Cutting Structures & Options

Hole Opener Corporation offers a wide range of cutter types and options to be utilized in conjunction with our underreamers, hole openers and other tools. This is yet another example of how the flexibility and adaptability of our equipment allows us to meet the specific needs and requirements of our customers.

Roller Cones

All cones are sealed bearing with pressure compensator actuator to ensure cutter bearings are continually being lubricated from a grease reservoir either in the spindle or the cutter journal.

Mill Tooth – Uninterrupted

• HOC’s standard and most used cone type. The teeth patterns come in either all straight or a combination of left, right and straight.
• For uses in soft, medium and medium-hard formations (shale, sand, salt, dolomite, sandstone).
• Used on both underreamers and hole openers.

Mill Tooth – Interrupted

• Popular among Security Custom and larger Security field changeable hole opener tools. Utilizing the interrupted teeth in softer formations helps prevent cutters from “balling” up.
• Can come with or without webbed gauge protection.
• For use in soft formations.
• Used primarily on hole openers.

Tungsten Carbide Insert (TCI)

• TCI cutters are generally used in harder formations and provide a “pulverizing” cut rather than a rip, as with the mill tooth cutters.
• The Tungsten carbide inserts can come in a variety of shapes depending on the abrasiveness of the formation.
• Used on both underreamers and hole openers.

Drag Type Cutters

Drag type cutters are more common to the underreaming and smaller hole opener applications.

PDC (Polycrystalline Diamond Compact)

• Most commonly known and used drag type cutter. An excellent cutting structure in consolidated hard abrasive formations.
• Composed of multiple PDC inserts with specific designs to prevent wear, minimize vibration and increase Rate of Penetration (ROP).
• Provides a shearing action while drilling.
• Not always necessary in most formations.
• Used on both underreamers and hole openers.

ADD (Advanced Drilling Design) Cutter

• The HOC ADD Cutter is proprietary cutter technology providing extended tool life under the most adverse conditions.
• Cutter is composed of carbide tiles and buttons in a similar arrangement as a PDC cutter and a cost-effective alternative to PDC.
• Carbide tiles provide the shearing cutting action while the carbide buttons act as shock absorbers and are arranged to provide non-continuous, interrupted surface in opposed relation to formation being drilled – which increases the life of the cutter.
• HOC has seen very good success in most roller cone applications as well as milder PDC applications. Good in both consolidated and non-consolidated formations.

Hybrid Cutter

• The hybrid cutter is a product of resourcefulness. When a cutter arm’s PDC or ADD inserts are damaged but the arm is still in like-new condition, we will inlay crushed carbide to provide additional cutting structure.
• A cost-effective alternative for softer consolidated or non-consolidated formations.