So Easy a 5-Year-Old Can Use It: E-Drill at the NCMS Sustainment Accelerator
Last week at the NCMS Sustainment Accelerator in Pax River, we had the chance to do something a little out of the ordinary: we taught Emily, age 5, how to use our E-Drill! Jared Wright, Materials Engineer at Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), brought his family to the event, and his young daughter stepped up to try our game-changing fastener removal tool. With some quick coaching and close supervision, she lined up the vacuum locator, made the cut with E-Drill, pulled the trigger on the air punch, and watched the fastener head pop right off.
It made for a fun moment, but it also proved a serious point about our technology — fastener removal no longer takes years of practice to master.
Why This Matters
Traditional fastener removal is slow, tough on technicians, and takes a long time to do well. Skilled mechanics develop muscle memory to keep a drill bit centered on a fastener head without slipping off, cutting too deep, or damaging surrounding structures. It’s a delicate process that demands experience — the kind built up over years on the job.
E-Drill flips that model on its head. Our system uses precision electrical discharge machining (EDM) with smart depth control, vacuum location tooling for perfect alignment, and a closed-loop system that eliminates FOD and minimizes heat. It doesn’t rely on the operator’s hand pressure or drilling instinct. Whether it’s a seasoned tech or someone new to the job, they can learn to remove fasteners in minutes — not years.
The result? Less damage, less cleanup, and dramatically faster maintenance. E-Drill routinely cuts removal times exponentially, all while keeping technicians safer and freeing your top talent to focus on complex repairs instead of tedious fastener work.
A Lighthearted Demo with a Real Takeaway
Watching a 5-year-old confidently operate E-Drill might sound like a gimmick, but it highlights just how intuitive and user-friendly this process has become. As more skilled artisans approach retirement, we’re facing a growing need to train new talent quickly. With E-Drill, you don’t have to wait years for new A&P techs to build up the skills — you can put this tool in their hands with minimal training and know they’ll remove fasteners cleanly, safely, and consistently.
Big thanks to Jared Wright and his family for being such great sports. It was a fun “test case” that underscored why so many organizations are moving to E-Drill: it’s faster, safer, easier to learn, and keeps fleets mission-ready with less risk and downtime.
