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Jurnal Kejuruteraan 36(1) 2024: 259-271

https://doi.org/10.17576/jkukm-2024-36(1)-24

Design, Fabrication, and Analysis of a Precision Drilling Jig for Waste Reduction:
A Low-cost Solution
Syed Mustafa Haider a*, Abbas Hussain b, Shaheryar Atta Khan a, Naeem Sarwar b & Amir Nawaz c
aDepartment of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, Pakistan Navy Engineering College,
National University of Sciences and Technology, Karachi, Pakistan

bDepartment of Engineering Sciences, Pakistan Navy Engineering College,

National University of Sciences and Technology, Karachi, Pakistan
c
Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore, Pakistan

*Corresponding author: [email protected]

Received 12 August 2023, Received in revised form 27 November 2023

Accepted 27 December 2023, Available online 30 January 2024

ABSTRACT

The modern assemblies of various machines such as engines, gears trains, and body panels require a highly
precise drilling operation. These precisely drilled holes not only ensure the efficiency by constrained motions of these
machines’ parts but also ensure longer service life. Moreover, precision drilling shall also ensure no subsequent
requirement of reaming resulting in time and cost-saving. The precise drilling operation cannot be achieved
unless highly precise machinery (CNC) is being utilized requiring higher initial investment (Pkr 1000000), or
highly skilled workers demanding about twice the labor than the semi-skilled person. Being a small-sized industry,
for profitability, a low-cost solution was proposed in this current work. To obtain precise drilling operation by the
application of a drilling jig (Pkr 3000) on the manual bench drill machine (Pkr 15000), by a semi-skilled worker. In
this work, a drilling jig has been designed, fabricated, and analyzed. This jig also can rotate the workpiece in
clockwise/counter-clockwise directions. The drilled holes measurements provided the evidence that under the
spindle speeds of 340, 700, and 1000 rpm, the closer dimensional values (~0.1mm) can be obtained, resulting in the
elimination of rework and extra cost, along with the setup-time reduction by eliminating marking and center
punching process, with the application of jig. It was concluded that the jig is quite applicable and can be
substituted with high-cost CNC machines as a low-cost solution to the local small and medium-scale manufacturing
industries.

Keywords: Design and fabrication; drilling jig; low cost; precise hole location; waste/rework reduction

