Drill template with integral vacuum attach

A drill template for drilling holes into a structure with an exterior surface formed using a computer aided design (CAD) engineering solid model, the exterior surface precisely specified by a CAD geometry of the engineering solid model, said drill template comprising:

• a vacuum housing having a CAD-formed contact surface, said vacuum housing being formed by selective laser sintering, wherein said contact surface is formed integrally as part of said vacuum housing and of the same material by selective laser sintering according to the precisely specified CAD geometry used to form the exterior surface so that said integral contact surface has the form of an exact fit to the exterior surface;
• at least one drill guide bushing extending through said vacuum housing from a top surface to an interior surface of said vacuum housing;
• and
• at least one vacuum port integral to said vacuum housing wherein said vacuum housing and said vacuum port are formed integrally of the same material by selective laser sintering.

A debris collecting vacuum drill template for forming holes in a structure, said drill template comprising:

• a vacuum housing having a CAD-formed contact surface;
• at least one recess accommodating a fastener that holds sections of said vacuum housing together:
• at least one drill bushing extending through said vacuum housing from a top surface to an interior surface of said vacuum housing;
• at least one drill support attachment positioned near said at least one drill bushing, said at least one drill support attachment adapted to secure a drill to said drill template;
• and
• an integral vacuum port that provides vacuum communication from an opening to said interior surface.

A drilling system for an aircraft fuselage structure having an outside mold line surface formed according to a computer aided design (CAD) engineering solid model, and having the outside mold line surface specified using CAD electronic data files of the CAD engineering solid model, said system comprising:

• a drill template which includes:
• a vacuum housing with a skirt having a CAD-formed contact surface, wherein said skirt, including said contact surface of said skirt, and said vacuum housing are integrally fabricated by being generated directly using said CAD electronic data files of the CAD engineering solid model to conform to the CAD engineering solid model of the outside mold line surface of the aircraft fuselage structure so that said CAD-formed contact surface has the form of an exact fit with the outside mold line surface of said aircraft fuselage structure prior to contacting the outside mold line surface of the aircraft fuselage structure;
• at least one drill guide bushing extending through said vacuum housing from a top surface to an interior surface of said vacuum housing;
• at least one vacuum port integral to said vacuum housing, wherein said vacuum housing and said vacuum port are integrally fabricated along with said skirt;
• at least one index hole for positioning and aligning said vacuum housing on said aircraft fuselage structure, said index hole extending from said top surface to said CAD-formed contact surface of said vacuum housing;
• a CAD-formed edge of part locator formed according to a CAD solid model of said aircraft fuselage structure and fitting to a precise location of said aircraft fuselage structure;
• and wherein
• said vacuum port that provides vacuum communication from an external opening to said interior surface.