WO2023041356A1

WO2023041356A1 - A method for producing a through-hole in a profiled surface

Info

Publication number: WO2023041356A1
Application number: PCT/EP2022/074523
Authority: WO
Inventors: Cayetano ESTEBANEZ ELGUEZABAL; Geert VAN KELECOM
Original assignee: Comptoir Du Batiment Nv; Euronit Fachadas Y Cubiertas S.L.
Priority date: 2021-09-14
Filing date: 2022-09-02
Publication date: 2023-03-23

Abstract

According to the method of the invention, a drilling and/or milling tool (1) is used that comprises a rotatable shaft (2) that is to be mounted on a hand-held drill, and that further comprises a cylindrical positioning sleeve (8) that is rotatably arranged around the shaft, in order to facilitate the perpendicular positioning of the shaft relative to the surface of a workpiece (12'). An adapter (20) is fitted to the sleeve, the front surface of said adapter being provided with profilings (25,26,32), said profilings being configured to interlock with profilings (23,24,30,31) appearing on the workpiece surface. The method comprises fitting the adapter to the sleeve and placing the adapter onto the surface with the respective profilings in an interlocked state during at least part of the drilling/milling operation, to thereby facilitate the production of an opening in the workpiece. The invention enables the use of a single milling/drilling tool in combination with multiple adapters (20), designed to interlock with different patterns of profilings on various workpiece surfaces. The invention is particularly useful for producing openings in patterned fibre cement panels applied for example on the exterior surfaces of buildings.

Description

A METHOD FOR PRODUCING A THROUGH-HOLE IN A PROFILED SURFACE

Field of the Invention

The present invention is related to the use of mechanical tools, in particular drilling and/or milling tools. The invention is specifically applicable to the production of holes in a building panel provided with a predetermined profiled surface pattern, such as a pattern of profilings.

Background of the invention

Building panels provided with a pattern of profilings may be used for various purposes. One example is the use of fibre cement panels applied for covering external building surfaces. Such fiber cement panels may be provided with a decorative pattern of profilings - i.e. variations in height) on the outside of the building panel, for example an array of evenly spaced ridges and grooves. For sake of brevity, a building panel will hereinafter also be referred to as a panel.

In order to assemble such building panels to a building surface, one typically attaches the panel to a frame. A variety of frames is known in the art, including metal frames, timber frames and structures and even frames in the form of substrates or the like. A plurality of panels is typically attached next to each other and above each other, so as to create a continuous surface. The attachment of the panel to the frame is done with fasteners, such as screws or rivets. The fasteners for instance are provided in through-holes through the panel. Such through-holes need to be generated after manufacture of the panel, and typically directly prior to or during installation of the panel. As these fasteners cannot not always be arranged on exactly the same position on the panel, the location of the through-holes cannot be fixed during manufacture of the panel.

Still, it is desired that the holes (such as through-holes) are generated in a uniform manner, so as to prevent that a panel is not properly attached due to misplaced or misoriented holes, or that significant losses of panels occur during installation. This is even a bigger challenge in case that the surface of the panel is uneven and provided with a predetermined surface pattern. Various surface patterns are available on the market, such as for instance one with a pattern of ridges and grooves.

Summary of the invention

The invention aims to provide a solution to the problems highlighted above. This aim is achieved by the method and products described in the appended claims. According to the method of the invention for producing a hole in a building panel, a drilling and/or milling tool is used, comprising a shaft and a positioning sleeve, in combination with an adapter fitted to the sleeve. The front surface of the adapter is provided with a profiled pattern having recessed portions and/or raised portions, which are designed so as to fit into at least some of the raised portions or recessed portions on the front surface of the building panel. A positioning sleeve is a component as known in the art, i.e. a cylindrical sleeve that is rotatable relative to the shaft and that enables positioning the tool in a perpendicular position relative to a workpiece surface during drilling and/or milling. The positioning sleeve applied in the method of the invention comprises a front surface that is not adapted to the surface pattern of the building panel, e.g. the sleeve may comprise a flat front surface.

