Broach Tooling
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Broach:
A broach is sometimes referred to as a broach cutting tool, a broach tool, or a broaching tool. The complement of a broach and the fixtures that hold the broach, and/or the part that it is cutting, is referred to as broach tooling. Broaches are classified as multiple-point cutting tools, in that they have two or more cutting edges.
Broach, Broaching Tool FAQs:- How does a broach cut material?
- How are industrial broaches made?
- What are industrial broaches made of?
- Are there stock broaching tools available? What kinds?
- What does a complete broach tooling package consist of?
- Will you undertake the broach design, or do I have to?
How does a broach tool cut material?
Broaches, or broach cutting tools, are designed with a series of teeth
arranged in rows. Each row of teeth is successively larger and to the
shape desired, than the previous row. The entire cut is divided over
all rows of teeth, so that each broach tooth removes only a few
thousandths of an inch of material. The broaching tool is pulled or
pushed through or past the part to be cut; or in some cases the
broaching tool is held stationary while the part is pulled or pushed
through or past the broach. In a typical broaching operation the
starting hole of the part to be cut is approximately the same size as
the first tooth of the broach. The last tooth of the broach is the
exact shape and size of the desired cut.
How are industrial broaches made?
Broaching tools are first ‘roughed in’ to the approximate size, using a
lathe in the case of round broaches, or a traditional milling machine
in the case of flat broaches. All dimensions, including the actual
teeth are finished to within .030 inch of final size. For those
broaches requiring mounting holes, holes are drilled and tapped at this
point. The broach is then heat-treated. Hardness may vary according to
the type of material that is being cut, but typically ranges between 65
and 67 HRC. After heat-treating, the broach cutting tool is finish
ground, using a cylindrical grinder for round broaches, or a surface
grinder for flat broaches. All surfaces on the broach are ground to
size, including heights, widths and tapers. The broach is then moved to
a sharpener, where the teeth are sharpened and backed off, and chip
breakers are ground, if required. Finally, if the industrial broaching
tool is a spline, the broach is moved to a spline grinder for finishing.
What are industrial broaches made of?
Material used in the manufacture of broach cutting tools varies
according the demands on the broach, such as the length of cut, and the
type of material to be cut. However, in typical cases only the highest
quality tool steel is used, such as PM-M4.
Are there stock broaching tools available? What kinds?
V W Broaching Service has one of the largest inventories of stock
broach cutting tools in the world. These broaches are available to be
used on our customers’ jobs at no additional charge to the customer. V
W Broaching Service maintains and replaces these broaches as needed,
and at its own expense. There are thousands of broach tools available,
including various sizes and lengths of: round broaches, square
broaches, hexagonal broaches, octagonal broaches, rectangular broaches,
oval broaches, keyway broaches, round body keyway broaches, multiple
keyway broaches, inverted keyway broaches, serration broaches, D
broaches, double D broaches, spline broaches, inverted spline broaches,
pot broaches of many varieties, and many other specialty broaches.
Please call V W Broaching to determine whether we have a stock broaching tool to fit
your application.
What does a complete broach tooling package consist of?
Besides the broach tooling itself, a typical broach tooling package may
consist of: a fixture to hold the broaches (in the case of surface and
pot broaches), a fixture to hold the part, a broach horn (a fixture
used to support the broach in a concentric hole – such as in keyway
broaching), and other fixtures that might be required to move or index
the part for a second broaching operation. V W Broaching Service will
design and manufacture all components of the broach tooling package.
Will you undertake the broach design, or do I have to?
V W Broaching Service is pleased to provide in-house broach cutting
tool design, using the most sophisticated CAD methods available. Design
services are provided at no charge for our broach tooling customers.
Typically our customers provide us with a blueprint of the part, and we
design the broaching tool to meet the finished specifications. However,
we can also reverse-engineer the part from a sample provided, and
design the broach cutting tool from the sample. Send a drawing today for a quote on our broaching tool design services!
