Nanodynamic coating facility

50 gearsolutions.com
An Update on Broaching
Technology
By Dwight Smith

Advances in both broach tools and broach machines have progressed the state
of the art in broaching.
THE WORLD OF BROACHING HAS CERTAINLY HARD BROACHING
changed since the 1850s when it emerged as a viable Continuous improvements in automotive powertrain
production metalworking process. Advancements have applications have driven most gear manufacturing to
been made in machine technology, processes to increase hard finishing operations to ameliorate the effects of heat
performance, and specialty coatings to improve tool life. treat distortion. Gear grinding and honing are utilized
for nearly new transmission projects. Analogous to this is
BROACH TOOL ADVANCES the use of hard broaching to improve part geometry after
Most manufacturers seek higher productivity and lower heat treatment. This need is being met on internal spline
costs as ways to improve profitability. The cutting tool applications by the use of hard broaching.
industry is constantly being challenged to improve tool After a “green” (pre–heat treatment) broaching process,
life and re-sharpening accuracy. the components are typically carburized and hardened to
A recent advancement in broach tools is the use of spe- a hardness of Rc 58-62. Cutting speeds generally range
cialty coatings. By applying the super-hard Nanodynamic from 60 to 63 meters per minute. Two methods of hard
coating, broach tools are being produced with finer broaching are considered for each application. If the
surface finish. This improved surface finish, along with removal of distortion is the only goal, and “no cleanup” is
the hardness of the coating, can produce better tool life. acceptable, then the part can be broached to the finished
The broach tool surface finish is significantly improved size and then heat treated. After heat treatment, the hard-
over an uncoated or TiN-coated tool as shown in Table 1. ened parts can be hard broached — again, to the finished
nominal size. This will remove only the material that was
Nanodynamic TiN coated Uncoated
displaced by the heat treatment distortion.
Ra 0.03mm 0.04mm 0.33mm The other method, defined stock removal, requires
Table 1
that the green broach be designed to leave enough stock
to ensure full cleanup at the after–heat treatment hard-
Testing has revealed superior edge retention and tool broaching process. A specially designed broach tool
life in real-world broaching applications. It has been is then used to broach the hardened parts, removing
observed that workpiece flaking is reduced and burr approximately .100 mm (.004 inch) of stock per flank.
sizes are one-seventh the size created by conventional The results can be compared to a ground component at
broach tools. a much lower per-piece cost.
In broaching, it is edge wear that ultimately governs Other advantages of hard broaching include better
tool life as well as the number of pieces that are cut before process capability compared to the capability that can
sharpening is needed. Real-life performance has shown be achieved with parts that are only green broached
that Nanodynamic coating greatly delays the onset of and then heat treated. The critical characteristics, such
edge wear, thus extending the working life of the tool. as dimension between pins and circularity, are greatly
Table 2 is a comparison of edge wear measurements both improved because the part is broached to the desired
with and without Nanodynamic coating. It shows that the condition, which removes the distortion caused by heat
wear on the coated tool at 10,000 pieces is the same as the treatment. Care must be taken to produce the part in
uncoated tool at 5,000 pieces. This represents twice the the green condition with sufficient stock to be removed
number of parts. If the obtuse edge wear of .101 mm pro- by the hard-broaching process if full cleanup is required.
duced parts in tolerance, then the tool could produce three Hard broaching is applicable for components that
times the number of parts compared to an uncoated tool. require precise concentricity, for example, internal splines.
Broach tool data:
Body: 125 cutting teeth, two starts, length 2,286 mm, material: PM-M4
Shell: 18 cutting teeth, four starts, length 254 mm, material: PM-M4

Uncoated Nanodynamic Coated

Pieces cut 5,000 5,000 10,000 15,000

Acute Edge Wear (mm) 0.050 0.050 0.076 0.076

Obtuse Edge Wear (mm) 0.076 0.050 0.076 0.101

Table 2

MARCH 2016 51
This process also improves the spline bearing area, thus improving
and strengthening the interface between shaft and gear. Where auto-
matic assembly operations take place, the improvement in process
capability and reduction of variation is a considerable benefit.

