View Image “We’d love to start this article by saying “Don’t expect to pick this up at your local Home Depot anytime soonâ€â€¦ but to be honest, this is exactly what it sounds like you’ll be able to do, whithin a few years. Eli Jerby and his colleagues at Tel Aviv University in Israel have developed a special drill that uses microwaves to make holes from 1mm to 1cm wide in concrete and glass simply by heating the materials past their melting point, (nearly 2,000ºC) and pushing the drill bit through. The drill bit is a needle-like antenna that emits intense microwave radiation. The microwaves create a hot spot around the bit, melting or softening the material so that the bit can be pushed in. But the drill can’t bore through everything effectively. Sapphire’s melting point, for instance, is too high. And steel conducts heat too well for a hot spot to develop. But the device works fine on rocks and concrete. In fact, the heat may even strengthen holes’ walls in ceramics by welding together the fine grains in the material. Drilling by melting is nothing new, as it’s been done with lasers for some time. But this is cost prohibitive, while the new drill would cost hardly more than a regular drill. The only concern would be the worker’s safety, which will allegedly be assured via a simple metal shield in front of the bit.”
Discussion Forum
Discussion Forum
Up Next
Video Shorts
Featured Story
The RealTruck AMP Research Bedsteps give you easy access to your truck-bed storage.
Highlights
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Replies
Hope too the "driller" isn't wearing a pace maker ...
Yeah, and hope it has a noise maker or light or both so you know it's on--can imagine lots of bad damage if you didn't know it was running--though i suppose it has a blower like a microwave oven.
Like cousin Duane said in" Christmas Vacation" movie
"can't get around microwaves with this plate in my head,
I pee my britches and forget who I am for three days."
That sounds like the ticket for drilling porcelain tiles. Where does the spoil from the hole go to? Surely it isn't hot enough to vaporize the minerals?
If there is a screw under a tile (backerboard screw) do the microwaves reflect out and burn the operator? Inquiring minds need to know.
Bill
I did commerical work about 15 years ago and we were driving some 16"x 16" concrete pilings with 3/4" wire cable in them that had to be cut off at elevation.
They brought out a machine that slipped over the piles and they cut them off using water under high pressure. I was amazed at how clean and fast they were able to cut through the piles with only water.
busta
I used to go over to the manufacturing wing during lunch and watch the laser machining system at work. Something like a 100KW laser, was mostly used for cutting out sheet metal shapes (steel to about 1/4", AL to an inch or so). Pretty impressive.They also had a water cutter used mostly for plastic shapes. That was all enclosed, so you couldn't watch it work. The laser system was fairly much out in the open, though with a clear plastic shield surrounding it. (The laser light doesn't pass through plastic.)Unfortunately they remodeled a couple of years back and walled in much of the area. You can still see the laser system through a window, but don't have a very good view of it.
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison
I wonder how long it will be before this is made into a weapon ?
A good heart embiggens even the smallest person.
Didn't Dr. No or Goldfinger or someone already do that?
I dunno.But seeing the compact, hand held design here, makes you wonder how long it will be before someone figures out a way to turn it into a gun of sorts.
A good heart embiggens even the smallest person.
It already is a weapon.The commercial application came afterwards.
True. I hadn't remembered that.I was thinking more along the lines of a hand held weapon.
A good heart embiggens even the smallest person.