Who would have thought that the humble twist drill bit, would have room for improvement?
Well, earlier this month a patent application by Nottingham-based Dormer Tools (Sheffield) Limited was published.
The patent application says:
"A vast number of twist drill designs are known and the geometry of the cutting tip is tailored for specific work pieces. For example, twist drills for wood have a different geometry to those used for metal work pieces. It is recognised that even small changes in geometry can significantly affect performance."
And this is the nub of the application: it is for drill bits for use with metal and composites and the patent claims that:
"The metal-working twist drill produces bores having a reduced exit burr height"
This is a great illustration of how the human mind can still find improvements in something that you might think didn't have much room for improvement left. In fact, a search within the patent class for drill bits shows that since the beginning of 2005 WIPO has published about 25 patent applications relating to drill bits.
Comments