Ohio Broach revolutionizes engine manufacturing with custom machine for European client

A custom bearing machine by Ohio Broach

The Ohio Broach & Machine Company has worked with an unsurpassed spectrum of broaching applications for more than 65 years, with services that have resulted in numerous customer success stories. One European manufacturer, for example, approached the company for a machine that could size the thickness of engine crankshaft thrust bearings for the automotive sector. The Ohio Broach crew met this unique challenge after delving deeply into its lengthy history of stellar machine-building skills.

Higher competitiveness and efficiency

The company custom-designed and constructed a specialized “Ohio” H218X horizontal broaching machine for this specific application. The bearings are now being produced through a method that involves stamped parts moving from nearby presses to the broaching machine and then loaded into a double-station magazine that carries about 20 minutes’ worth of parts in the equipment. The machine strips the bottom part of the full part stack in both magazines and pushes the parts through two broach tunnels, in which broaching tools remove stock and hold parts flat while maintaining a surface finish of no more than 1.2 Ra.

The parts then exit the tunnels into an unloading area and move down chutes to a collection area. The fixtures return to the first station, and the cycle repeats and continues until the magazines are low, parts are fed incorrectly into the broach tools, or the operator has not removed parts from the chute exit area.

This machine offers two tons of cutting force and 18 inches of cutting stroke, as well as tandem stations. It is a hydraulically driven machine with a dual parallel hydraulic system in which one side runs independently of the other. The integral coolant pump and reservoir supply coolant to the broach cutters. A PLC controls the bearing machine, and the machine can broach up to 1,400 parts per hour; depending on the size and material, each tool can cut up to 40,000 parts between sharpening tasks.

As it always does, Ohio Broach used its talents to make a perfect customer solution. The client instantly benefited, with higher levels of competitiveness and efficiency.

For more information, contact Ohio Broach.

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