The Southwest Florida Regional Technology Partnership announced finalists today for its Transformation and Savvis Direct Innovention Awards to be presented at the Fifth Annual SWFRTP Awards Gala Wednesday, March 20 in Fort Myers. The Transformation Award is for an organization or business that is achieving success through application or implementation of IT to overcome a business challenge. Finalists Are Polygon Solutions Inc., ITVantage and Video Career Finder. The Savvis Direct Innovention Award is for a Southwest Florida Company that has invented, improved or demonstrated an innovative and creative technology solution. Finalists are dESCO LLC, Naples Network Services and Position Logic. Polygon Solutions Inc. is a Florida company which manufacturers rotary broaching tools for the turning industry. Polygon’s rotary broaches are used to manufacture precision machined products such as bone screws, aerospace fasteners and many automotive products. The Awards Ceremony is Southwest Florida’s longest-running, high-profile “excellence in technology” event. This year’s keynote Speaker is Gary Beach, Publisher Emeritus of CIO Magazine. Registration, Sponsorship opportunities and additional details are at the Southwest Florida Regional Technology Partnership website: www.swfrtp.org. The Southwest Florida Regional Technology Partnership, a not-profit corporation, is the only organization dedicated solely to promoting the growth of the technology sector in Southwest ... Read More »

Rotary broaching a 3/8″ Hex in 416SS using a Haas TL-25 lathe and Polygon Solutions GT Rotary Broaching Tool Holder. Read More »

Polygon Solution’s innovative rotary broach form drill brings lean manufacturing to hexagon and square hole manufacturing. Fort Myers, FL – Polygon Solution’s Rotary Broach Form Drill is a new tool used to improve manufacturing processes used in rotary broaching. Rotary broaching is a machining technique used to create hexagon and square holes in metals and plastic parts such as custom aerospace fasteners, orthopedic bone screws and hydraulic fittings. The new form drill is used to drill the pilot hole needed before the rotary broach can shape the hole. The form drill is appears to look like a common drill, however three innovative features make it much more valuable. The first feature and most important dimension is the pilot hole diameter. Optimal pilot hole dimensions for rotary broaching are about three percent larger than the flat-to-flat dimensions of the hexagon. (see figure 1) The oversize pilot hole makes individual chips curl into the hole, and reduces the amount of material to be removed when broaching. (see figure 2) The smaller amount of material to be removed also reduces the amount of force required by the machine to push the broach into the hole. The second feature of the form drill is ... Read More »

This YouTube video shows 10mm hex being machined in Nylon. Typical speeds, feeds and part preparation can be used. Rotary broaching is ideal for aluminum, brass and mild steel but can also be used for various plastic materials and nylon. Read More »

Rotary broaching is ideal for making small polygon shaped forms in soft metals. Soft metals include brass, aluminum and mild steel. Polygon Solution’s standard catalog includes hex broaches 3/8″ and smaller, and square broaches 8mm and smaller. But what if you need to broach a form larger than these sizes, such as the 3/4″ square shown here? The Solution: Polygon Solutions manufactures rotary broaching tools larger than those found in the standard catalog, however broaching those sizes can be challening and may not be possible.For the best chance at success, consider these tips:1. The chamfer for the hole must be larger than the sharp corners or major diameter.2. The pilot hole should be larger than the flat-to-flat dimension or minor diameter.3. There must be plenty of room in the hole for chips to accumulate.4. The machine must have enough power to feed the tool into the hole. In this example, the 1/2″ shank broach shown here is a 3/4″ square and is fastened in Polygon Solutions GT Series premium rotary broach tool holder. The pilot hole is .835″ diameter. This is about 10% oversize which is ideal when rotary broaching squares. The broach and holder were put into a vertical machining center. Simple ... Read More »

Read the new article by Matthew Jaster, Associate Editor, Gear Technology Magazine… Why not Rotary Broaching? Read More »

This video demonstrates rotary broaching in a vertical machining center. Read More »

Does your rotary broached hole look to small? Sometimes a twist or spiral may result in the form from drag on the broach relief angle. Some solutions to correct this might be: 1. Redesign the broach. 2. Reverse spindle direction part-way through the hole. 3. Use an alignment fixture. (shown below) Read More »

The latest article from Polygon Solutions Inc. on ThomasNet is about Hexagon Rotary Broach Tools. This is a great article to read for beginners who want to learn more about what type of hex broach tools they may need to specify or order. Read More »

Today’s Machining World published an article today about hex broaching and bone screws. Read More »