INTRODUCTION The complexity of the assembly depends upon the

number and types of the parts which are being assembled
by the fastening and joining of different parts having
In the manufacturing of various machines, assembly
variable sizes, thicknesses, complicated shapes, and
processes are usually mandatory, starting from the simpler
different geometries (Ezugwu et al. 2023; Khan et al 2023:
machines such as a lawnmower, bench drills, rice mills,
Liu et al. 2022; Othman et al. 2022; Glaissa et al. 2020).
and blower fans, to medium complicated machines which
The fastening process demands a very precise drilling
are manual shapers, manual lathes and manual milling
process for any kind of rivet or bolt joining. The location
machines, to highly sophisticated and complex machines
and quality of the drilled hole directly affect the service
such as automobiles and aerospace vehicles, are always
life and efficiency of the assembled parts (Eguti et al. 2012;
produced in various parts, to be assembled in a single unit
Ple et al. 2011; Webb et al. 2006; Webb et al. 2001; Mangus
by an assembly process.
et al. 1996).
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The application of the precision drilling process is not of threading in the drilled holes, the stove assemblage
limited to assemblies but is also critically required in requires the precise hole location in the bottom mild steel
various simple parts joining such as chain sprocket, and thick plate, figure 1 represents the assembly of the upper
engine exhaust joints (Haider et al. 2022; Zhu et al. 2019; and bottom plates of the stove. The jig provides the right
Wąsik et al. 2017; Zhu et al. 2014; Ramesh et al. 2000). points to the tool regarding the workpiece, any deviation
In this current work, a small-sized manufacturing and can be prevented.
assembling unit of cooking gas cylinder stove was analyzed There are many cases where the drilling jigs have
for product quality and production improvement, as these advantages, such as when vendors are more than one or
small-sized industries play an important role in the when the part complexity is much higher and specialized
economy of underdeveloped countries (Ijaz et al. 2023: Ye tool costs are higher. Moreover, by utilizing a drilling
et al. 2020; Eastwood et al. 2010). template, a simple bench drill can also provide dimensional
For a small-level industry, there were two challenges accuracy with very close tolerance at a relatively lower
faced, either an expensive CNC drilling machine was to cost.
be required for precise drilling which was un-affordable, The drilling jigs application resolves any potential
secondly if a low-cost manual drill machine was being inaccuracy of the drilled holes and unreliable assemblies.
utilized, a highly skilled and experienced worker was The alternative name of the drilling jig is a drilling
mandatory to obtain the necessary level of accuracy of template, which is a type of work-holding device that is
holes. As the highly skilled worker also demands around extensively valued in the drilling process to make precise
twice the labor charges in comparison to the semiskilled holes in any assembly of components. The drilling jigs
worker, there was a requirement for some low-cost solution hold the parts upright so that the drilling tools can be
for this problem. As some modifications in any machine appropriately guided to the specific location for the hole-
can greatly enhance its capability, avoiding the requirement making process in the smaller structural applications and
of purchasing newer equipment (Haider et al 2021). The large parts assemblies such as the fuselage of airplanes
drilling jig can also provide the required accuracy level for (Mei et al. 2021; B. Mei 2019; Mosqueira et al. 2012; Oberg
the drilling holes. et al. 2000; Liu et al. 1995).
Moreover, being a small-sized manufacturing and
assembling unit, to gain good profitability there is an
essential requirement of waste reduction either in terms of
elimination of non-value-added activities or by reduction
the defective part productions. As a lot of rework was being
performed, when the drilled hole locations were not precise,
usually one or two holes were drilled again and in a few
cases, all four holes were drilled again in new locations of
plate resulting in more time and energy consumption and
reduced production.
Considering the economic constrained of the unit, the
semiskilled workers and manual machines were found to
be the most suitable solution to attain the sustainability of
the business. Initially, there was a lot of rework and rejected
parts observed, due to the drilled hole misalignments, lower
skill level, and poor precise machinery.
To overcome this issue a low-cost solution was
proposed, a precision drilling jig. Precision drilling has the
following advantages in comparison to common drilling
practice, firstly there was no more requirement of marking
and center punching on each workpiece, resulting in time-
saving, secondly drilling jig was able to hold the workpiece
rigidly resulting in the precise hole location, and avoiding
any misalignment. This not only solved the rework problem FIGURE 1. Assembly of upper and bottom plates of stove.
but also ensured the elimination of defective part
production which was causing scrap production. Typically, these drilling jigs consist of a horizontal
As the assembly bolts of the upper plate of the stove metallic plate along with a pattern of drilled holes. For
are directly fastened to the bottom plate, through the means drilling holes, the pattern provides a guide to the drilling
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tools and an accurate hole-making process. Before the have the capability of holding workpieces and providing
drilling process, the template is clamped to the workpiece a guide to the drilling holes for different kinds of hole
while after the drilling, when the template is removed, the applications.
workpiece has duplicate holes as the template (B. Mei et In this work a precise drilling jig was designed, this
al. 2019; Zhu et al. 2014; Yuan 2007). jig was aimed to be utilized on the manual and conventional
Due to the higher requirements and broad application types of machines such as manual drills and manual milling
of drilling jigs, many researchers have made contributions machines. The purpose of this effort was to produce precise
to the design considerations for drilling jigs. Robinson holes in the parts without the requirements of the marking
(2003) provided many techniques and applicable principles and center punch operations, resulting in a higher
for drilling jigs. Similarly, Jayaweera (2011) defined the production rate. Moreover, it also ensured the dimensional
construction and validation of a flexible tooling process. accuracy of the holes without the requirement of the CNC
Wiemann (2007) presented a different type of drilling jig, machine and highly skilled workers, reducing the initial
that having the ability to gain the shape of the workpiece investment and higher labor cost.
for many kinds of drilling. The design of the jig was aimed to be robust so it could
Lostlen (1998) also introduced a flexible drilling jig, be further applied to a few other machines such as a radial
which could be adjusted according to the application. Many drill. Figure 2 represents the schematic illustration of a
of the researchers have emphasized the core principle and drilling process, along with the defects associated with the
methodologies for designing generalized drilling jigs that misalignment of the workpiece during the drilling process.

