Hex Broaching?

[NickE]

Originally Posted by ,4lex S.

Apparently I was searching in all the wrong places, as soon as I input into McMaster I got a quote of about $200 for a 1/2" hex broach. Is there a minimum recommended press size in order to do this kind of work (probably for aluminium applications only)?

It really all depends on how thick the material you plan on broaching is.

If I recall correctly, we use a 5 ton arbor press with our 1/2" and 3/8" broaches. It starts to get pretty hard to broach as you approach 1" thickness in Aluminum.

The biggest problem that we encounter with broaching is getting the broach perfectly perpendicular to the part. This season we built a fixture which is pressed onto the square ram of the press. This piece has a hole in it (about 1" deep, i believe) which is a slip fit for the broach. This ensures that the broach is held perfectly vertical in reference to the press, allowing for straight cuts.