It has been found that herewith misorientation of the drill into the building panel can be prevented, and that the drilling hole may be made with any predetermined orientation relative to the rear surface of the building panel. Typically the rear surface will be planar, and the predetermined orientation is perpendicular thereto.

Furthermore, the method is configured so as to provide a planar surface portion at the front surface around the generated hole. The planar surface portion will be designed to have a sufficiently large diameter to accommodate a fastener. Typically, the creation of such planar surface portion will be achieved by milling using the milling portion of the tool. However, in certain cases, the hole may be arranged such that no further milling is needed. In one further implementation, the planar surface portion may be a recess in the front surface.

In one suitable embodiment, the method comprises fitting the adapter to the sleeve and placing the adapter onto the surface so that the milling tool is stabilized. This embodiment is particularly relevant so as to enable exchange of the adapter. The invention enables the use of a single milling/drilling tool in combination with multiple adapters, designed to interlock with different surface patterns on various building panels, and to enable the generation of holes on a variety of locations - preferably on any location as desired - on the surface of the building panels. The invention is particularly useful for producing holes in patterned fibre cement panels applied for example on the exterior surfaces of buildings.

It is deemed preferred that the front surface of the adapter is provided with raised portions, that are designed to fit into recessed portions on the front surface of the building panel. That seems beneficial from manufacturing perspective. It is observed that such raised (or recessed) portions on the adapter surface may have a smaller length than those on the front surface of the building panel. The depth of the raised (or recessed) portions may be equal, smaller or larger than the depth of corresponding portions on the front surface of the building panel. A length is herein understood as a dimension parallel to the front surface, and a depth as a dimension perpendicular thereto.

The said front surface of the adapter preferably constitutes a single part together with the adapter body. This facilitates robustness, and may for instance be manufactured by insert moulding, injection moulding, 3D-printing or the like. However, it is not excluded that the front surface is a separate part. For instance, the front surface may have a base that can be fixed to the adapter body. Preferaly, the adapter is made of a material that is more flexible and less hard than the material of the building panel, so as to prevent any damage to the front surface of said building panel. An elastic material (such as a rubber or elastic polymer) is deemed preferable, so that raised portions (or recessed portions) could be pressed into the recessed portions of the panel’s front surface (or pressed around raised portion thereof).

The terms ‘raised portion’ and ‘recessed portion’ are herein used without limitation to the exact shape. In cross-sectional view, such portion could be rectangular, V-shaped, tetragonal and may be provided with round edges if so desired. It may be considered aesthetically desirable that the profded surface pattern on the building panel includes a repetitive pattern. However, it is not excluded that a width of raised and/or recessed portion across the front surface of the building panel varies. Furthermore, the raised portions may have a corresponding shape as adjacent recessed portions, but that is not necessary, and the shape of the recessed portions could be different than those of raised portions within the same surface pattern. Furthermore, such raised or recessed portions, and the pattern thereof may extend in one dimension on the surface (i.e. as a pattern of ridges and grooves extending from one side edge to an opposed side edge of the building panel), but may alternative extend in two dimensions on the surface (for instance including at least one of circles, hemicircles, comers, squares, rectangles and so on). .

It is an advantage of the invention, that the holes may be generated by means of both drilling and milling. The drilling is for generation of a hole into the building panels, which hole may be a trench, but is preferably a through-hole extending from one side to the opposed side of the building panel. The milling is configured for generation a wider recess at the workpiece surface. Such wider recess may be chosen to correspond to the size (typically diameter) of the head of a fastener, to be inserted into the generated hole.

