BROACHING MACHINE & OPERATIONS

BASIC PRINCIPLES OF BROACHINING

Broaching is a machining process for removal of a layer of material of desired width and depth usually in one stroke by a slender rod or bar type cutter having a series of cutting edges with gradually increased protrusion as indicated in Fig.1. In shaping, attaining full depth requires a number of strokes to remove the material in thin layers step by step by gradually in feeding the single point tool (Fig.1). Whereas, broaching enables remove the whole material in one stroke only by the gradually rising teeth of the cutter called broach. The amount of tooth rise between the successive teeth of the broach is equivalent to the in feed given in shaping.

Machining by broaching is preferably used for making straight through holes of various forms and sizes of section, internal and external through straight or helical slots or grooves, external surfaces of different shapes, teeth of external and internal splines and small spur gears etc. Fig.2 schematically shows how a through hole is enlarged and finished by broaching.

Construction of broaching tools Construction of any cutting tool is characterized mainly by Configuration Material Cutting edge geometry Configuration of broaching tool Both pull and push type broaches are made in the form of slender rods or bars of varying section having along its length one or more rows of cutting teeth with increasing height (and width occasionally). Push type broaches are subjected to compressive load and hence are made shorter in length to avoid buckling. The general configuration of pull type broaches, which are widely used for enlarging and finishing preformed holes, is schematically shown in Fig.3.

The essential elements of the broach (Fig.3) are : Pull end for engaging the broach in the machine. Neck of shorter diameter and length, where the broach is allowed to fail, if at all, under overloading Front pilot for initial locating the broach in the hole Roughing and finishing teeth for metal removal Finishing and burnishing teeth Rear pilot and follower rest or retriever Broaches are designed mostly pull type to facilitate alignment and avoid buckling. The length of the broach is governed by; Type of the broach; pull or push type Number of cutting edges and their pitch depending upon the work material and maximum thickness of the material layer to be removed Nature and extent of finish required.

Keeping in view that around 4 to 8 teeth remain engaged in machining at any instant, the pitch (or gap), p, of teeth is simply decided from where, L = length of the hole or job. The total number of cutting teeth for a broach is estimated from, Tn (total depth of material) / tooth rise, a1 (which is decided based on the tool work materials and geometry). Broaches are generally made from solid rod or bar. Broaches of large section and complex shape are often made by assembling replaceable separate sections or inserting separate teeth for ease of manufacture and maintenance.

Material of broach
Being a cutting tool, broaches are also made of materials having the usual cutting tool material properties, i.e., high strength, hardness, toughness and good heat and wear resistance. For ease of manufacture and resharpening the complex shape and cutting edges, broaches are mostly made of HSS (high speed steel). To enhance cutting speed, productivity and product quality, now-a-days cemented carbide segments (assembled) or replaceable inserts are also used specially for stronger and harder work materials like cast irons and steels. TiN coated carbides provide much longer tool life in broaching. Since broaching speed (velocity) is usually quite low, ceramic tools are not used.

Geometry of broaching teeth and their cutting edges Fig. 4 shows the general configuration of the broaching teeth and their geometry. The cutting teeth of HSS broaches are provided with positive radial or orthogonal rake (5o to 15o) and sufficient primary and secondary clearance angles (2o to 5o and 5o to 20o respectively) as indicated in Fig.4. Small in-built chip breakers are alternately provided on the roughing teeth of the broach as can be seen in Fig.2 to break up the wide curling chips and thus preventing them from clogging the chip spaces and increasing forces and tool wear. More ductile materials need wider and frequent chip breakers.

Different Types Of Broaches And Their Applications

Broaching is getting more and more widely used, wherever feasible, for high productivity as well as product quality. Various types of broaches have been developed and are used for wide range of applications. Broaches can be broadly classified in several aspects such as, Internal broaching and External broaching Pull type and Push type Ordinary cut or Progressive type Solid, Sectional or Modular type Profile sharpened or form relieved type

Internal and external broaching (tool) Internal broaching and broaches Internal broaching tools are used to enlarge and finish various contours in through holes preformed by casting, forging, rolling, drilling, punching etc. Internal broaching tools are mostly pull type but may be push type also for lighter work. Pull type internal broaching tools are generally provided with a set of roughing teeth followed by few semi-finishing teeth and then some finishing teeth which may also include a few burnishing teeth at the end. The wide range of internal broaching tools and their applications include; through holes of different form and dimensions as indicated in fig.5  non-circular holes and internal slots (fig.5)  internal keyway and splines  teeth of straight and helical fluted internal spur gears as indicated in fig. 5

External broaching External surface broaching competes with milling, shaping and planing and, wherever feasible, outperforms those processes in respect of productivity and product quality. External broaching tools may be both pull and push type. Major applications of external broaching are : un-obstructed outside surfacing; flat, peripheral and contour surfaces. grooves, slots, keyways etc. on through outer surfaces of objects. external splines of different forms teeth of external spur gears or gear sectors as shown in Fig. External broaching tools are often made in segments which are clamped in fixtures for operation.