FIGURE 2. Schematic illustration of drilling mechanism.

This drilling jig has the capability of settling on the on its upper surface to guide the drill bit. Moreover, this
bench of the manual bench drill while gripping the template also had the capability of revolving on its central
workpiece inside it, whereas the hole template can be keyed axis, as only one drilling tool/bit is available in a bench
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drill for drilling at a spot. After each drilled hole, the jig Furthermore, a upper covering plate (figure 3 c) for
possesses the ability to rotate on its central axis to make securing the workpiece inside the jig during the drilling
the other spot of the workpiece available for drilling holes. process, this plate has hole pattern in which holes are
required to be produced on workpiece. Lastly, a central
bush (figure 3 d) responsible for constrained rotation of
DESIGN AND FABRICATION OF DRILLING JIG
the jig’s middle and upper plates for rotating the workpiece,
during the drilling process.
Whereas in figure 4 the assembly drawing of the
The design fabrication and analysis of the designed drilling drilling jig is shown.
jig have consisted of the following steps; (a) CAD design
of the drilling jig followed by the assembly of its parts on
Solids-Works. (b) A prototype of the designed jig model
is made of wood to avoid possible defects and initial costs.
(c) Analysis of the wooden prototype and fabrication of
the practical model (Mild Steel) of the jig. (d) Performance
evaluation of the fabricated practical model of the drilling
jig, by analyzing the drilled hole locations.
In the manufacturing sector, jigs are designed as per
the requirements of a component. After need analysis, the
component, which requires drilling at multiple locations,
a bottom plate of the cylinder stove, was selected, and its
dimensions were measured. For an extensive study on the
feasibility of the drilling jig’s conceptual model, the first
step that was followed was the computer-aided design
(CAD) of the drilling jig in Solid Works 2016. Figure 3
represents the descriptions of the major components of the
drilling jig in CAD. As the jig has four major parts, a base
plate (figure 3 a) which has a central hole for bush support
and four curved slots for the chip removal, above that, two
middle plates (figure 3 b) the upper middle plate, empty
form the center, and a lower middle plate with holes for
chip removal, both of plates combined for holding and
gripping the work piece during the drilling process.

FIGURE 4. Drilling Jig Finalized Design and Prototype.

