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In the field of mechanical machining,the reamer is a kind of core hole machining tool. It uses micro-cutting to refine rough holes, which greatly improves the size accuracy, geometric accuracy and surface smoothness. At present, there are various kinds of reamer used in machining, including 14 kinds of straight handle, conical handle, spiral, cylindrical hole, hand reamer etc. Each type has its own processing advantages and limitations due to different materials, geometric parameters and chip removal methods.

By understanding the characteristics, working principle and application of these reamers, we can better choose and use suitable reamers, so as to improve processing efficiency, reduce the cost and guarantee product quality. Next, let's explore their infinite possibilities in processing.

What is reamer machining?

Reamer machining is a kind ofmechanical precision processesmethod to improve the dimension accuracy, geometry accuracy and surface smoothness of holes by usingrotary reamer to drill or drill holes. The core principle is to use the micro contact between the reamer blade and the workpiece to gradually remove excess material at a low cutting speed, and finally reach the size tolerance and position tolerance required by the hole design.

Reamers are usually made ofhigh-speed steel, hard alloy or coated cutting tools. The blade is finely sharpened and has certain cutting edges (such as bifurcation angle, bifurcation angle, bifurcation angle), which can be adapted to different materials and processing requirements. During the machining process, the reamer can be operated manually (such as hand reamer) or mounted on machine tool (such as drilling machine,CNC machine tool), especially in areas where hole machining is highly demanding, such as precision molds,aerospace components,medical devices, etc.

What are the structural characteristics of a reamer?

1.Geometric shape and blade design

• Angle:areasonable combination of rake angle (affecting cutting force and chip removal), rake angle (reducing friction) and rake angle (controlling chip flow direction) directly affects processing efficiency and pore wall quality.
• Arc radius: The edge transition of the arc radius requires a balance of cutting force and edge strength. In general, hard materials use a smaller radius (0.05-0.1mm), while soft materials use a larger radius (0.1-0.2mm).

2.Handle structure

• Straight handle: Simple structure, wide range of uses, suitable for manual or low speed machine tools, but poor rigidity.
• Conical shank: Connected to machine spindle by a Mohs taper (e.g. MT3, BT4), good rigidity, suitable forhigh-speed machining.
• Floating handle: has no fixed guiding structure, compensates the workpiece errors through the leaf blade body floating, applies to the batch production irregular hole processing.

3.Chip Removal Structure

• Spiral chip removal groove: It is forced through a spiral channel to reduce the risk of chip blockage, but has a high cutting force and is often used in deep hole machining.
• Internal chip removal channel: Integrated negative pressure or high voltage chip removal system for large aspect ratios holes (such as engine cylinder holes).
• Straight plate groove: Simple structure, low chip removal efficiency, low cutting force, suitable for short hole or brittle material processing.

4.Materials and coatings

• Matrix material: High-speed steel has low cost but poor heat resistance, hard alloy has high hardness but high brittleness, coated cutting tools (e.g. TiAlN, DLC) has abrasion resistance and corrosion resistance.
• Surface treatment: Cryogenic treatment (residual austenite transformation), nitrification treatment (increase surface hardness), laser cladding (enhance abrasion resistance) can significantly extend tool life.

What is the working principle of a reamer?

The working principle of a reamer is to realize precise aperture size, geometric shape and low surface roughness by rotating and axial feed motion of the workpiece. Here's how the reamer works:

1.Rotational motion:The reamer revolves around its axis, either mechanically or manually. This rotational motion enables the cutting edge of the reamer to cut the the workpiece material and perform cutting.

2.Axial feed motion:When rotating, the reamer also moves along the axial direction feeding motion of the hole. This feeding motion causes the reamer to enter the the workpiece gradually, continuously cutting and polishing the hole wall.

3.Cut and Calibration:

• Cutting part:The cutting part of a reamer is usually conical and has one or more teeth. These cutting teeth are rotated and feed to cut the wall of the hole and remove the thin metal layer on the pre-bored surface.
• Calibration section: The calibration section after the cutting segment is used for further polishing and calibration of the hole wall. calibration part are usually cylindrical with small cones to reduce friction with the pore wall and prevent the aperture from expanding. The blade band of the calibration part can also ensure the accuracy of the diameter size of the reamer and the radial pulsing error of each tooth is small.

