The Advantages of Hybrid Dry and Wet Diamond Core Drilling.

The Advantages of Hybrid Dry and Wet Diamond Core Drilling.

A new type of diamond coring equipment is becoming available on the market which combines dry drilling of reinforced concrete using soft percussion and vacuum with traditional wet drilling capabilities.

Wet drilling of reinforced concrete is a very familiar process in this industry, and it has well-established advantages in cost effectiveness. Likewise, dry drilling with soft percussion and vacuum of soft materials such as brick has proven to be very convenient. The above two processes require different types of machines for optimal results. A relatively newer application is dry drilling of reinforced concrete. This process requires special bits which are relatively more expensive than wet bits, but has special advantages in many situations.  

Enter the new concept of the hybrid dry and wet diamond core drilling motor. This idea combines dry drilling of reinforced concrete using soft percussion with wet drilling for large diameters. (The soft percussion can even assist in wet drilling.)  The operator has the choice of drilling either dry or wet, depending on conditions. General drilling will call for wet drilling, since it is more economical, and when there are special requirements, dry drilling can be used.

The situations which call for dry drilling of reinforced concrete would be the following:

1. Situations where water is not allowed to be used due to possible water damage to surrounding areas.

2. Overhead (inverted) drilling.

3. Operating in below-freezing conditions.

4. Less setup time is required, since water feed and collection are not needed.

5. It makes a lot less mess, since the dust is going straight to the vacuum cleaner as you drill.

If any of the above applies to you, then dry drilling is a good alternative. The new AGP DDC12 rig-mounted hybrid drilling motor will be available soon. Basically, it can perform wet drilling just like before, but it has the addition of soft percussion and convertible port for vacuum connection. This introduces an all-new versatility to your drilling equipment. As the cost of the dry drilling of RC consumables becomes more competitive, we expect to see more and more operators using the dry process in the future.