BTA Drilling Services
The ideal process for a range of larger deep hole drilled depths and diameters, BTA stands for Boring and Trepanning Association, the originators of this method of deep hole drilling. Sometimes referred to as STS (single tube system) drilling, BTA is a cleaner, more reliable and capable process than conventional twist drills that uses external high pressure coolant through the outer surface of the drill tube and internal chip removal through the drill center. At Apollo, we use state-of-the-art drilling machines to offer bores from 1” to 8” inner diameters. We have capabilities to drill, offset (eccentric), blind, counter-bored and step-drilled holes. Depending on the application, we can drill up to 300” long.
Gun drilling Services
Our gun drilling machine technology and experience enable us to meet even the most difficult requirements with unsurpassed precision, quality and delivery. Gun drilling uses a long thin cutting tool to produce a hole with high depth to diameter ratio, typically higher than 20. The drill itself has a v-groove or flute on the outside diameter and involves forcing high pressure coolant down the inside of the drill, allowing chips to quickly be removed through the outer v-groove. Our gun drills have a range of 0.062” to 1.000” diameter and a drill depth up to 67” long.
While some gun drilling operations can be done on CNC machines, this can result in limited range to drilling depth and with less quality. To assure optimal results, we leverage the strengths of dedicated gun drilling machines that are purpose-built to drill small diameters to long depths with extremely tight straightness tolerances. We have deep experience in working with a wide range of materials, including steel, non-magnetics, inconels, aircraft grade aluminum and titanium. We also have the capability to drill through blind, angled, intersecting, concentric and eccentric holes. Hole drift is minimized by counter rotating the part in the opposite direction. What separates us from the competition is our three-axis control and ability to counter-rotate even if the hole is off-center.
