WorldWide Drilling Resource

Serving the International Drilling Community for Over 50 Years Adapted from Information by FRASTE S.p.A. In 1964, Benito Fracca founded FRASTE in the mechanical construction field. Soon he developed his first water well drilling rig, and began work in the drilling field. At that time, the drilling industry was very traditional, and mainly used mechanical transmission systems. By using hy- draulics for its drilling units, FRASTE was one of the Italian pioneers of modern drilling. In 1967, the first FRASTE machine was placed online, and a new factory was built in Nogara, near Verona, Italy. Soon, FRASTE rigs began to win fame in the Italian drilling industry and quality became standard. By 1978, the company expanded its original headquarters and began attending international trade fairs in Italy. This laid the foundation for entering the foreign market. Between 1979-1984, the European market opened its doors to FRASTE drill rigs. It won its first international tender for the supply of 13 water well drilling units in Bangladesh. The company broke into the geotechnical field during 1985, when it launched its line of small geotechnical/soil investigation drill rigs. This line soon evolved into the new Multidrill line. It was in 1992 when the company released the first automatic drill pipe loading system, the Manipulator, mounted on a FS 300 crawler-mounted rig, the first in a long series. Growth continued into the new millenium. The company celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2004. This is also when FRASTE introduced the "Mito" foundation drilling rig series: a milestone for the company’s production of foundation rigs. During this period, the company expanded on a global level, while new technological solutions and construction criteria were adopted. The company soon introduced the first drilling rig with a double rotary head, as well as its multipurpose exploration rigs line. Expansion continued in 2008, FRASTE needed a second production facility and increased its workforce and capability. FRASTE Drilling Rigs Australia was established in 2011. The Australian branch of the company focused mainly on sell- ing the multipurpose exploration rigs. Several FRASTE loca- tions joined the celebration as the company marked its 50th anniversary in 2014. This year, the company proudly announced the addi- tion of two new models, the Multidrill SL and Multidrill ML featuring state-of-the-art Stage VI - Tier 4 final diesel engines. These powerful machines can be really defined as a heap of innovation. The new Multidrill SL is an all-purpose drilling rig. With its modular mast and different fittings, it offers all qualities of a large drilling rig, but in a compact size. It is ideal for soil investigation, environmental monitoring, and small water wells. The Multidrill ML is also a powerful rig. Its compact size and high performance allows a large and multipurpose field of applications including: soil investigation, environmental monitoring, and water well drilling. It works easily with all drilling sys- tems: rotary drilling with direct/reverse fluid or air circulation; DTH hammer; roto- percussion system; conventional; and wireline coring. It also features a wide range of drilling tools and accessories to meet any drilling need. Benito Fracca continues to run the company as president. Under his leadership, the company now provides high-quality drilling rigs for the water well, geotechnical, geothermal, mineral exploration, seismic, and foundation drilling industries. 8 SEPTEMBER 2018 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® 1967 - First FRASTE machine. ENV