The year was 1990, StraightLine Manufacturing (later to become StraightLine HDD) was just a year removed from launching its DirectLine steerable boring machine. Demand for the game-changing machine was intense.
In the frenzy to meet growing demand and to advance the technology, StraightLine engineers began to realize rig technology was outpacing down-hole tooling. The deficiency was particularly apparent in back-reaming, where contractors were building tools ad-hock—with limited success.
A New Focus: Down-Hole Tooling
Realizing that the continued adoption of HDD depended on advancements in both rigs AND tooling technology, StraightLine began funneling a significant percentage of research and development resources into down-hole tooling. Reamer development was among the first areas of focus.
In 1990 alone, StraightLine rolled out two first generation reamers: a closed-body reamer for hard formations and a winged reamer for softer soils.
Over the next several years, the investment in down-hole tooling R&D paid off with additional reamer designs as well as significant advancements in every part of the down-hole tool string. By 2003, StraightLine had completely shifted its energy and expertise to the design and manufacture of down-hole tools.
Responding to Contractors’ Need for Speed
In today’s HDD world, contractors are being asked to do more, with less—and do it faster. That trend aligns well with StraightLine’s decades-long commitment to manufacturing Ready-To-Work tooling.
Along with 1,000’s of tools ready to ship—from adapters, transmitter housings and bits to drive chucks and sub-savers—StraightLine stocks 15 reamer designs in 100’s of sizes, all guaranteed to ship within 36 hours of order.
Decades-long investments in reamer tech are apparent in product breadth and responsiveness to custom requests.
Of course, when you need a reamer that’s configured to your rig and condition, our team of design and fabrication professionals can turn your request into a custom reamer solution in a matter of days!