4.Chip removal and cooling:During the cutting process, the chips produced by the reamer are expelled through its tooth groove. In order to maintain the sharpness of the cutting edge and reduce cutting heat, cutting fluid is usually used for cooling and lubrication. Choice of cutting fluid should be based on machining materials, cutting conditions, reamer materials and other factors.

5. Processing accuracy andsurface roughness:Due to the long cutting edge of the reamer and participation in cutting process, the production efficiency is high. Under correct operation and usage conditions, a reamer can process holes with precise dimensions, good geometry and low surface roughness. Processing accuracy is generally IT8-IT6 with surface roughness of Ra1.25-0.08 μ m.

What are the types of reamers?

1.By usage method

• Hand reamer: suitable for single piece or small batch production, flexible operation.
• Machine Reamer: suitable forlarge-scale production, under the premise of ensuring accuracy and stability, can greatly improve production efficiency.

2.By Tool Material

• High speed steel reamer: made of high-speed steel, suitable for processing of common materials such as carbon steel and alloy steel, with good toughness and cutting performance.
• Carbide reamer: made of carbide, suitable for processing stainless steel, cast iron and other hard materials, high hardness, wear resistance.
• Ceramic reamer: specially designed for titanium alloys and other high hardness, high temperature material processing, with excellent abrasion resistance and high temperature resistance.
• Diamond reamer: especially suitable for processing of non-ferrous metals such as aluminum alloys, extremely hardness, cutting efficiency.

3.By type of building

• Straight handle reamer: Straight handle is usually used for manual or smallmachine tool processing.
• Conical handle reamer: Conical handle, more suitable for large machine tool processing, stable connection.
• Sleeve type reamer: adopts sleeve structure, easy to use in specific environment.

4.Sorted according to the shape of the hole

• Cylindrical hole reamer: Used for machining straight holes, it is the most common kind of reamer.
• Conical hole reamer: Specially designed to process conical holes, such as the Mohs taper reamer.

5.Classification according to other characteristics

• Adjustable manual reamer: The blade can be moved back and forth to precisely adjust the working diameter of the reamer.
• Straight groove reamer: Straight groove easy to manufacture, grind and verify, suitable for most conventional machining needs.
• Spiral groove reamer: the tooth groove is helical, the cutting process is smooth, the chip removal effect is good, is suitable forprocessing deep hole and the hole on the discontinuous surface.

How to balance the cutting force requirement of a manual reamer during manual operation?

Adjust tool according to the hardness of the workpiece

1.Choice of tool material

• Hard materials(such as stainless steel and quenched steel): coated reamers have high hardness, wear resistance and can reduce cutting force significantly (30% ~ 50%% less than high-speed steel).
• Soft material(e.g. aluminum, copper, cast iron): High speed steel (HSS) or uncoated hard alloy tools are used to reduce cutting resistance with their sharp edges.

2.Surface treatment strengthening

• Coating technology: TiN and TiAlN coatings reduce friction coefficient and cutting force
• Passivation treatment: A slightly passivated cutting edge (R=0.05-0.1mm) disperses cutting force and avoids the chip created by a sharp edge.

Adjustment of cutting parameters

1.Speed control

• Low Speed Principle: The recommended speed for manual reamers is 50-100 RPM (to avoid high speed vibration and heat accumulation).
• Balance point: If efficiency is needed, feed speed can be increased appropriately, but feed speed needs to be reduced synchronously (by 20% and feed speed by 30%).

2.Optimization of feed rates

• Empirical formula: 0.5% -1% of the feed rate for an aperture (e.g. 0.05 10mm 0.05-0.1mm/revolution for a 10 mm aperture).
• Hard material: Reduce feed speed (e.g., 0.3% -0.5%) to avoid cutting force too much to cause edge breakage.

Lubricating and cooling

1.The role of cutting fluid

• Lubrication and friction reduction: The use of emulsion or extreme pressure cutting fluid can reduce the friction coefficient between the tool and the workpiece and reduce the cutting force (for example, lubrication can reduce cutting force by 15% to 30%).
• Manual limitations: Local lubrication can be achieved by dipping the reamer into cutting fluid for 10-15 minutes or by applying grease manually.

2.Suitability of dry cutting

• Short-hole processing (L/D<3): Soft materials can be dry-cut to reduce cleaning downtime.
• Hard material: Cutting fluid is needed, otherwise the cutting force will be greatly increased.

Operational skills and real-time monitoring

1.Progressive feed: when operating manually, a segmented feed (e.g. 0.02mm per rotation feed, gradually increasing to the target value) should be used to avoid sudden pressure that may cause a sudden change in cutting force.

