rotation of the spindle.
A drilling apparatus comprising:
- a housing comprising a first housing bore having a longitudinal axis and defining first and second housing openings at oppositely-disposed first and second housing ends of the housing;
- a spindle rotatably supported within the first housing bore for rotation on the longitudinal axis of the first housing bore, the spindle having a spindle bore therein that defines a spindle opening at a first spindle end of the spindle and exposed at the first housing end of the housing, the spindle having a second spindle end protruding from the second housing end of the housing, the spindle bore and spindle opening being configured to receive a shank of a drill bit and the spindle bore comprising means for securing the shank of the drill bit to the spindle;
- bearing means within the first housing bore and surrounding the spindle so as to rotatably support the spindle within the housing;
- means coupled to the second spindle end for rotating the spindle within the housing;
- a motor for driving the rotating means the motor being transversely offset from the longitudinal axis of the first housing bore;
- a support structure interconnecting the motor and the housing;
- and
- means for securing the drilling apparatus to a workpiece structure and orienting the drilling apparatus to the workpiece structure so that the first housing end and the shank securing means face away from the workpiece structure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.