After designing the CAD model, a wooden prototype

was prepared to efficiently resolve design issues (figure 4
b) before making the final Product. After inspection and
testing of this prototype, the drilling jig’s fabrication was
clear in many aspects, such as the material requirements,
the thickness of the metallic plate, the dimensions of each
plate, and the required type of machining for the final finish
product.
Figure 5, illustrates the schematic of the drilling
operation, performed by utilizing drilling jig, the position
of the jig on bench drill table and the hole location on
drilling jig for precision drilling process.
Figure 6, represents a conventional bench drill along
with labelled components for understanding. The bench
drill details are mentioned in table 1.
FIGURE 3. Major components of drilling jig.
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TABLE 1. Specifications of the bench drill machine The drilling jig was designed to work by placing it on
Maximum Drilling 25 mm the worktable of the bench drill, so the suitability of the
Capacity jig was also ensured after analyzing the wooden prototype
Spindle Travel 125 mm on the bench drill.
Spindle Speed Range 340-1800
rpm
Table Diameter 290 mm FABRICATION METHODOLOGY
Base Worktable 335 x 335
mm The fabrication methodology of the drilling jig contains
Voltage 230V many manufacturing operations performed in sequential
Motor Power 750 w order for preparing the operational drilling jig. The drilling
jig was designed and fabricated after an in-depth study of
the available literature on jigs and fixtures (Mei et al. 2019;
Jayaweera et al. 2011; Wiemann et al. 2007). The jig has
four main components i.e., base plate, middle plate, top
plate, and the bushes (Figure 3).
After finalizing the required components, initially, the
2D drawing of the jig was made, which was then
transformed into a 3D model (figure 4 a) of the assembled
jig. Afterward, the 3D model was utilized to produce a
wooden prototype of the drilling jig (figure 4 b). The
wooden prototype made clear a lot of aspects related to the
drilling jig fabrication. The wooden prototype was also
evaluated for its suitability on the work table of the bench
drill. In case of any required changes required the process
was rectified and repeated from the 2D drawing of the jig.
After ensuring the prototype’s acceptability the jig
components were fabricated with mild steel. Almost all
four components of the jig were prepared by performing
similar kinds of operations except a few dissimilar
FIGURE 5. Drilling Jig on bench drill (Schematic Illustration). operations. The material that was selected for drilling the
jig was mild steel, due to its lower cost, easier availability,
and higher machinability.
The shearing operations were performed on the power
hacksaw, and shaper, and turning on the lathe machine.
The holes were made via the drilling process. The precision
of each machined component was ensured via a calibrated
instrument (digital vernier caliper). The electro-discharge
machining was also performed to ensure a proper alignment
of the plates and bush. Furthermore, the electroplating was
done on the plate surfaces to avoid corrosion. After
preparing all components, the jig was assembled by joining
the three square plates, base, middle, and upper, were joined
by mechanical fastenings, and was tested for precision hole
drilling.
The alloying constituents of mild steel are mentioned
in table 2.

FIGURE 6. A Conventional Bench Drill.

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TABLE 2.Composition of Mild Steel TESTING AND VALIDATION

Weight (%) C Fe S Mn P
Min. 0.14 98.8 * 0.6 - For the performance evaluation of the fabricated drilling
Max. 0.2 99.3 0.05 0.9 0.04 jig, experiments were performed, there were thirty drilling
experiments performed in the absence of the drilling jig
The base plate has one hole in the middle to enable and thirty were performed in the utilization of the drilling
the rotation of the middle and upper plate, and there were jig (figure 7 a & b). The collected data of these two cases
four holes 10 mm in diameter for fastening the jig on the was compared to evaluate the precision achieved by the
bed of the bench drill. The base plate also contains four drilling jig.
slots for the removal of chips produced during the drilling
operation.
There were two middle plates, the lower one to be
fastened on the base plate and the upper plate having a
cavity inside in it, to hold work of circular, square, and
octagonal geometry with the dimensions of (100 x 100 x
15 mm). Both were fastened together to avoid any
misalignment. Dimensions of different Jig components are
provided in Table 3.

TABLE 3. Dimensions of Different Jig Components

Component Dimensions (mm)
Name
Base Plate 200 x 200 x 15
Middle Plate 1 150 x 150 x 10
Middle Plate 2 150 x 150 x 15 (Internal Cavity:
100 x 100 x 15)
Top Plate 150 x 150 x 10
Bush Outer Dia.: 10, Inner Dia.: 06,
Height: 10

Like the base plate, the lower middle plate also

contains four holes. The purpose of these holes is the
removal of drilling chips for uninterrupted operation. The
upper plate, which was utilized for covering and holding
the work rigidly into the middle plate cavity, can revolve
on a corner pin for loading and unloading the workpiece
with the application of bush and afterward keyed to be
positioned on its place.
A HSS twist drill bit of 5 mm diameter (figure 7 c)
was utilized for the drilling purposes in the hardboard, and
mild steel plate. The drill bit was positioned in the chuck
of the drill machine and was able to reach the workpiece
for a through-hole drilling process, either in the application
of the jig or without the jig.
Moreover, there was a hole pattern in the upper plate
to guide the drill bit in work. The whole jig was able to
rotate on its central axis to make a hole in different locations
of the workpiece. Figure 8 & 9 shows the drilling jig’s real
images during the operation and the drilled part after the
hole has been drilled.

