Hexagon, square, serration and spline shapes are all used in the automotive industry. From fasteners to connecting shafts, there’s really no limit to the number of parts that can be produced using rotary broaching tools. Besides helping with the production of OEM components and assembly equipment, aftermarket parts for motorcycles, ATVs and automobiles can be made using stock and custom rotary broaching tools. Many small forms can be reverse engineered if the SAE, SME, ANSI or other automotive manufacturing standards are not available.
The main advantage of a rotary broaching operation is that processes can be completed on the machine where the part is first turned or milled. This eliminates subsequent operations and results in savings of time and money. Automotive suppliers intent on reducing costs due to fierce competition may reverse engineer some part features to take advantage of this machining technique. Besides typical hexagon, square and Torx-style blind holes, rotary broaching is also popular for creating serrations and splines (including involute splines). These gear shapes are broached into bolts, drivers, linkage, shafts and other parts where cold heading, stamping or other machining methods are not possible, practical or cost effective. Rotary broaching is a very fast and accurate method of creating small polygon, star and gear shaped forms.
