Colonial Tool manufacturers the highest quality precision broaching tools and will service your tools regardless or original manufacturer. 24 hours total solution house will have your new tools ready for production even with inflexible deadlines. Send your broaching tools to Colonial for fast and reliable broach sharpening!

Surface  Broaches

To those of you not familiar with modern surface broach design, it may seem rather complicated, and it is, although it is standard practice for Colonial to design simple broach inserts, which are easily produced and easily replaced in case of damage or wear. These inserts are assembled in a broach holder, to produce a particular shape desired in the finish part.

We have manufactured various tooling for parts such as, park & pawls, seat adjusters, bearing caps, connecting rods, disk breaks, plier jaws, pump castings etc.

About Surface Broaching

Surface broaching is a type of broaching that removes material exclusively from the exterior of a workpiece. Compared to other broaching, which may involve boring a hole or carving grooves into the interior of a part, surface broaching only treats the outside of the material.

However, within that general definition, there are many distinct tools and processes, which engineers use to form products with varying degrees of complexity. Some common surface broaches include:

         Slab broaches: To cut flat surfaces into a workpiece.

         Slot broaches: To cut slots, and can be used as an alternative to milling machines.

         Contour broaches: To cut concave or convex curves into a workpiece.

         Pot broaches: These cut the outside surface of a cylindrical workpiece.

         Straddle broaches: These consist of a pair of slab broaches for cutting both sides of a workpiece at the same time.

Colonial Tool Group manufactures surface broaches in a range of profiles, ranging in diameter from 6 mm to 300 mm, with a maximum length of 3,000 mm. We can turn around custom projects in eight to 10 weeks, or as little as two weeks in the case of a rush order. Contact our office directly to request a free quote.

How Surface Broaching Works

Surface broaches are CNC machining tools that feature rows of teeth in various sizes, arranged in a way that removes large amounts of the workpiece and quickly forms it into the desired shape. It is possible to install broaching tools on either a horizontal or vertical machine. When the workpiece is in place, the tool cuts it, moving either in a single direction or back and forth. Stroke length and cutting speed can be adjusted as necessary to achieve the desired result.

Often, manufacturers will perform rough surface broaching before heat treating the part, followed by additional machining. This allows them to achieve tighter dimensional tolerances, smoother surfaces and more precise finished products. For some materials, cutting fluid is used to maintain stable temperatures and maximize tool life.

Surface Broaching Applications

Surface broaching has many potential applications in industrial manufacturing. Both ferrous and non-ferrous metals — including cold-rolled and stainless steel — as well as some plastics are candidates for broaching.

Surface broaching is often just one aspect of the manufacturing process. For example, a fastener manufacturer may use slab surface broaching to create a locating slot on a screw. Automotive and military vehicle manufacturers, on the other hand, use surface broaching to form complex gears and transmission components.

The specifics of the application and its demands for precision will determine which type of tool and process should be used.

Benefits of Surface Broaching

Surface broaching is fast, cost-effective and accurate. Manufacturers use it to cut multiple dimensions in a single pass. When the right tool is matched to a quality machine, it is one of the most economical forms of machining. It is also highly accurate, capable of achieving tolerances of ±0.0075 mm. Once the setup is complete, employees require little training to oversee the process, which translates to lower labor costs.

Wondering if surface broaching is the right choice for your project? Get in touch to speak with a Colonial Tool Group engineer and request a quote.