Custom Auger Rod Solutions: Combination of Various Materials and Manufacturing Processes
A new project came from the customer that needed us to make an auger rod for drilling. The auger rod is used to drill dozens of meters deep, and extract rock composition in order to confirm the underlying rock layer, find mineral deposits.
We analyzed the auger rod according to the drawing and found it is composed of a steel center tube, auger flight, hexagon socket, hexagon pin, bolts, and locking nuts.
The center tube is a seamless tube made of #20 steel, with a hardness of about HRC20, an outer diameter of 73 mm, an inner diameter of about 60 mm, and a total length of 1270 mm. One steel tube is about 6000 mm. We cut the steel tube, then used CNC machining to process the chamfer at both ends of the tube. Then 30 mm away from the end surface drilled two diameter of 17 mm cross holes. All dimensions meet the drawings.
The auger flight has an outer diameter of 140 mm and an inner diameter of 73 mm, which is slightly larger than the center tube. It is extruded by a mold to form a winding structure, which has a transmission function. The steel central tube was hung up, and the workers wrap the auger flight around the outside of the tube.
Seamless steel tube with holes drilled
Auger flight
Auger flight with steel tube
- The hex socket is made of 35CrMo material, a kind of alloy steel, which is easy for welding. The outer diameter of the hex socket is 70 mm, the same as the center tube, the inner section is an internal hexagon SW42 mm. This hex socket is made of investment casting, and then stamped the internal hexagon to ensure that its six corners are sharp so that the hexagon pin can be inserted smoothly. The hexagon pin is made of 45# steel SW42 material, then cut into pieces, CNC turned the chamfers and drilled 17mm holes on the end of the pin. The pin is galvanized to prevent rusty.
Investment casted steel hex socket
Hexagon socket and hexagon pin
Steel hexagon pin insert into steel hexagon socket
- A clamp was used to fix the center tube and hexagon socket, making them align.
Then used 7018 low hydrogen welding rods for full welding the cross holes. In this process an inverter AC arc welding machine is available.
- Next, wraped the auger flight around the outside of welded tube and fully weld the entire auger flight.
Insert the auger flight into tube
Welding the flight detail
Worker in welding
Welding auger rod finished
- Two pieces of auger rod can be connected by screws and nuts to make very long drilling equipment. The screws are made of 12.9 grade high-strength steel and the nuts are locking nuts. Then the auger rods were sent to be powder coated and hung up one by one, finally forming beautiful black products.
Auger rods onnected by bolt and nut
Powder coated for the auger rods
Black powder coated auger rod
- The products were assembled, put one by one into the wooden box, sticked the shipping marks on the box, and shipped by sea.
Conclusion
Various materials, such as mild steel, high-strength steel and different processes were used in this project, as well as surface treatment. We very good at customing metal parts and successfully delivered the products to our customer.