What is Hand Tools?
Broaching is a machining process that uses a toothed tool called a broach to remove material from a workpiece to achieve a desired shape and size. Broaches have many teeth cut into their cutting edges, which progressively cut slots, holes or shapes in the workpiece as the broach moves horizontally into or away from it.
Types of Hand Tools
There are several common types of broaches used for different purposes:
- Straight shank broaches: These have straight, solid shanks and are designed to cut slots and shapes along straight lines. Their teeth are arranged in straight rows. Straight shank broaches are used for machining linear features like keyways, gear teeth and bearing bores.
- Pull broaches: Pull broaches are used to cut internal features and have teeth designed to cut on both the push and pull strokes. They are commonly used to cut internal keyways and slots.
- Form broaches: Form broaches have wider, thinner cutting teeth designed to cut complex contours and shapes. They are used for machining gears, splines, circular keyways and non-straight features.
- Rack broaches: Rack broaches have teeth arranged in a helical rack pattern designed to cut helical or spiraled features like gear teeth. They cut on both the push and pull strokes.
Benefits of broaching
Hand Tools offers several advantages as a machining process:
- Dimensional accuracy: Broaching can hold very tight tolerances of +/- 0.0001 inch or better depending on the application. This makes it suitable for parts requiring precise dimensional control.
- Surface finish: Broaching typically produces a smooth finish in the range of 16-32 Ra, depending on factors like the work material, broach design and cutting parameters. This good finish reduces need for further finishing steps.
- Production efficiency: Broaching is highly productive, with metal removal rates up to 10 times faster than conventional milling or shaping operations. Broaches can cut multiple teeth or contours in a single pass.
- Repeatability: Properly designed broaches allow highly repeatable machining of complex features and forms on large production volumes without changes in dimensions.
Key applications of broaching
Some common applications where broaching is used include:
- Gear cutting: Broaching is widely used for cutting external and internal splines and gear teeth on automotive transmissions and differentials. Racks broaches are commonly used for helical gear cutting.
- Aerospace parts: Broaching is used to cut precisely dimensioned features like oil passages, air passages and cooling circuits on airfoil and turbine components.
- Orthopedic implants: Broaches help cut precise features like bone screw threads and contours for femoral stems, acetabular cups and other implant components.
- Automotive: Broaching is used to cut features like cylinder bores, crankshaft journals, camshaft lobes and keyways on engine components. Broaching also helps cut transmission gears and differential gears.
- Farm equipment: Broaches cut implement components like shovel blades, rake tines and planter gauge wheels profiles for agricultural equipment.
- Others: Broaching finds applications in cutting shapes for dies, molds, cutting tools and industrial machine parts that require precision dimensional control and smooth finishes.
Broaching remains a core machining process for high-production, precision-intolerant industrial applications across many industries. Its ability to cut complex features with high accuracy and efficiency makes broaching a vital manufacturing technology. With further automation and integration with technologies like CAM, broaching promises to grow further as a production process.
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Money Singh is a seasoned content writer with over four years of experience in the market research sector. Her expertise spans various industries, including food and beverages, biotechnology, chemical and materials, defense and aerospace, consumer goods, etc. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/money-singh-590844163)