Pull type and push type broaches

During operation a pull type broach is subjected to tensile force, which helps in maintaining alignment and prevents buckling. Pull type broaches are generally made as a long single piece and are more widely used, for internal broaching in particular. Push type broaches are essentially shorter in length (to avoid buckling) and may be made in segments. Push type broaches are generally used for external broaching, preferably, requiring light cuts and small depth of material removal.

Ordinary cut and Progressive type broach

Most of the broaches fall under the category of Ordinary cut type where the teeth increase in height or protrusion gradually from tooth to tooth along the length of the broach. By such broaches, work material is removed in thin layers over the complete form. Whereas, Progressive cut type broaches have their teeth increasing in width instead of

height. Fig. shows the working principle and configuration of such broach

Solid, Sectional and module type broaches

Broaches are mostly made in single pieces specially those used for pull type internal broaching. But some broaches called sectional broaches, are made by assembling several sections or cutter-pieces in series for convenience in manufacturing and resharpening and also for having little flexibility required by production in batches having inter batch slight job variation. External broaches are often made by combining a number of modules or segments for ease of manufacturing and handling. Fig. typically shows solid, sectional and segmented (module) type broaches.

Profile sharpened and form relieved type broaches Like milling cutters, broaches can also be classified as Profile sharpened type broaches; Such cutters have teeth of simple geometry with same rake and clearance angles all over the cutting edge. These broaches are generally designed and used for machining flat surface(s) or circular holes. Form relieved type broaches These broaches, being used for non-uniform profiles like gear teeth etc., have teeth where the cutting edge geometry is more complex and varies point to

point along the cutting edges. Here the job profile becomes the replica of the tool form. Such broaches are sharpened and resharpened by grinding at their rake faces unlike the profile sharpened broaches which are ground at the flank surfaces.

Broaching Machines
The unique characteristics of broaching operation are For producing any surface, the form of the tool (broach) always provides the Generatrix and the cutting motion (of the broach relative to the job surface) provides the Directrix. So far as tool work motions, broaching needs only one motion and that is the cutting motion (velocity) preferably being imparted to the broach. Hence design, construction and operation of broaching machines, requiring only one such linear motion, are very simple. Only alignments, rigidity and reduction of friction and wear of slides and guides are to be additionally considered for higher productivity, accuracy and surface finish.

Broaching machines are generally specified by

Type; horizontal, vertical etc. Maximum stroke length Maximum working force (pull or push) Maximum cutting velocity possible Power Foot print Most of the broaching machines have hydraulic drive for the cutting motion. Electromechanical drives are also used preferably for high speed of work but light cuts.

There are different types of broaching machines which are broadly classified
According to purpose of use general purpose single purpose special purpose According to nature of work internal broaching external (surface) broaching According to configuration horizontal vertical According to number of slides or stations single station type multiple station type indexing type According to tool / work motion intermittent (one job at a time) type continuous type

Horizontal broaching machine

Horizontal broaching machines, typically shown in Fig. are the most versatile in application and performance and hence are most widely employed for various types of production. These are used for internal broaching but external broaching work are also possible. The horizontal broaching machines are usually hydraulically driven and occupies large floor space.

Vertical broaching machine

Vertical broaching machines, typically shown in Fig. occupies less floor space are more rigid as the ram is supported by base mostly used for external or surface broaching though internal broaching is also possible and occasionally done.

High production broaching machines Broaching operation and broaching machines are as such high productive but its speed of production is further enhanced by; incorporating automation in tool job mounting and releasing increasing number of workstations or slides for simultaneous multiple production quick changing the broach by turret indexing continuity of working Fig. shows the principle and methods of continuous broaching, which is used for fast production of large number of pieces by surface broaching.

ADVANTAGES AND LIMITATIONS OF BROACHING Very high production rate (much higher than milling, planing, boring etc.) High dimensional and form accuracy and surface finish of the product Roughing and finishing in single stroke of the same cutter Needs only one motion (cutting), so design, construction, operation and control are simpler Extremely suitable and economic for mass production

Limitations
Only through holes and surfaces can be machined Usable only for light cuts, i.e. low chip load and unhard materials Cutting speed cannot be high Defects or damages in the broach (cutting edges) severely affect product quality Design, manufacture and restoration of the broaches are difficult and expensive Separate broach has to be procured and used whenever size, shape and geometry of the job changes Economic only when the production volume is large.