Drill bit with cutter pockets formed by plunge edm

Abstract

The disclosure provides an improved method for manufacturing a drill bit. The method includes applying a hardfacing material to the drill bit, forming a cutter pocket within the drill bit with plunge EDM, and inserting a cutting element into the cutter pocket.

1 . A method of manufacturing a drill bit, the method comprising:
 applying a hardfacing to the drill bit having at least one blade;   forming a cutter pocket on the at least one blade with plunge EDM; and   inserting a cutting element into the cutter pocket.   
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising machining the drill bit from steel. 
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the hardfacing is applied to the drill bit by an automated system. 
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the automated system is a CNC machine. 
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the plunge EDM is controlled by an automated system. 
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the automated system is a CNC machine. 
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the cutting element is comprised of PDC. 
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein forming the cutter pocket with plunge EDM comprises at least one plunge EDM pass. 
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein forming the cutter pocket with plunge EDM comprises a plurality of plunge EDM passes. 
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the plunge EDM comprises a plurality of electrodes. 
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the forming the cutter pocket occurs after the applying the hardfacing. 
   
   
       12 . A method of manufacturing a drill bit, the method comprising:
 forming a bit body having at least one blade thereon;   applying a hardfacing to at least a portion of the bit body;   forming a cutter pocket on the at least one blade with plunge EDM; and   inserting a cutting element into the cutter pocket.   
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein forming the bit body comprises at least one of machining, casting, and forging. 
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the hardfacing is applied to the drill bit by an automated system. 
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the automated system is a CNC machine. 
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the plunge EDM is controlled by an automated system. 
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the automated system is a CNC machine. 
   
   
       18 . A drill bit manufactured with the method of  claim 1 .