Figure 7. Mechanism of the drill jig (working).

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A locking pin is also utilized to ensure the fixed jig for producing holes in the mild steel. The ascending
position of the upper plate during the drilling process. After order of the spindle speed was selected and in the first step,
performing the drilling process the upper plate is again the holes were produced without utilizing the drilling jig.
displaced by removing the locking pin and the finished Once all thirty holes without jig were produced, the jig was
workpiece is removed from the jig. placed on the bench of the drill machine to produce precise
Figure 7(a, b) explains the geometry, parts, and the drilled holes.
mechanism of drilling jig during the process. Initially, the Figure 8(a) represents the essential steps of
upper plate of the jig is displaced via rotation, and the conventional manual drilling practices compared to the
workpiece is placed inside the cavity of the jig, afterwards, drilling process with a jig application. As in the absence
the upper plate is returned back to the initial position, of the drilling jig, there is a mandatory requirement of the
closing the jig. marking (step 1), center punching (step 2), drilling the
The drilling experiments were performed under three workpiece (step 3), and the finished workpiece (step 4).
spindle speeds of the bench drill 340, 700, and 1000 rpm. Whereas, the jig application eliminates the first two steps
At each speed there were ten experiments performed. The of the manual drilling process and reduces the setup time,
values of spindle speed were changed by the selection of figure 8 (b). In the jig application, step 1, is to open the jig,
the different pulley combinations in bench drill machine. step 2 is workpiece placement, step 3 is the drilling
An HSS drill bit having a diameter of 5 mm was operation and in step 4, the finished workpiece is obtained.
utilized for the drilling of 10 holes in each experiment. To First, the jig was placed and fastened onto the
avoid any variation caused by the tool wear each workbench of the bench drill, a dial gauge was also utilized
experiment was performed with the new tool (figure 7 c). to ensure the alignment of the drilling jig on the bench of
A mild steel square plate (100x100x15 mm) was selected the drill machine, after removing the upper covering plate
for the workpiece, as this material is very common in local of the jig, the work was placed in the cavity of the middle
manufacturing industries and this jig was aimed to produce plate after placing the square mild steel work-piece (100
higher precise holes in the mild steel parts. x 100 x 15mm) the upper plate was replaced and keyed.
The recommended speed of drilling the mild steel is The holes were made according to the drilled hole pattern
1000 rpm for the bench drill so the spindle speed was kept in the upper plate. During the whole process, the different
lower than 1000 rpm. A semi-skilled worker was assigned aspects were ensured, such as the alignment of the drilling
to perform the experimentation on the bench drill, either jig on the drill bench, meshing of plates on each other,
in the absence of the drilling jig or in the application of the rotation of middle and top plates, and work holding (Figure
8b).

FIGURE 8. Drilling process with and without drilling jig

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As the holes were produced, the maximum values of corner of the plate for each hole. Deviations were measured
deviations were measured for each hole via a calibrated for both conditions, without the jig application (figure 9 a)
instrument (digital vernier calipers). For deviation and with the application of the jig (figure 9 b). A dowel pin
measurement the drilled hole position was measured with was inserted inside the hole and a calibrated tool (digital
the reference to the central point to which the hole was vernier calipers) was utilized to find the distance between
required to be produced, the location was measured in three the hole and the two nearest edges of the plate, moreover,
directions, in which two were measured with respect to the the distance between the hole and the edge corner was also
nearest edges of the plate and one with respect to the nearest measured for each hole.

