title = "Broaching: Process, Tooling, and Applications"

content = """
Broaching is a machining process in which a multi-tooth tool (broach) is pushed or pulled through or over a workpiece, with each successive tooth removing a small increment of material. Because all cutting is completed in a single stroke or a small number of strokes, broaching is extremely fast for suitable applications and produces excellent dimensional accuracy and surface finish.

Internal broaching is the most common type at Ridgecrest Metalworks, used to produce keyways, splines, round holes, square holes, hexagonal holes, and other internal profiles that would be difficult or impossible to machine by other methods. The broach is pulled through a pre-drilled pilot hole; each tooth is slightly larger than the previous, progressively enlarging and shaping the hole to the final form. The broach has three sections: roughing teeth (remove the bulk of material), semi-finishing teeth (refine the shape), and finishing teeth (set the final dimension and finish).

External (surface) broaching machines flat or contoured external surfaces. The workpiece is held in a fixture and the broach is pushed or pulled across the surface. Applications include machining flat surfaces on connecting rods, turbine blade fir-tree root forms, and gear sector teeth.

Broach design is specialized to each application. Tooth pitch, tooth rise per tooth (the incremental depth each tooth removes), rake angle, relief angle, and gullet size (the space between teeth for chip clearance) must be carefully calculated. Too much rise per tooth causes excessive cutting force and broach breakage; too little requires an excessively long broach. Broaches are made from M2, M4, or T1 high-speed steel, or carbide-tipped for production on abrasive materials.

Broach maintenance is critical. The broach must be kept sharp; dull teeth cause work hardening, poor finish, and dimensional drift. Broaches are resharpened by precision grinding only on the tooth face (not the back), which preserves the tooth rise progression. Broach life between sharpenings is tracked by piece count and surface finish checks.

Cutting fluids for broaching must provide both lubrication and cooling. Sulfurized or chlorinated cutting oils are commonly used for steel broaching. Coolant flow must be directed to flood the full length of the broach during the cutting stroke.
"""

version = "0.0.1"