In a preferred embodiment, at least parts of the predetermined surface pattern of the building panel and the mating pattern on the front surface of the adapter are interlocking and interlock when the adapter is positioned on the surface. Such mechanical interaction has turned out sufficient in case that the predetermined surface pattern includes a series of parallel ridges and grooves. Alternative ways of temporarily fixing the said surfaces together are however not excluded. In one alternative embodiment, which may be combined with the interlocking, use is made of underpressure. Preferably, therein air is drawn away via the adapter. A specific space and/or tube may be present and be coupled to a suction means. The surface of the adapter may thereto be provided with one or a plurality of flexible rings, for instance of rubber-elastic material, configured to close off certain portions of the surface of the panel. Such suction means may furthermore be employed to remove debris generated during the drilling and milling steps.

In a further preferred embodiment, the surface pattern includes profilings. Profilings are defined in the present context as elements which protrude or recede from a reference plane. In one specific example, the surface pattern comprises or even consists of a regular pattern of ridges and grooves. In such example, the reference plane may be the plane parallel to the surface and at mid-height of the ridges. Profdings of the adapter are able to interlock with profilings of the surface when a protruding element of the adapter is able to be inserted into a receding element of the surface or vice versa, in such manner that the adapter and the surface cannot rotate one relative to the other. Therefore ‘profilings’ on the adapter or on the surface may include positive profilings (for example a ridge) as well as negative profilings (for example grooves in between two ridges). Positive profilings of the adapter are configured to interlock with negative profilings on the surface and vice versa. The positive profilings of the adapter may be embodied as protruding faces. The negative profilings of the adapter may be as simply as the space between such protruding faces or atop side of the cylindrical body of the adapter.

-In one specific example, the adapter front surface is provided with a first pattern and with a second pattern, each of those mating a portion of the profiled surface pattern on the front surface of the panel. The first and the second pattern are arranged in different orientations, and thus available by rotation of the adapter relative to the sleeve. For instance, the first pattern may be configured to generate a hole in a higher portion of the panel surface, such as a ridge. The second pattern may be configured to generate a hole in a lower portion of the panel surface, such as a groove.

The invention is equally related to an assembly of a milling tool and an adapter as defined in the appended claims, and further described in the figure description.

Preferably, the specific drilling and milling tool comprises a positioning sleeve, i.e. a cylindrical sleeve that is rotatable relative to the shaft and that enables positioning the tool in a perpendicular position relative to a workpiece surface during drilling and milling. In the tool according to the invention, the positioning sleeve is part of an assembly of components to which the shaft of the tool is removably attached. The assembly may further comprise a shell that is rotatable and slidable relative to the positioning sleeve and to which shell the shaft can be removably fixed. In one favorable implementation, the shell and thereby the shaft are coupled to the sleeve via a spring that biases the shell towards a rest position when the tool is not in use, and that requires manually compressing the spring in order to actuate sliding of the shell in the direction of the sleeve’s front surface.

It is an advantage of the assembly of the invention that the milling and drilling tool may be combined and/or supplied with several adapters, each configured for mating to a building panel with a specific predefined surface pattern. In case of more complex surface patterns, it is furthermore feasible that several adapters are supplied for different portions of a single panel surface pattern. Beyond that, it is further feasible that the adapters may be used in combination with several drilling and milling tools. For instance, a first tool may be configured to create a recess of different diameter than a second tool. It is a further advantage of the assembly of the invention that the tool may be coupled to an ordinary, general purpose drill equipment, such as a handheld drill apparatus. This facilitates the generation of the holes by an installer without the need for purchasing dedicated and expensive equipment.

The method and assembly of the invention are particularly intended for generating holes in building materials, as part of a method of installing a panel or other building material to a building. Such a method is specified in the appended claims.

A preferred example of a building material is a fiber cement, which has excellent mechanical properties in combination with aesthetically and architecturally valued exterior surface. Fiber cement is in use for a variety of applications, including corrugated sheets, exterior building panels, terrace planks, tiles, slates and sidings. The method of the invention is deemed to be advantageous for instance for corrugated sheets, exterior building panels and terrace planks. Most preferably, the method is applied for installing exterior building panels, such as sold by Etemit NV under the tradename Equitone™.

Notwithstanding this preferred use, the method and assembly of the present invention may alternatively be applied to other building materials, such as to concrete building panels, gypsum fiber boards, fire resistance panels, such as calcium silicate based fire panels, and the like.