FIGURE 9. Location measurement of drilled holes, drilled with and without drilling jig.

In this methodology, all holes were measured for the In comparison to the CNC drilling machines having
deviation, from the position where the holes were aimed a precision value of 0.01~0.02mm, this drilling jig has a
to be produced. For convenience the center of the aimed precision value of 0.1~0.5 mm which is quite less, however,
hole was referred to as x = 0, y = 0, from the nearest edges, the cost (~1000000 Pkr) of CNC machines is unaffordable
and xy = 0 from the nearest corner (figure 2). The maximum for a small sized production unit, furthermore this value
measured deviation value (±) in either direction (x, y or of precision 0.1~0.5 mm is acceptable for this required
xy) was plotted for each hole with respect to drill spindle assembly.
speed, for each condition either holes were made without Moreover, the accuracy requirements for the aircraft’s
jig application or with the application of the jig. and automobiles parts assembly usually have a very high
On each value of the spindle speed, 10 drilling tolerance value, for smaller parts such as engine valves, so
experiments were performed to gain certainty in the results, these are being machined by CNC machines having
figure 10 (a), (b) and (c), represents the values of deviations precision values more than ±0.0127 mm, and for bigger
in the drilled holes from the marked positions on the steel parts such as body panels a higher value of tolerance of ±2
plate, when the holes were drilled without and with the mm is also acceptable (Quellmalz 2007). So, this type of
application of drilling jig. The deviations were measured jig having a precision value of ±0.5 mm can also be applied
via a calibrated instrument (digital vernier calipers) having to the bigger part assemblies of automobiles and aircraft,
a least count of 0.01 mm. From each hole, the maximum for economic purposes.
value of deviation was linearly measured, as it is shown in
Figure 2.
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RESULT AND DISCUSSION of the hole position was appreciable, as almost all hole
positions were precise up to 0.1-0.3 mm concerning the
drilled hole pattern on the top plate of the drilling jig.
From the results, it was found that without the application
Figure 10, (a), (b) and (c) represents the comparison
of a jig, the higher values of spindle speeds resulted in
of the values of deviation in the drilled holes, produced
higher values of deviation in comparison to the lower
with and without drilling jig and under three different
values of the spindle speeds. As on the higher values of
spindle speeds.
the spindle, the chance of misalignment and dislocation of
Starting from the spindle speed of 340 rpm there were
the workpiece is higher.
10 holes drilled in the mild steel workpiece in both
Whenever the workpiece is misaligned the drilled hole
conditions (with and without drilling jig) after completion
shall also be misaligned and the dislocation of the
of the experimentation the drilled holes were analyzed and
workpiece shall result in the poor precision of the drilled
the location of the holes was verified by the calibrated
hole. As it has been shown in Figure 2.
instrument (digital calipers).
The deviation in the hole location makes assembly
The maximum derivation of each hole was noted and
difficult or in many cases holes were required to be again
a comparison was drawn in the graphical representation
drilled on the plate. For the assembly of this stove plate,
for better understanding. Figure 10 (a) represents the
an acceptable tolerance was 0.5 mm and when the deviation
measured deviations of holes produced under the speed of
was more than 0.5 mm the rework, depending upon the
340 rpm. From the results it was found that the maximum
number of misaligned holes was required.
value deviation which was observed without the jig, was
As if there were only one or two holes misaligned
1.55 mm whereas the maximum value of the deviation