MAINTENANCE AND SHARPENING

Broach tool maintenance consists primarily of sharpening the cut-
ting edges by grinding. This is similar to the original manufacturing
process and needs to be accurate. To ensure accurate and repeatable
results, the use of CNC broach grinding machines is a practical
necessity. With proper grinding, broach tool maintenance also
requires stripping and recoating the coating, whether it is TiN or
the aforementioned Nanodynamic advanced coating.

MACHINE ADVANCES
A major advancement is the development of electromechanical
broaching machines. This allows the elimination of large and inef- Electromechanical rising table broach machine
ficient hydraulic systems. The use of these machines for production CNC axis controls the rotation of the tools during the broaching
of helical internal gears for automotive use has almost completely stroke, creating the exact helix needed. Minute adjustments are also
replaced gear shaping. possible, and changing from one helix to another is accomplished via
This technology has been developed and implemented in elec- the CNC program without requiring mechanical changes.
tromechanical rising table broach machines, electromechanical Second, electromechanical systems use energy only when needed
pot broaching machines, and electromechanical horizontal surface to produce the part. In contrast, a hydraulic system generally needs
broaching machines. to run a large pump continuously, which uses prodigious amounts
Electromechanical rising table broach machines can exert up to of electricity and creates noise and thermal pollution. Also, hydraulic
60 tons of force to produce helical or spur internal ring gears. Close systems are notorious for developing leaks and needing repairs and
attention is paid to the design and construction of the machines to maintenance.
eliminate any deflection or movement of the machine during the Finally, the constant torque of the electromechanical drives pro-
powerful cutting stroke. duces a smoother cutting action. This can produce more consistent
Although the standard machines need an overhead clearance of part quality and better surface finish on the parts and can improve
7 meters (23 feet), a costly pit of reinforced concrete is no longer tool life.
needed. A compact version, BH50-17, needs only 5 meters (16.4 feet) When external, non-helical forms are required, electromechanical
of ceiling clearance. For high production, two broach tools and part pot broaching machines are utilized. External splines, cams, and other
fixtures are used to make two parts with each cycle of the machine. shapes are created. The tool is made up of a series of rings with a
With a typical cycle time of approximately 22 seconds, two parts series of form inserts that sequentially and progressively cut the desired
are produced for a floor-to-floor time of 11 seconds. It would take shape into the outside of the part blank. The main advantage of this
a large fleet of gear shapers to match this productivity. Many new type of machining is the productivity where cutting speeds of up to
planetary transmissions have been specifically designed to allow for 9.13 meters per minute are used. Because of the electromechanical
broaching the internal ring gear rather than shaping. design, the return speed is over 18 meters per minute, minimizing
cycle times even further. Typical cycle times are from 12 to 30 seconds
Advantages of an Electromechanical System over the Previously with up to 50 tons of force available. Parts are produced with high
Used Hydraulic Machines accuracy and excellent surface finish.
First, control and flexibility are greatly improved. By using the
CNC control to monitor and adjust the broaching cycle, optimum CONCLUSION
cutting speeds can be achieved for each individual part, material, Although the broaching process dates back several generations, it is
and situation. still a viable method for high-volume production. With the advance-
In traditional hydraulic systems for helical broaching, the broach ments in machine technology, such as the electromechanical systems,
machine requires a specific helical guide (lead bar) to rotate the tool this metal removal process can produce quality internal forms such
during the machining stroke. In some cases, the part and fixture as gears and splines faster and more economically.
are rotated in concert with the cutting stroke. The guides are highly With the advent of Nanodynamic coating, broaching efficiency is
precise, add typically long (and costly) lead items, and can be used further enhanced. The per-piece cost of consumable tooling can be cut
only for one specific helix, therefore, changing the guides is a lengthy by half and perhaps even two-thirds. Utilizing a constant-force tool
procedure and prohibits flexibility. design improves tool life and can result in a shorter tool. Combining
The advent of electromechanical broach machines allows helical the advancements in broach tools with fast and rigid electromechani-
broaching without the need for the specific mechanical guides. A cal machines, broaching is still advantageous to the industry.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dwight Smith at Federal Broach and Machine Company has more than 25 years of experience in the gear manufacturing
industry, including metrology, analysis, and project management. Smith serves as a committee chairman for AGMA, and he is an instructor for the
AGMA Basic Gear School.

52 gearsolutions.com