WorldWide Drilling Resource

18 SEPTEMBER 2019 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® To Infinity and Beyond - A History of Innovation Adapted from Infinity Tool MFG Infinity Tool MFG in Benton, Illinois, founded by Todd Taylor and Kenny Sentel, prides itself with “Made in America” products designed with the drilling professional in mind. A relatively young company with a combined experience of over 100 years in the drilling industry, their knowledgeable and dedicated Team knows the business and are always happy to help. They are proud to deliver industry-leading standards of manufacturing and innovation from their home in the heart of the midwest. Infinity produces rock drilling consumables and accessories. The company has been designing and manufacturing PDC bits since 2009, but they wanted to offer a solution for customers to open the pilot hole to larger sizes using their existing rig. In 2012, Infinity launched a new PDC reamer concept as a solution, one with a taper and spiral, drilling up to five times faster than traditional methods. Their unique design earned an international patent in 2014. The company also custom makes PDC steering bits that are suited to drilling for gas and oil, geothermal and water well construction, horizontal directional drilling, as well as mining. Bit diameters range from 1-7/8 inches to 18 inches in a variety of cutters and optional back-out cutters and jets. Drag bits are suited for drilling in sand, clay, or soft rock. These bits are manufactured with tungsten carbide teeth to tackle bores with mixed ground conditions. One of their newest innovations is the Big Flush PDC drill bit, which provides high volume drilling fluid at low pressures to give high performance in softer drilling conditions. Designed specifically for soft sand and shale, the Big Flush is ideal for geothermal and water well drilling. Infinity has modernized the drilling industry’s bit choices by their progressive philosophy and teamwork. Because using a PDC bit compared to conventional rock boring methods increases penetration rates, this translates into both financial and mechanical benefits. Financial benefits include faster project completion, fuel savings, and re- duced labor costs per completed borehole. Mechanical benefits include less stress on the drill rig due to less torque required and less vibration on the drill rods, no moving parts with PDC bits, and clean holes with a consistent size. Infinity also manufactures push or pull body configuration, with reamers available from 6 to 48 inches. Infinity’s quality products are 100% designed and manufactured in Illinois for a worldwide market. The company operates under a certified international quality standard ISO 9001:2015. Customers benefit by working with an organization that follows an international standard, improving their service quality and making their clients a number one priority. Infinity’s expert engineering and drafting Team designs and manu- factures custom parts from even the most complex designs. At their state-of-the-art facility, they offer computer numerically controlled (CNC) cut threads, long hole boring (up to 80 inches), custom en- graving, turning, and milling (both from 32-inch-diameter to 120 inches long). Cable tool bits are available in flat faced designs, drop center designs, or a design for soft rock. The Team also offers bit repair for all makes and models of PDC bits and reamers with one of the fastest turnaround times in the industry. Using high-quality photos of customers’ worn bits, they offer estimates the same day. Indeed, Infinity Tool’s excellence was noted when they were voted fi- nalist in the annual Northeast Oil and Gas Awards for Manufacturer of the Year in both 2017 and 2018. In late 2018, Infinity expanded their manufacturing facility to 45,000 square feet to allow production to keep up with demand. As a result, the company added several new machine tools, resulting in doubling manufacturing capacity. Running most of the machines for “lights out manufacturing,” they reduce overall energy costs. Manufacturing expense reduction translates to savings for customers as well as meeting tight deadlines. Expansion and increased output of their facility has allowed the company to hire more professionals in a range of departments, from sales all the way through upper management, providing an increased level of service to clients. Continuing to work toward the future, they anticipate launching a variety of new products by the end of the year. Infinity also continually improves their processes to ensure they identify all present customer needs and assess future requirements because customer satisfaction is paramount. Before Infinity Tool Team Big Flush Custom Machining DIR After