Aircore Drilling

Edge Drilling are Western Australia’s leading Air Core Drilling company. Our Air-core drilling solution uses steel or tungsten blades to bore a hole into unconsolidated ground. The drill cuttings are removed by the injection of compressed air into the hole. This method of drilling is used to drill the weathered regolith (loose, heterogeneous material covering solid rock) as the drill rig and steel or tungsten blades cannot penetrate fresh rock. Air Core Drilling is perfect for the difficult West Australian conditions.

Where possible, air-core drilling is preferred over RAB drilling as it provides a more representative sample.

Air-core drilling is relatively inexpensive and is often used in first pass exploration drill programs. Air-core drilling is limited to depths of 50-60 metres and is drilled using a smaller rig known as an Air-core rig. It is possible to use hammer or tri-cone roller for drilling through cap rock at the top of the hole, but not for hammer tails.
Using a percussion hammer and multiple compressors and boosters, Edge Drilling’s rotary splitting and inline systems produce dry, perfect representative samples.

Edge Drilling’s RC drilling division utilise the latest industry standard safety engineering and sampling systems with a primary focus on the safety of our employees. Employing the best techniques, learnt from vast experience in all types of difficult formations and in the harshest environments.