How Dewalt Brushless Drills are Built and Factory Tour USA
This past June, I had the opportunity to visit a facility Dewalt in Charlotte, North Carolina, where they have been building power tools for wireless components used in the country and globally.
During our time at the plant is short, it is a very interesting experience. It is great to get a look inside how power tools are built.
A lot of time we spent being introduced to new Dewalt power tools, hand tools, and accessories, but we also took a tour of the space, and also had the opportunity to build our drills.
Yes, I own building Dewalt Brushless Drills! Well, part of it. Some parts are manufactured at other plants, and Dewalt techs skilful work.
I know it’s not the same, but hopefully these pictures will give you a sense of what goes on at the factory Dewalt NC.
About FACTORY – Place to Built Dewalt Brushless Drills
Well, here it is. I do not remember the details and can not find my notes (whoops), but remember something being said about how this facility started out as a distribution center, and do how space has been made for the assembly and production stations.
It’s not accurate to say that the product is being made here – they are being built here, using local ingredients and global.
With something like a motor-driven impacts, armatures can be done in one place, the other in the shaft, and they are assembled prior to another location for books. I believe that the tunnels are made in America – Jackson, TN, if I remember correctly.
As of June 2015, Dewalt has 7 US production facilities, pumping out 14 million products by 2014. I predict that this figure also includes a number of power tool accessories SKU.
Here’s a look of the plant. There are assembly lines along the sides, and beyond that is the distribution and transportation activities. occupies floors engine manufacturing center.
You can also see where the research station was set up for the media event. All space that was probably busy with motor manufacturing equipment complemented by now.
FACTORY TOUR HIGHLIGHT: MOTOR CONSTRUCTION
Although exercise drill-building is the best part of the plant tour, I enjoyed getting a glimpse into the impact driver is done. It’s just not something you see every day.
Here is a complete scan engines will be installed in a Dewalt impact driver DCF885.
The engine was built in part before being wound with wire from factory Dewalt. There shaft, switches, and laminated armature core.
Then, the motor is wound. Here is a video I took of the process:
A couple of things come before the engine was ready. Unfortunately, I was not able to make my way back to this part of the factory for more information or images.
Here they are, wounds and get ready for…
Experiment? I do not remember what is being done at this station, but it seems to involve a messy blue fluid of some sort. Perhaps a thin protective layer is applied to the wound motors?
There is a roll press kit, so this is a press roll station. windings of the press do?
The fans are not tied, but I do not think that happens until further down the road somewhere.
Next is the weighing station.
Each engine is spun up to speed, and if they are a bit unbalanced, a little weight compounds are added to help even things out.
Build a BRUSHLESS BORING!
Our practice activities related to the construction of a high-end DCD995 Dewalt 3-speed brushless hammer drill ($ 279 through Amazon for the kit).
This is actually drill Dewalt 20V Max Wireless highest.
We did not start at the beginning, but I tried to cover as much of the assembly process as possible.
THAT STARTS WITH THE ENGINE AND CONTROL
The parts that go into DCD995 is not all built, assembled at the base of Charlotte, NC. All accessories Assembly come from other places.
For starters, motor and switch assembly.
This is brushless motor of DCD995. If you do not know what it is, you might be confused into thinking it is a hobby RC or engine of some sort. It may be small, but it packs a powerful punch.
Followed by assembling pre-assembled switches and pots. I do not mind the plastic flamingo installed or attached bị at the factory in Charlotte, and none of my pictures can answer this question hoặc. Is not the Important thing.
Note the electronic devices of the switch is all the pots. This provides shock resistance and need help for reliability and protection Against vibrations. It can be used to protect electronic cũng devices from moisture or debris, but I do not think the Easier Way Into pollutants có find this part of a drill.
Brushless motor and switch assembly is connected at the factory.
A handy mold fixturing between the two components to solder.
And a welding technique ingredients together by hand. Three large wire, capable of carrying high power from the battery pack, are welded, while the control wiring with the engine mounted plastic connectors quickly.
One component is a bit of Heatshrink tighten around it, and a Porter Cable heat gun is used to do it.
… This is a thermistor for temperature sensors? There is a thermistor, somewhere, that shut down the engine in case of overheating. But I do not think that’s what this is.
In the next image, diagram test the wiring described it as a field-effect sensor, which I guess makes sense. I have never seen a hall effect sensors embedded in plastic 2-pin Molex or JST connector type before.
There are also sharp red metallic components protruding from the rear cover of the brushless motor. Heatshrinked connections and red rear portion is placed close together. I wonder if this is to maintain control of speed under load.
brushless motors with hall effect sensor for sensing position and so on, but I believe those are usually inside the engine.
Any ideas? Too bad, I can not go back in time and errors a production manager for some insight.
THEN COMES THE ASSEMBLY
When the intestines are ready, the injection molding of drilling is preparing. This also is produced elsewhere. So to prepare, basically two halves are separated and placed on a jig holding.
A few feet away on the housing metal, for … links easier? Gearbox, electronic clutch, and chuck, all in a one-piece assembly is built elsewhere, adopted along with housing.
