The History of AutoDrill LLC
Business Established – From the beginning, Joseph Agro, Sr.’s business philosophy was based on exceptional service, selection, quality and value. Having already acquired decades of experience in the machinery field and leading other companies to success for years, he established AutoDrill LLC. The company now has a highly devoted customer base, competitive pricing and superior quality products. Today, AutoDrill stands as one of the leading experts for production drilling, tapping and all things multiple spindle head related.
- Late 1990’s – The AutoDrill design was created. The first prototypes were extremely successful. This would lead to the development of the AutoDrill 1000, AutoDrill 2000 and eventually the AutoDrill 5000 self-feed drills. Accessories such as tap-capable drills, multiple spindle units and specialty set-ups would follow the release of each model. Although containing some similarities in appearance, each AutoDrill design was specifically engineered to meet growing demands in the manufacturing and production hole processing industry.
- Early 1999 – Launch of the 2000 and 2100 Series AutoDrill: The 2000 series and 2100 series AutoDrill self-feeder units are the most common units sold by AutoDrill. Capable of performing small to medium size hole processes, they are relatively light, compact and yet powerful enough for some of the most demanding applications. These models can be found in industries ranging from food service to aerospace, military applications to the medical field.
- Mid 1999 – Launch of the 1000 and 1100 Series AutoDrill: The 1000 and 1100 series AutoDrill self-feed units are provided when a customer has a space constraint within their process. Designed to be extremely compact and lightweight, the 1000 and 1100 series units fit where no other drill on the market can. They often outperform units that are much larger. This unit is a favorite of engineers in the medical and small appliance field, especially when working in aluminum, plastic and fiberglass-filled products.
- Early 2000 – Launch of the 2000 Series AutoTap Unit: The 2000 series AutoTap unit was the first product offered by AutoDrill as a self-feeding tap machine. It is capable of tapping reliably in a wide range of materials and sizes. With a range from 1/3HP to 2HP and <100 RPM to 2000 RPM, the unit is extremely versatile.
- Mid 2000 – AutoDrill Multiple Spindle Heads Were Released: AutoDrill began developing its Multiple Spindle Head Division early by purchasing pre-assembled heads from Europe. We soon found out that their quality was not all that great and their prices were sometimes outrageous. We now have suppliers providing housings, spindles, gears, etc. to us directly so we can offer you the very best product at the very best price. Capable of operating as close as 0.532″ (13.5mm), performing hole processes of 0.750″ (20mm) or larger, spanning distances of more than three feet and sometimes containing 36 or more spindles, we believe we are the most diverse multiple spindle head provider in the world.
- Mid 2000 – 2200 Series AutoDrill Becomes Available: The 2200 Series AutoDrill was designed as a quill feed unit with a simple pull style feed control. What this means in the customer’s shop is that a stop does not need to be placed on the fixture for the feed control. It is fully integrated into the AutoDrill design. This is a tremendous advantage when you have a multiple spindle head in the way or can not place a stop conveniently in the set-up.
- 2000 – Development of Pneumatic Controls Division: AutoDrill began offering relatively simple pneumatic controls with its units so that customers, machine builders and dealers could have a one stop source for their machines with simple controls. Whether it be a simple stroke control or a control integrated with a Programmable Logic Computer (PLC), clamps, sequencing of multiple units, etc. AutoDrill can help.
- 2001 – Development of Electrical Panel Controls Division: To keep up with the continued growth in cutting edge technology, AutoDrill began offering electrical panels to its customers. This allows an application to be completely controlled by computer or PLC and increases efficiency in production, quality and control.
- 2002 – First Integration with Key Machine Builder: AutoDrill and a key machine builder in the USA started working together to offer higher end set-ups and “turn key” products for customers. Because AutoDrill wanted to focus on what it did best, it had always stayed away from building full fixture stands with clamps, linear feeders, bowl feeders, complex safety systems, etc. With this new business arrangement, customers now had a source for even the most complex fixtures, fully automated lines, etc. To this day, AutoDrill works closely with the engineers and designers there.
- 2003 – Joe Agro, Sr. brings a second generation Agro, his son Joe Agro, Jr., into the business as a partner. Joe Jr’s instinct for efficiency and quality becomes one of the leading factors that continue to drive AutoDrill’s growth and success.
- 2005 – AutoDrill expands its facility. With around 200,000 square foot of building surrounding them, they more than tripled their previous facility size to better serve customers. The AutoDrill facility is currently located at:
50 Division Avenue, Millington, NJ 07946 (geo:lat=40.673176654697414 geo:lon=-74.52311754226685) - 2006 – Launch of the 5000, 5100, 5200, 5000 AutoTap and 5000 Annular Cutter Units: After years of design and testing, these self-feeders are one of our most successful product lines to date. The 5000 series units rise above all others in their class. With its dual integrated guide rod set-up, high thrust numbers and high horsepower capability, all of the units in this series are serious workhorses! The 5000 series unit is perfect for high HP, high thrust applications where feed control is not necessary. The 5100 series is an excellent self-feeder unit for single hole drilling, reaming, etc. The 5200 series quill feed unit can be used for single or multiple hole processes where a fixture mounted stop is not possible or desired. The 5000 AutoTap is capable of tapping larger holes and multiple holes at the same time. Finally, the 5000 Annular Cutter Unit is the perfect machine for structural steel, well pipe drilling, etc. The 5000 series line of products is well on its way to outselling all previous units as competitors sell units with similar capabilities for 2-10 times the cost of the AutoDrill machine.
- 2007 – Integration with Multiple Key OEMs: These OEMs offer everything from material pushers and cutters to burning tables, CNC set-ups, etc. Because the AutoDrill product fits so well, these OEMs typically come to us first when they need any type of drilling, reaming, tapping or other hole processing machinery. One of the most successful partnerships is with the folks over at Kentucky Gauge (http://www.kentuckygauge.com/).
- 2010 – Control Feed Tapper Improvement: An improvement to the 2000 series AutoTap design, this is our new standard. This technology allows customers to tap very small holes or tap in very soft materials without worrying about the thrust of the machine damaging the fragile threads. By providing fully adjustable feed control in both directions, the machine can be used to tap a multitude of hole sizes and thread pitches with nothing more than a simple adjustment between part runs. Many competitors force you to partially disassemble their cumbersome lead screw based units. This improvement also allows AutoDrill to incorporate its SkipFeed option for faster cycle times and thus greater cost savings. Finally, this upgrade to the design allows AutoDrill to fully integrate its multiple spindle head tapping technology on the 2000 series unit.
- 2015 – AutoDrill expanded into a larger location to better serve its customers.
- 2022 – AutoDrill, once again, moved to a new facility to more efficiently serve its ever-expanding customer base.
With a 30 plus country international client base and multiplied tens of thousands of transactions, AutoDrill has enough experience to professionally discuss or help solve your application challenges and needs. Whether your job is for a single automated drill machine or a fully automated multi-spindle drilling, tapping and final finishing line, AutoDrill is ready to help you succeed.