Diamond drilling is a relatively new commodity in terms of
drilling. The first known diamond drilling activities were carried
out in the Swiss Alps around 1863 when the Swiss engineer
M Leschot designed and made a tube with a diamond set face
which was used in probing ahead drilling for the Mont Cenis
tunnel (Figure 1). Craelius AB which today is a part of the Atlas Copco Group
was formed in 1886. The name Craelius is a family name and the
founder of the company was Per Anton Craelius (Figure 2). He
went to the United States to study this new technology using
diamonds to extract core samples and when he returned to
Sweden designed his first diamond drilling machine. It was a
man-powered drill needing a crew of six men, two to crank the
unit, one to feed, two to power the flush pump and a foreman
(Figure 3). As time passed through research and development, the original
design was improved and manpower was substituted for steam
engines and later combustion engines or electric motors (Figure 4). During the 1930s the drills radically changed designs and took
the form of the short stroke drills which to a certain extent are
still in use today. The original design of these drills have been
refined during the years, hydraulic chucks, gear boxes and other
improvements have been added.