FIXTURING
Fixturing is important. The forces on any type of broach fixture will probably exceed those encountered in any other machining process, simply because so many more cutting teeth are in contact with the work at one time in broaching. Fixtures are also important because of the tremendous cost savings they can produce by reducing work handling time and labor. Nevertheless, the principal function of a fixture is to locate and hold a work piece rigidly during the cutting stroke of a broach tool. Other functions - such as guiding the tool, speeding loading and unloading, or coordinating the broaching machine with other machines - are all secondary.
One trend today in fixture design is the automation of fixture action to assist in integrating broaching machines into transfer lines and other automatic machine systems. A second trend is toward universal fixtures that can hold similar, but not necessarily identical, work pieces.
But fixture design is basically the job of the machine-tool builder; the user need only provide the necessary dimensional, machining, and production data for the job.