Brief description of the figures

The figures illustrate exemplary embodiments only and are not limiting the scope of the invention. Same reference numerals in different figures refer to equal or corresponding parts. The figures are not drawn to scale and purely intended for illustrative purposes. Herein:

Figures la and lb illustrate an example of a drilling and milling tool assembly according to the invention.

Figure 2 shows one embodiment of an adapter applicable in the method of the invention.

Figures 3a and 3b illustrate the use of the adapter of Figure 2 in combination with the tool shown in Figures la and lb on a surface comprising a pattern of ridges and grooves.

Figures 4a and 4b show further examples of adapters applicable on a surface comprising a pattern of ridges and grooves.

Figure 5 illustrates the use of an adapter applicable on a patterned surface comprising triangular-shaped grooves. Detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention

Figures la and lb illustrate an assembly of the invention comprising a drilling and milling tool 1 that may be used in the method of the invention.

The tool 1 comprises a rotatable shaft 2 with a bit 3 at the distal end of the shaft, the bit 3 comprising a drilling portion 3a and a milling portion 3b. The drilling portion 3a is preferably configured as a tip, and the milling portion 3b is preferably configured as one or more blades, wherein the drilling portion 3a extends beyond the milling portion 3b in the direction of the rotatable shaft 2. As such, in use, the drilling will start prior to the milling. Depending on a thickness of the panel and length of the drilling portion, the milling may be performed simultaneously with drilling or subsequently to drilling. The proximal end of the shaft 2 is configured to be coupled to a hand-held drill (not shown). The shaft 2 is releasably fixed to a cylindrical shell 4 having a perpendicular flange 5 at one end. The shaft 2 preferably comprises a thread portion (not shown) and the inner surface of the shell 4 comprises a corresponding thread, so that the shaft 2 may be screwed into the shell portion 4 and secured thereto with a securing nut 6 screwed onto the thread portion of the shaft 2.

The threaded connection between the shaft 2 and the shell 4 together with the securing nut 6 allow to adjust the position of the shaft 2 relative to the shell 4. The tool 1 further comprises a sleeve 8 arranged around the shaft 2 and rotatable relative to the shell 4 about the shaft’s central axis, via a ball bearing 9. The sleeve 8 is suitably provided with a lateral opening to allow dust to be evacuated during drilling and milling. The shell 4 is slidable relative to a boss that is clamped inside the inner ring of the ball bearing 9 (i.e. the shell 4 is slidable relative to the sleeve 8). A coil spring 11 is mounted between a boss and a ring (not shown) mounted in a groove near the proximal end of the sleeve. The ring is preferably open-ended so that it may be easily assembled in the groove of the shell. When the tool is not in use and until the sleeve 8 enters into contact with the surface (moment shown in Figure la), the spring 11 biases the shell 4 and thereby the shaft 2 towards the rest position of the shaft, determined by the flange 5 being in contact with the side of the ball bearing 9. As the drilling progresses (see Figure lb), the rotating assembly of the shell 4 and the shaft 2 is pushed further axially against the spring force thereby compressing the spring 11, while the sleeve 8 ensures the perpendicularity of the drilling/milling action. The drill portion 3a of the bit produces an opening (or a hole) 13 through the panel 12 as the rotating shaft 2 is pushed downward. Then the milling portion 3b may create a larger opening 14 (or recess or flat portion) with the hole 13 in the centre thereof. Details of the connection between the spring 11 and the shell 4 and/or the securing nut 6 may be different from the embodiment shown, as will be explained further. The assembly as shown in Fig. la and Fig. lb is furthermore provided with an adapter 20. The adapter is provided with a front surface having aprofded pattern including raised portions, that correspond to recessed portions in the profded surface of the panel 12’.