2.Vibration control: for hard materials,tap reamer handle intermittent feed method, using the impact of the chip fragmentation, to reduce continuous cutting force.

3.Real-time haptic feedback: anomaly cutting force is felt through handle vibrations and resistance changes (such as sudden increases, which may indicate a cracked edge or chip blockage), so stop adjusting immediately.

What are the uses of reamers in mechanical processing?

The following demonstrates its practical application scenarios through cross classification:

What are the advantages of LS in mechanical processing?

1.Full-Process Digital Solutions

• Build digital platforms from design simulation (CAD/CAM) to Automated Programming that support direct access to multi-format files such as STEP and IGES.
• The tolerance control is increased to ± 0.01 mm by dynamic adjustment of machining parameters using real-time monitoring system.

2.Expertise in manufacturing complex structures

• Equipped with5-axis linked CNC machine toolsand adding andsubtracting compound equipment, the traditional machining geometry of the breakthrough.
• Able to handle three-dimensional irregular structures with micrometer level features.

3.Intelligent production systems

• Artificial intelligence process optimization algorithms introduced to improve cutting efficiency of new materials by over 30%.
• Automatic detection system combines industrial camera and probe measurements to achieve 100% online quality traceability.

Summary

Reamer machining is one of the core techniques ofCNC machining technology. Widely used in aerospace, automotive manufacturing, medical devices and other fields. As an important tool forprecision hole machining, the reamer has a variety of structural and functional designs. There are 14 types of reamer (including hand reamer, high-speed steel reamer, straight-handle reamer, spiral groove reamers, etc.).

In practical application, the selection of reamer needs to take into account the workpiece material, aperture size, machining accuracy, production batch and so on. In the future, with the development of intelligent manufacturing and green manufacturing, the reamer will further develop in the direction of intelligent, lightweight and sustainable, promoting continuous innovation in precision machining technology.

Disclaimer

The content on this page is for reference only.LSdoes not make any express or implied representation or warranty as to the accuracy, completeness or validity of the information. No performance parameters, geometric tolerances, specific design features, material quality and type or workmanship should be inferred as to what a third party supplier or manufacturer will deliver through the Longsheng Network. It is the responsibility of the buyerseeking a quote for partsto determine the specific requirements for those parts.Pleasecontact usfor moreinformation.

LS Team

LS is an industry-leading companyspecializing in custom manufacturing solutions. With over 20 years of experience serving more than 5,000 clients, we focus on high-precisionCNC machining,sheet metal fabrication,3D printing,injection molding,metal stamping,and other one-stop manufacturing services.
Our factory is equipped with more than 100 advanced 5-axis machining centers and is ISO 9001:2015 certified. We provide fast, efficient, and high-quality manufacturing solutions to customers in over 150 countries worldwide. Whether it’s low-volume production or large-scale customization, we can meet your needs with delivery as fast as 24 hours. ChoosingLS Technologymeans choosing efficiency, quality, and professionalism.
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FAQs

1.What are the main differences betweenhandand mechanical reamers?

Machine reamers is suitable for large-scale production, which can greatly improve production efficiency while ensuring accuracy and stability. Hand reamers is more suitable for small-scale production or maintenance and is flexible in operation, but relatively low in efficiency.

2.What are the advantages of hard alloy reamers over high-speed steel reamers?

Carbide reamer has high hardness and abrasion resistance and is suitable for processing of stainless steel, cast iron and other hard materials. Compared with high-speed steel reamers, hard alloy reamers have longer service life and higher cutting efficiency when processing hard materials.

3. What is the difference between a straight shank reamer and a tapered reamer in connection?

The handle of a straight shank reamer is cylindrical and is usually connected to the spindle or tool holder of the machine by spring clamps, side fixtures, etc. The handle of the conical handle reamer is conical. It is positioned through the contact between the conical surface and the conical surface of the machine tool's spindle hole.

4.Why does my reamer produce oversized holes?

The outer diameter of the reamer can be designed to be too large, or the edge of the reamer has burrs, leading to an increase in the diameter of the reamer hole. In addition, the cutting speed is too fast, the feed speed is not right, the the reamer protagonist is too big, the the reamer bends, the chip on the cutting edge and so on can also affect the aperture size.

Resources

Reamer

Chamber reamer

Cutting tool (machining)