Elsewhere the second half of the drill? It is a convenient storage space below the casting fixture, until it is needed. can not lose it there!
You can not just throw the ingredients together, they must be connected and sat delicately.
LED PCB that need to be sitting at the base of the drill, and the clutch is connected to the control electronics switch by means of a 3-pin connector.
potential pinch points are stressed in the guide wire system checks this.
Here is, everything nice and neat and ready to be surrounded by housing. The switch selection guide, or rather the button, has been added. Everything is connected and ready to go.
This is the section where the practice started, and we “build” our drills. Come on, I can weld! Maybe next time they’ll let me start at Station 1 if I ask nicely [nag them] enough.
The two parts of the housing are fastened together in two stages.
First, 4 screws placed on the side of the drill, maybe just to keep things together.
Then, 4 screws placed at the front of the drill, through the gearbox assembly, connect it to the rear housing.
Finally, add the 4 screws are placed on one side.
This is all done with pneumatic screwdrivers preset drop-down torque. They are quiet, and tighten the screws quickly and torque at all times. For the transmission, a bit longer be used to access the screw.
The screws are tightened in a specific numerical order to ensure uniform tightness and consistency.
It’s actually quite fun to use that screwdriver.
BUT WE’RE NOT DONE – EACH PARTICULAR tried for QC
Next, programming. I suppose this makes sense, but I’ve always assumed that the firmware of the controller is programmed to assemble parts built. But this makes sense. Perhaps different tools production and assembly steps similar parts. Programming is a complete tool can be most effective.
Because there are moving parts, safety interlocks are used to detect finger. If you are the fingers of a safety switch, they can not be a dangerous way.
I do not mind if one hand must be on the interlock and a green button, or both hands interlocked.
There it goes, drilling has been programmed … via the battery connection? I guess you will not be able to do it.
Next, experiment! After the firmware is programmed to tools, functionality and operation of basic parameters must be checked.
In addition to detecting interlock fingers, there is a drop-down (or rather pneumatic push down) plastic shield.
This set speed tests of the drilling, current draw, activity LED, and thermal resistance, one of the few other things.
There is also a test station separate electronic clutch. I wish I could find my notes to tell me whether it came before or after the basic test.
This inspection station to ensure the electronic clutch is working properly. There is also a separate block of plastic to chuck presses against, to ensure the hammer mode to work properly.
There are a lot of quality control checks, to ensure that all the tools operate as it should.
FINAL – LABELED AND kitting
Labeling is not very interesting, so I do not have any pictures. Along with kitting.
Surprisingly, labeled as a big deal. After the labels are applied, they are checked by computer to the appropriate location. It is at this stage that a date code is added to a drill. Each drill is also marked on the inside of the battery housing connect, to show that they have been tested and passed QC.
Then, drilling is kitted in a battery box, a charger, a side handle, and use, before being canned. Box received a number of combinations.
AND … BAM, WITH YOUR NEW DRILLING
And yes, I have kept the one I built. =)
PLANT MORE DEWALT
Still with me? Snow! Do not worry, I will fly over the rest of what I want to show you.
This is a labeling station for 18V sawing back and forth, but the steps are similar for all engines built at the plant.
Once the label is applied, we did test, and formal tools ready to be sent to customers.
There are many manufacturing is done in the center of the plant – mainly motor.
I believe that some of this equipment was brought up from a factory in Mexico Dewalt, not the problem.
By now Dewalt was able to double the production capacity of their engines at this point, or at least that’s what I remember hearing.
Remember that the engine control DCF885 Dewalt 20V Max Impact has been talked about in the article? Here is one such impact being built.
How do you test the impact drivers? In the closet, to help muffle the sound.
There is a second bank cabinets that I was able to peak inside.
Hmm, the mechanical action dismissed through the same programming, also via the connector pin. I do not guess.
Many test!
Even more tests!
I do not remember if this is a test program or station, but I want to point out the white plastic blocks used to test hammer hammer drill mode.
What? Dewalt still make 18V drills?
They are building exercises other than brushless 20V Max.
And this is a brushed motor 20V Max drilling, built in the middle.
What I find interesting is brushed motor speed drill 3 are fastened together in a different way, with a guide screw.
Can produce brushless drill had just started at this facility, and things like this have not been produced yet.
The plant operation is not only a part of a show put on for the media. This is actually the first drills for sale. I do not remember what would become the drills. Perhaps they were meant to be kitted with impact drivers on the combo.
And yes, there are 18V engine production as well – this is a new series of reciprocating saws are built.
Maybe Dewalt will invite us all back to Charlotte a day plant, so we can see how things evolve. Ooh, or maybe one of their other plants?
As you can tell, I had a lot of fun to visit factories Dewalt and support in building my own drilling.
NEW TOOLS FOR WE SAW…
Dewalt boast a lot of their new tool was launched in the second half of 2015, and a couple are still expected to hit the market in 2016.
You can read about the new tool here:
Ridgid JobMax Cordless Tools Review (Best Top 2016)
Black & Decker Matrix Modular Tool System
New Porter Cable 3.0A Corded Oscillating Multi-Tool
New Porter Cable 3.0A Corded Oscillating Multi-Tool