The method of the invention comprises placing an adapter on the sleeve 8, the adapter being designed in accordance with a specific pattern of profilings of the surface of a workpiece, to thereby enable the above-described positioning function on the patterned surface. Figure 2 shows an adapter 20 according to an embodiment of the invention. The adapter 20 comprises a hollow cylindrical body 21 having a back surface 18 and a front surface 19. The front surface 19 is provided with 6 profilings 25 and 26 extending outward from a planar portion 22 of the front surface 19 of the body 21. Two pairs of profilings 25 are mounted symmetrically with respect to the adapter’s central axis. Two further profilings 26 are equally placed symmetrically with respect to said central axis, in the area between the two pairs of profilings 25. The two profilings 26 are aligned to each other.

Figures 3a and 3b show the adapter 20 mounted on the tool 1 and placed in contact with a panel 12’ provided with a regular pattern of parallel straight ridges 23 and grooves 24. A pattern of this type may be applied to fibre cement panels, with the height of the ridges in the order of 2mm, the thickness of the panel starting from the bottom of the grooves about 8 mm and the width of both the ridges 23 and the grooves 24 in the order of 10 mm. The figures include a front view of the assembly of the tool 1 with the adapter 20 and respective transparent top views of the adapter 20. The tool 1 is shown in a somewhat simplified manner, as the figure is intended primarily to illustrate the functionality of the adapter 20.

The profilings 25 and 26 of the adapter 20 are dimensioned so as to interlock with the pattern of the panel 12’ so that the sleeve 8 is obstructed from rotating relative to the profiled surface when an opening is produced either through the center of a ridge 23 or through the center of a groove 24 of the pattern, depending on the orientation of the adapter 20 relative to the pattern. In the situation shown in Figure 3a, the adapter 20 is positioned for producing an opening through the centre of a groove 24 of the pattern. The aligned profilings 26 interlock with said groove. The profilings 25 are placed such that they interlock with the two grooves on either side of the groove through which the opening is produced.

In Figure 3b, the adapter 20 is rotated over 90° relative to the position of Figure 3a, enabling to position the adapter 20 for producing an opening through the centre of a ridge 23 of the pattern. The two pairs of profilings 25 interlock with the two grooves on either side of said ridge. The two aligned profilings 26 are placed so that they interlock with the respective grooves on either side of said two grooves. In the two positions of the adapter 20 therefore, the profilings 25 and 26 interlock with grooves 24 of the pattern (i.e. are inserted into said grooves), in a manner that enables producing the opening either through the centre of a ridge 23 or through the centre of a groove 24.

It is observed that in the situation of Fig. 3a, the milling portion is configured to remove ridge 23, so as to create a planar portion at the level of the adjacent grooves 24. The milling may also be extended to create a recess in the building panel 12’. In the situation of Fig. 3b, the hole 13 is generated within the ridge 23. In case that the hole diameter is equal or larger than the ridge width, no further milling is required to create a planar surface around the hole. However, in case that the hole diameter is smaller than the ridge width or that the hole would be arranged at the edge of a ridge 23, milling will be required and performed by means of the milling portion of the tool 1. In this Fig. 3b, some of the raised portions 25 may be designed and arranged within grooves 24, so as to fdl said groove during the drilling and hence prevent occurrence of milling.

Figures 4a and 4b are additional examples of adapters 20 that are applicable on a patterned surface comprising ridges 23 and grooves 24. The adapter of Figure 4a is usable only for producing an opening through the centre of a ridge 23. This adapter comprises two mutually parallel profilings 25 extending outward from a planar portion 22 of the front surface 19 of the body 21. The profilings 25 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the adapter’s central axis and configured to interlock with two grooves on either side of the ridge 23 through which the opening is produced. The adapter of Figure 4b is usable only for producing an opening through the center of a groove, and comprises two mutually aligned profilings 26 extending outward from a planar portion 22 of the front surface 19 of the body 21. The profilings 26 are placed symmetrically with respect to the adapter’s central axis and configured to interlock with a groove in between two ridges on either side of said groove, for producing an opening through the centre of said groove. The adapter of Figure 2 represents a preferred embodiment, as it allows both possibilities with the same adapter.

