In 2002 Patrik Håkansson founded Göteborgs Hålmetod, and in 2016 Andreas Trönnberg joined the company. Andreas is well known in the concrete cutting business, both in Sweden and globally (many readers have probably seen his Facebook posts in CCNA and other groups about different jobs he has done). Andreas started working in the concrete cutting industry when he was only 15, as school wasn’t really his thing, but figuring out new solutions and solving problems soon became a passion. 

“I loved the fact that no project was the same and I realised soon that even if it’s hard work, you need to do it with some finesse to be both effective and develop your skills. Let’s just say I spent my fair share of hours learning from others and the experiences they’ve shared, both online and out on the field. Now, after almost 20 years, I have reached the point where I’m the one sharing my experiences in hope that others might also learn from the jobs I’ve done,” Andreas Trönnberg explains. 

Pentruder stands out

Over the years, Göteborgs Hålmetod has taken on a lot of high precision cutting and drilling projects and this has become one of its strengths. The company uses several brands of gear in the workshop, from smaller to bigger machines, but the way it has made good use of the Pentruder Core drills stands out. The Pentruder MD1 heavy duty core drill, both with hydraulic and electric feed is the company’s go to machine for bigger and tougher jobs, and the ‘NTGRA MDU’ is the first option when many holes have to be drilled fast. Now, there will soon be a new Pentruder core drill on the market (introduction date planned for middle of 2024), so who could be better suited to test the new MDU3 in the field? 

We met up on a cold and snowy morning in November, outside the Swedish city of Borlänge where all the Pentruder machines are designed, produced, and assembled. The test location was an old hydro power plant which is being renovated; here the concrete is old and full of aggregate. “When I got the question if I were interested in coming up to Borlänge for a bit of testing of the MDU3 and a photoshoot, the answer was pretty easy. I absolutely love the old MDU NTGRA and there is no other machine that has ever been able to compete with it according to me. To get the chance to test the new Pentruder MDU3 and see what it’s capable of was like asking a kid if he wants to meet Santa at Christmas. The Pentruder team informed me that the auto feed, and software still need some adjustment, and that the carriage has some design changes waiting; I’m guessing it was all to dampen my hopes and expectations. But let’s just say it cuts like a warm knife through butter,” explains Andreas. 

The new MDU3 means three different machines

When talking about the MDU3, we are really talking about three different machines within the new Pentruder ‘HFi’ core drill generation. The MDU3-30 is for core bits up to 300mm with a rpm range from 200 to 1800 and 60Nm; MDU3-60 is for core bits up to 600mm with a rpm range from 100 to 900 and 120Nm; and the MDU3-100 is for core bits up to 1,000mm with a rpm range from 50 to 450 and 240Nm. “We know that the previous MDU NTGRA was very well liked among our Pentruder users. However, we had quality issues with parts from one of our key suppliers of motor drives and therefore that machine couldn’t live up to our quality standards and we had to stop selling it,” says Elin Skantz at Pentruder. 

“Since sales stopped of the MDU NTGRA there has been a high demand from our customers to replace it, and we have been working hard for years with the development of the HFi-system with the RS2 wall saw being the first machine in the new platform. We knew from the beginning of the MDU3 project what sort of machine we wanted to develop, and after a close collaboration between our designers and engineers we are now able to launch three MDU3 core drilling machines at once,” Elin continues. 

The drill rig for the MDU3 is based on the same tracks as for the Pentruder wall saws, and together with the BTS-4 base plate, it is a very sturdy yet easy to mount system. The ‘TS’track system also offers a wide variation of core drilling accessories for stitch or line drilling, a pivoting head, angle feet and much more. “My impressions from the MDU3 field test are that it behaves a lot like the older hydraulic core drills but of course supported with all the modern technology and with the power of a proper ‘HF’ motor. It reacts instantly on whatever the drill encounters in the concrete, yet the reactions are very soft. I love the new display that shows the cutting performance, depth, and how much power the motor is using, which means that in the future I can choose the best suitable segments for the drill bit on tougher jobs,” says Andreas.

‘This is it!’

During the test in Borlänge, drilling was undertaken both manually and with the auto feed, as well as with small and larger drill bits. “It was the first time I tried the auto feed and even if they warned me that the software could be a bit rough for the moment, it’s already better than on any other machine out on the market. You can set the desired cutting depth, turn on the water, press play and then just sit back and watch the MDU3 do the work. And when it has reached the set depth, it stops and starts pulling out. These new features together with the fact that you can use the same tracks for drilling and wall sawing, and the range or different drilling accessories, is a dream combination. This will be ‘the machine’, the core drill you need no matter what sort of job you are up against. Trust me! It won’t matter if it’s a normal 100mm hole, hundreds of holes being drilled in a line, or a big 1,000mm hole. Just rig it up and trust the machine. The need for other core drills will disappear with this machine,” Andreas Trönnberg concludes. 

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