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Broaching 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 is the exact shape and size of the desired cut.
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, 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.
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.
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, square, hexagonal, octagonal, rectangular, oval, keyway, round body keyways, multiple keyways, inverted keyways, serration broaches, D broaches, double D, spline, inverted spline, pot broaches of many varieties, and many other specialty broaches. Please contact V W Broaching to determine whether we have a stock broaching tool to fit your application.
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. We design and manufacture all components of the broach tooling package.
V W Broaching Service is pleased to provide in-house broach cutting tool design and services, using the most sophisticated CAD methods available. Design services are provided at no charge for our 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!
In some cases broaching is not the best choice to cut internal shapes and forms. For example, if a standard broaching tool is not available, and there are only a few parts to be cut, keyseating is a perfect solution. If a part is too large to be accommodated by either a broaching machine or a Wire EDM machine, a vertical shaper or keyseater might be the only alternative to cut an internal form. V W Broaching has one of the largest keyseaters available – capable of cutting a full 30” in length and 3” in width, and virtually unlimited in the size of part that can be handled. Breakdown parts and prototype parts are logical choices for our keyseaters and vertical shapers.
A keyseater and a vertical shaper are similar in their capabilities, but differ somewhat in their method. Both types of machines cut using a single-point cutting tool, which oscillates in the vertical plane and cuts using one stroke of the up and down motion. A vertical shaper enters through the top of the piece part and cuts using the down stroke, by pushing material away in front of it. A keyseater enters through the bottom of the piece part and cuts by using the down stroke, by pulling material away in front of it. In general, a keyseater, because it is guided, tends to be more accurate than a vertical shaper. However, a vertical shaper, because of its simpler tooling requirements tends to be more flexible, with somewhat lower tooling costs.
In most cases we have standard cutters available to use for our customers’ jobs, at no additional charge. In some cases there will be an additional cutter grinding charge if a standard cutter is not available. In addition, standard guide bars and rings may have to be modified to accommodate odd sizes. These charges are usually a fraction of the charge a custom broach might cost.
That depends. When a part is relatively small in size, and relatively soft in composition, keyseating accuracy will match that achieved by broaching, or other traditional machining processes. In the case of parts that are extremely long, or of particularly hard material, keyseating will require more liberal tolerances, because of deflection of the cutting tool. However keyseating has significantly less deflection over the course of the cut than does vertical shaping. Our engineers at V W Broaching will be able to indicate tolerances when a drawing is submitted for quotation.
Keyseating is a very cost-effective method of cutting internal shapes and forms, relative to higher tech (and slower) methods, such as Wire EDM. One could expect pricing similar to traditional non-production machining operations, such as grinding or milling.
In some cases broaching is not the best choice to cut internal shapes and forms. For example, if a standard broaching tool is not available, and there are only a few parts to be cut, shaping is a perfect solution. If a part is too large to be accommodated by either a broaching machine or a Wire EDM machine, a vertical shaper might be the only alternative to cut an internal form. V W Broaching has one of the largest slotters available – capable of cutting a full 36” in length, and virtually unlimited in the size of part that can be handled. Breakdown parts and prototype parts are logical choices for our vertical shapers.
In most cases we have standard cutters available to use for our customers’ jobs, at no additional charge. In some cases there will be an additional cutter grinding charge if a standard cutter is not available. This charge is nominal, and is usually less than $150.
That depends. When a part is relatively small in size, and relatively soft in composition, shaping accuracy will match that achieved by broaching, or other traditional machining processes. In the case of parts that are extremely long, or of particularly hard material, slotting will require more liberal tolerances, because of deflection of the shaping cutting tool. Our engineers at V W Broaching will be able to indicate tolerances when a drawing is submitted for quotation. Contact us for a quote, today!
Vertical shaping is a very cost-effective method of cutting internal shapes and forms, relative to higher tech (and slower) methods, such as Wire EDM. One could expect pricing similar to traditional non-production machining operations, such as grinding or milling.
V W Broaching works with a variety of materials for wire EDM machining. Virtually any conductive material can be cut using Wire EDM. This would include all metals, including steel, aluminum, brass, titanium, and alloys and super alloys of all types. The hardness of the material is not a factor.
Wire EDM requires no special industrial tooling, and most often requires no special fixtures. The wire EDM operator is a highly skilled technician, who will design the appropriate cutting path from your blueprint, using a CAM program. That path is transmitted to the machine for cutting, and in most cases the machine can run largely unattended. He also employs universal holding fixtures to best position your piece parts in the machine. In some cases, the parts can be stacked, in order to cut multiple parts at the same time.
Because a CAM program precisely controls the path of the traveling wire, and the work piece is held constant, extremely tight tolerances can be held. One can expect tolerances within .0005 inches, and down to .0002 inches where required.
V W Broaching's Wire EDM finishes are smooth, but matte. Typical surface finishes range between 16 and 64 micro inches, depending on the material. Exceptional finishes, down to RMS 12, can be delivered using multiple passes, where required.
That depends completely on the size and thickness of the part to be cut, and the total length of the cut to be made. The type of material that is to be cut also plays a minor role. Typically, Wire EDM is a relatively slow, although extremely accurate, machining process. If the work pieces are relatively thin, say .250-.500 inches, many pieces may be stacked and cut at the same time, as long as the machine is only cutting in two axes. If there are tapering requirements, such as conical shapes or isometric radii, then only one piece can be cut at a time. However, since Wire EDM machines may run unattended, labor charges are kept to a minimum, and the same operator may run multiple machines. V W Broaching Service will estimate the most efficient methodology for cutting your parts when the estimate is given.
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