Various other designs of the adapter 20 and its profilings are within the scope of the invention. For example, in the adapter of Figure 2, the two aligned profilings 26 could be omitted as the four larger profilings alone permit positioning the adapter in the 0° and 90° positions shown in Figures 3a and 3b. The precise shape of these profilings can vary as well.

The adapter 20 according to preferred embodiments is fixedly but removably attached to the sleeve 8, i.e. the adapter is attached in a manner that does not allow it to be released from the sleeve 8 during a drilling/milling operation, but that does allow removing and replacing the adapter by releasing a securing mechanism, preferably using only manual force to release said mechanism. Securing the adapter to the sleeve can be realised in a number of ways, for example by providing one or two turns of a thread on the outside of the sleeve 8 and on the inside of the adapter’s body 21. Another possibility is the provision of a clip-on attachment or the like. According to another embodiment, the adapter 20 is attached to the sleeve in a fixed and permanent manner for example by gluing or the like, therewith adapting the tool 1 to one particular pattern of profilings.

Figure 5 illustrates another adapter 20, configured to interlock with a regular pattern formed of triangular grooves 30 interspaced with flat portions 31 of the panel 12’. The profilings 32 of the adapter are once again shaped in accordance with the pattern, so as to interlock with said pattern when the tool 1, provided with the adapter 20 attached thereto, is placed on the surface.

Any number of interchangeable adapters 20 may be provided, to be used in accordance with the invention, combined with the tool shown in Figures la and lb, enabling the drilling and milling of openings in a variety of differently patterned panels. In accordance with preferred embodiments of the invention, the panels are fibre cement panels provided with one or more of a variety of different decorative patterns. The openings may be formed when the panels are attached to a wall, i.e. when the panel is in an upright, mostly a vertical position.

The adapter or adapters 20 may be formed of any suitable material. According to preferred embodiments, the adapters are formed of a plastic material having suitable mechanical properties for serving the above-described function and may be produced by any suitable fabrication process applicable to such a material.

The body of the adapter could have a shape other than a hollow cylindrical shape configured to be placed around the sleeve 8. The body of the adapter could be attached to the sleeve in another way, for example by fitting it to the front surface of the sleeve 8 by a suitable clasping mechanism.

The invention is related to the adapters 20 as such, according to any one of the abovedescribed embodiments, as well as in accordance with embodiments configured to interlock with other shapes and patterns of profilings of a surface that is to be provided with one or more openings. The invention is also related to a kit of parts comprising a drilling and/or milling tool and a set of several adapters, enabling to use the tool on a variety of differently patterned surfaces.

The adapter 20 is positioned on the surface of the workpiece during at least part of the drilling and/or milling step. Using the tool of Figures la and lb on the profiled panel 12’ of Figure 3a and 3b, the drilling portion 3a of the bit may already have created at least part of the opening 13 before the adapter 20 enters into contact with the panel, interlocking with the profiled surface thereof. Once interlocking has been realised, the perpendicularity of the remaining drilling/milling step is ensured.

The invention is not limited to the use of the specific tool shown in Figures la and lb. The tool is not necessarily spring-operated, but must comprise a positioning sleeve 8 that is rotatably arranged around a drilling and/or milling shaft 2. The adapter or adapters 20 are designed to be fitted on this positioning sleeve. The tool shown in Figures la and lb is nevertheless particularly advantageous because the shaft 2 may be disassembled from the shell 4 and the sleeve 8. The combined group of elements formed by the shell 4 and the sleeve 8 (including the boss, the bearing 9, the spring 11 and the securing nut 6) is therefore a re-usable part 40 of the assembly that can be re-used with a new shaft, when the drilling/milling bit is worn for example, or when a different shape of the bit is required. The invention is therefore also related to a tool 1 as such, provided with a spring-operated shaft 2 that is removably attached to a shell 4, the shell being rotatable and slidable relative to a positioning sleeve 8. In a preferred embodiment, the spring 11 is pre-compressed between a boss and a ring. This pre-compression of the spring 11 could be realized in other ways, for example by providing a flange welded to the proximal end of the shell 4. Alternatively, the spring 11 could be compressed directly by the securing nut 6 when the latter is screwed tight against the end surface of the shell 4, as in the embodiment shown in Figure 5.