those were enlarged in diameter and the stove was
which was measured with the jig was 0.5mm, furthermore,
assembled with the help of additional washers and nuts,
the closest tolerance of location was 0.17 mm was also
rather than directly assembling with the presence of internal
achieved by the jig application.
threading in correctly positioned holes. Moreover, if more
In the second step of experimentation, the next 10
than two holes were misaligned, those were also rectified
holes were produced under the spindle speed of 700 rpm,
by drilling again all four holes in the plate.
in the absence and under the utilization of the jig (figure
This requirement of rework and additional washer and
10 b). As the spindle speed was almost double the previous
nuts resulted in lower production and additional cost. It
step the higher values of deviation were also observed. The
was observed that a semiskilled worker was able to produce
maximum deviation value of hole location was 1.78 mm
only 50% to 65% drilled plates in comparison to the skilled
in the absence of a jig, whereas the application jig reduced
worker during a shift due to rework requirements.
this up to 0.4 mm and the most precise value was 0.03 mm.
The requirement of additional washers and nuts was
Lastly, 10 holes were drilled on the spindle speed of
causing lower profitability and poor aesthetics, as a bigger-
1000 rpm. Likewise the rest of experiments ten experiments
sized screw was required to join the stove assembly.
were performed without jig and ten with jig utilization
On the contrary, when the jig was applied for the
(figure 10 c). From the obtained results it was obvious that
drilling process, it was found that the jig not only solved
the highest value of hole location deviation was 2.4 mm
the problems of inaccurate hole locations and misalignments
without jig application, which was reduced to the value of
but also enabled the drilling process on a higher spindle
0.5 mm after the application of the jig. Moreover, the
speed of 1000 rpm.
closest tolerance value under the jig utilization was 0.01
As for the measured data it was found that by utilizing
mm, in the measured values.
the drilling jig the location inaccuracy was lowered when
From the experimentation, it was quite obvious that,
the spindle speed was increased.
on the higher values of spindle speed the deviation was
This phenomenon was observed due to a rigidly
more obvious as compared to those experiments in which
gripped workpiece in the jig which was drilled under the
spindle speed was kept lower. However, in all three cases
speed of 1000 rpm resulting in a very short workpiece and
of different spindle speeds, the application of the jig
tool contact. As the rotating tool has a higher speed, it
resulted in closer tolerance of the hole location.
produced the hole quickly, smaller contact time with the
Based on this research and obtained results, it was
workpiece the hole ensured the entering and exiting of the
found that this designed drill jig can increase the machining
drill bit within a short time, the hole dimension was not
accuracy and can drill precise holes while utilizing any
disturbed.
ordinary type of bench drill. Thus, as a low-cost solution
On the completion of the experimentation, obtained
compared to high-cost CNC machines, it can be successfully
results were found quite satisfactory in comparison to the
applied where parts need to be held tightly via a mechanical
drilled holes in the absence of the drill jig. The accuracy
fastening.
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The measured values of deviations of holes were also Figure 11 (a) and (b), represents the comparison of the
analyzed, under the spindle speed variations without jig deviations in the hole location when the hole was produced
application, and it was found that on increasing spindle under the application of the drilling jig.
speed, there was an increase in the values of deviation
regarding the hole locations—figure 11 (a).

