Long-Shaft

Textile machinery is not the first industry that comes to mind for deep hole drilling, but it uses more drilled components than you would expect. Rollers, spindles, and guide shafts all need through-holes for heating, cooling, or weight reduction. I have worked on textile machinery components from machine builders in Europe and Asia. The work is similar to general long shaft drilling but with some specific requirements driven by the high-speed, continuous operation of textile production lines. See also textile heated roller drilling and textile spindle shafts gun drilling for component-specific details. ...

Marine propulsion drive shafts connect the engine or gearbox to the propeller. Many of these shafts need a through-hole running the full length for lubricating oil to reach the stern tube bearing, or for weight reduction on larger vessels. In my experience, the length of marine shafts makes them the most challenging deep-hole drilling application I deal with. A 10-meter shaft with a 50mm bore has a length-to-diameter ratio of 200:1, which pushes the limits of what BTA drilling can achieve. ...

Industrial rollers are used across many industries, including paper, printing, steel, plastic film, and textile manufacturing. They all have one thing in common: they need a through-hole for heating, cooling, or weight reduction. I have drilled rollers ranging from 1 meter to 6 meters long. The work is similar to general long shaft drilling but with some specific requirements. Roller Types and Applications Roller Type Industry Use Bore Function Typical Length (m) Bore Dia (mm) Wall Thickness (mm) Heated roller Laminating, drying, calendaring Oil/water circulation for heat 1-4 20-80 8-20 Cooling roller Film extrusion, paper making Cooling fluid circulation 1-4 20-80 8-20 Idler roller Conveyor support, web guiding Weight reduction 1-6 30-150 5-15 Drive roller Conveyors, processing lines Lubrication/cooling passages 1-5 20-100 10-30 Furnace roller High-temp steel processing Water cooling 2-6 30-120 10-25 Printing roller Flexo/gravure printing Ink circulation, weight reduction 1-3 15-60 10-20 The deep hole drilling for long shaft applications covers additional techniques that apply to roller drilling, especially for the longer parts. ...

Railway axles are one of the older applications of deep hole drilling. A locomotive or railcar axle needs a hole drilled through the center for two reasons: weight reduction and ultrasonic inspection access. The hole allows a probe to pass through the axle and check for internal defects. Without the through-hole, you cannot inspect the axle non-destructively. So every major rail axle gets drilled. I have worked on axles for freight cars, passenger cars, and locomotives. They range from about 1.5 meters to 3 meters long, with a bore diameter of 25mm to 60mm. ...