List of references:

1 milling and/or drilling tool

2 shaft

3 bit of the shaft

3 a drilling portion

3b milling portion

4 shell

5 flange

6 securing nut

8 positioning sleeve

9 ball bearing

11 spring

12’ panel having a surface with profilings

13 hole

14 recess

18 back surface of the adapter

19 front surface of the adapter

20 adapter

21 body of the adapter

22 planar portion of adapter front surface

23 ridge (profiling) of the building panel

24 groove (profiling) of the building panel

25,26,32 profilings of the adapter

23,24,30,31 profilings of the building panel

Claims

1. A method for creating a hole (13,14) in or through a building panel (12’) having a rear surface and having a profded front surface with a predetermined profiled surface pattern comprising a plurality of recessed and/or raised portions, the method comprising the steps of:

Providing a milling and drilling assembly, comprising o a milling and drilling tool (1) comprising:

- a rotatable shaft (2) comprising a bit (3) at its distal end, which bit is provided with a drill portion (3a) and a milling portion (3b) and which rotatable shaft is configured to be coupled to a drill at its proximal end,

- a positioning sleeve (8) that is rotatably arranged around the shaft (2), so that the shaft is rotatable relative to the sleeve and vice versa, o an adapter (20), configured to be and/or having been attached to said sleeve (8) in a position coaxial with the sleeve (8) and the shaft (2), the adapter comprising a body (21) comprising a front surface (19), provided with a profiled pattern comprising one or more raised portions, which are designed so as to fit into one or more of the recessed portions of the profiled surface pattern of said profiled front surface of the building panel (12’), and/or comprising one or more recessed portions, which are designed so as to fit into one or more of the raised portions of the profiled surface pattern of the profiled front surface, drilling a hole (13) in or through the building panel (12’) and creating a flat surface portion (14) at the front surface of the building panel (12’), with the hole (13) in the center of said flat surface portion (14), optionally by milling, wherein the front surface of the adapter (20) is positioned on the surface of the building panel during at least part of the drilling step and any milling step, so as to ensure drilling of the hole in a predetermined orientation relative to said rear surface of the building panel.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the adapter (20) is removably attached to the sleeve (8).

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said one or more raised portions of the profiled pattern of the front surface of the adapter and at least some of said recessed portions of the profiled surface pattern of the surface of the building panel are interlocked during at least part of the drilling and milling steps, and/or wherein said one or more recessed portions of the profiled patern of the front surface of the adapter and at least some of said raised portions of the mating profded surface patern of the workpiece surface of the building panel are interlocked during at least part of the drilling and milling steps.

4. The method according to any of the claims 1-3, wherein the profded front surface of the building panel is provided with profdings (23,24,30,31) and wherein the front surface (19) of the adapter is provided with profdings (25,26,32) which are configured to interlock with the profdings (23,24,30,31) of the surface of the building panel (12’) when the adapter (20) is placed thereon.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the profdings of the surface of the building panel (12’) comprise at least some and preferably a regular patern of mutually parallel ridges (23) and grooves (24), and wherein the adapter (20) comprises profdings (25,26) configured to interlock: either with two grooves (24) on either side of a ridge (23), thereby enabling to produce a hole on top of said ridge (24), or with one groove (24) in between two ridges (23) on either side of said groove, enabling to produce a hole within said groove (24), depending on the orientation of the adapter (20) relative to an extension of said mutually parallel ridges (23) and grooves (24).