FIGURE 10. Values of deviation in drilled holes (with/without jig)

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FIGURE 11. Values of deviation in drilled holes (With /without drill jig)

However, it was found that the values of deviation CONCLUSION

were reducing as the spindle speed was increased in each
step when the drilling jig was applied.
This work presents the design fabrication and analysis of
This phenomenon can be explained as when the
a precise drilling jig for manual machines as a cost-effective
workpiece was held rigidly on the drill jig the drill bit was
solution. This jig is highly applicable for the different types
unable to displace it and the hole was produced rapidly
of materials and hole locations. The currently designed
due to higher spindle speed and the bit was returned to its
drilling jig has been proven to be a low-cost solution in
position quickly. As the bit was not in contact with the
comparison to the high-cost CNC machines and higher
workpiece for much time the hole did not deviated
wage requirement of skilled workers.
considerably.
As this jig requires only the placement of the
Another finding of this work was that this drilling jig
workpiece and drilling can be performed conveniently, this
only ensures the precise alignment of the workpiece inside,
eliminates the requirement of marking and center punch
but the alignment of the jig is required to be ensured
for drilling holes. The deviation in the drilled hole locations
initially on the bench drill table via calibrated instruments.
measured, be accurate up to 0.28 mm in comparison to the
Moreover, as this jig was made of mild steel, the same
hole drilled without jig having an accuracy of 1.55 mm. It
material as the workpiece, the initial poorly aligned jig
is providing the evidence of closer tolerance achievement
placements on the bench drill also resulted in the
by utilizing drilling jig.
degradation of the hole entrance of the jig’s upper plate.
The elimination of rework (waste) was the main
This highlighted that the fabrication material for the jig
objective for the application of drill jig which was
should have more hardness, such as die steel.
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successfully obtained as drilled holes were produced within C.C.A. Eguti, L.G. Trabasso, E. Villani, G.K. Coracini &
the required tolerance of 0.5 mm. L.F.F. Furtado. 2012. Development of a robotic end-
The jig also provided the option of high spindle speed effector of drilling and fasteners inserter for aircraft
drilling (1000 rpm) for higher production speed. Without structures. SAE International.
jig spindle speed of 1000 rpm was creating too many D.W. Robinson. 2003. Practical Design and Use of Drill
Template Jigs in Spacecraft Manufacturing. In
dimensional errors.
ASME 2003 International Mechanical Engineering
The overall cost required to produce one jig on the
Congress and Exposition. American Society of
experimental scale was Pkr 3000 which shall be further Mechanical Engineers, (2003), pp. 251-258.
reduced to Pkr 2000, in mass production, making it further Ezugwu, C. et al. 2023. Cost-effective solution to water
cost-effective. The standard design of the jig has been scarcity in dryland environments using sand dam.
introduced; however, the design can be modified for any Jurnal Kejuruteraan 35(2): 383–390. https://doi.
other requirements. The current design idea has been org/10.17576/jkukm-2023-35(2)-09.
analyzed and fabricated and the comprehensive details of Glaissa, M.A., Asmael, M. and Zeeshan, Q. 2020.
all components with illustrations. Recent applications of residual stress measurement
This jig design can be utilized in different drilling techniques for FSW joints: A Review. Jurnal
applications. The precision drilling jig provides a low-cost Kejuruteraan 32(3): 357–371. https://doi.
solution for drilling accurate holes in different types of org/10.17576/jkukm-2020-32(3)-01.
G. Mosqueira, J. Apetz, K.M. Santos, E. Villani, R.
materials and geometries. Compared with other traditional
Suterio & L.G. Trabasso. 2012. Analysis of the indoor
tools such as CNC drilling machines, this precise drilling
GPS system as feedback for the robotic alignment
jig provides several benefits i.e., simpler in design, lower of fuselages using laser radar measurements as
manufacturing cost, easy to operation, and insurance to comparison. Robot. Comput. Integr. Manuf. 28: 700–
assembly precision. 709.
Haider, S.M. et al. 2021. Experimental investigations
on the effects of HHO gas fuel additive on
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT performance of a gasoline engine. Pakistan Journal
of Engineering and Technology 4(4): 73–78. https://
doi.org/10.51846/vol4iss4pp73-78.
The authors would like to thank the Pakistan Navy
H. Ye, D. Wang, J. Wu, Y. Yue & Y. Zhou. 2020. Forward
Engineering College, National University of Sciences and
and inverse kinematics of a 5-DOF hybrid robot
Technology and University of Engineering and Technology, for composite material machining. Robot. Comput.
Pakistan for the support to conduct this research. Integr. Manuf. 65: 101961.
Haider, S.M. et al. 2022. Thermal experiments and
analysis on adhesive cleaning of work-holding
DECLARATION OF COMPETING devices by grinding. The International Journal of
INTEREST Advanced Manufacturing Technology 122(9-10):
3849–3865. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-022-
10139-w.
None.
H. Yuan. 2007. Manufacturing technology of
connecting hole in aircraft structures. Aeronautical
Manufacturing Technology 1: 96-99.
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