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the profdings of the surface of the building panel (12’) comprise a regular patern of mutually parallel ridges (23) and grooves (24), and wherein the adapter’s front surface comprises: at least two mutually parallel profdings (25) placed symmetrically with respect to the central axis of the adapter (20), and configured to interlock with two respective grooves (24) on either side of a ridge (23) of said regular patern, thereby enabling to produce a hole through the centre of said ridge (23), and/or at least two mutually aligned profdings (26) placed symmetrically with respect to the central axis of the adapter (20), and configured to interlock with one groove of the regular patern (24) in between two ridges (23) on either side of said one groove, enabling to produce an opening through the centre of said one groove.

7. The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the hole and recess (13,14) are produced in said building panel (12’) after installment of the building panel on a facade of a building. 14

8. The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the building panel is a fiber cement sheet.

9. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the body (21) of the adapter (20) is a hollow cylindrical body, and wherein the adapter (20) is attached to the sleeve (8) by placing the cylindrical body around the sleeve.

10. A method for fastening of a building panel to a building, comprising the steps of:

Providing an attachment frame to a surface of said building;

Providing one or more building panels (12’);

Generating at least one hole in each of said building panels (12’) according to the method as claimed in one of the preceding claims, the said at least one hole being configured for a fastener;

Fastening the one or more building panels (12’) to the attachment frame by means of fasteners provided in at least some of said generated holes.

11. A milling and drilling assembly configured for a building panel (12’) having a rear surface and having a profiled surface with a predefined profiled surface pattern comprising a plurality of recessed and/or raised portions, comprising: a milling and drilling tool, the tool comprising: a rotatable shaft (2) comprising a bit (3) at its distal end provided with a drill portion (3a) and a milling portion (3b) and configured to be coupled to a drill at its proximal end, a positioning sleeve (4) that is rotatably arranged around the shaft so that the shaft is rotatable relative to the sleeve and vice versa, an adapter configured to be attached to said sleeve (8) in a position coaxial with the sleeve (8) and the shaft (2), the adapter comprising a body (21) comprising a front surface (19) provided with a profiled pattern comprising one or more raised portions, which are designed so as to fit into one or more of the recessed portions of the predefined surface pattern of the profiled front surface of the building panel (12’) and/or comprising one or more recessed portions, which are designed so as to fit into one or more of the raised portions of the profiled surface pattern of the profiled front surface,.

12. The assembly according to claim 11, wherein the front surface of the adapter is provided with a profiled pattern comprising one or more raised portions, which are designed so as to fit 15 into one or more of the recessed portions of said predefined surface pattern of the profiled front surface of the building panel (12’).

13. The assembly according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the body (21) of the adapter (20) is a hollow cylindrical body, and wherein the adapter (20) is configured to be attached to the sleeve (8) by placing the cylindrical body around the sleeve.

14. The assembly according to claim 11-13, wherein the adapter (20) is removably attached to the sleeve (8), and wherein said adapter may be exchanged by a corresponding adapter comprising a front surface that is provided with a profiled pattern designed so as to fit with one or more portions of a different predefined surface pattern of a building panel.

15. The assembly according to claims 11-14, wherein the milling and drilling tool further comprises: a shell (4) that is rotatable coaxially and slidable axially with respect to the sleeve (8) and wherein the shaft (2) is removably attached to the shell (4), a spring (11) that biases the shell (4) and thereby the shaft (2) towards a rest position of the shell (4), when the tool is not in use, and configured so that the sliding of the shell (4) relative to the sleeve (8) away from the rest position and in the direction of said front surface of the sleeve requires manually compressing the spring (11).

16. The assembly according to claim 15, wherein the shaft (2) comprises a thread portion (2a) and wherein the shell (4) comprises an inner thread configured so that the shaft can be screwed into and out of the shell, and wherein the tool further comprises a securing nut (6) configured to secure the shaft to the shell at an adjustable axial position relative to the shell.

17. The assembly according to claim 15 or 16, wherein a rotary bearing (9) is mounted between the sleeve (8) and the shell (4) and wherein the spring (11) is mounted between the rotary bearing (9) and a ring (15) or flange that is fixed to or integral with the shell (4) or between the rotary bearing (9) and the securing nut (6).