Think precision, Think HSS

REAMING
 SUMMARY
REAMING TOOLS REAMING PROCESS
2 Zoom on a reamer 11 The basics of reaming
3 Which HSS for maximum efficiency? 12 Hole quality and operating process
4 Coatings for the best performance 13 Speeds
5 Vocabulary 14 Feeds
6 Choose the right design 15 Cooling
7 Types of bevel leads 16 Wear
8 Number of teeth and hole quality 17 Problem solving
9 Dimensions and tolerances
10 Clamping reamers

1 REAMING
 Clamping Bevel lead
Coating

Tool material
Helix
Number of teeth

Dimensions

2 ZOOM ON A REAMER
TOOL MAKER’S TIP

Reach the highest HSS HSS-E HSS-E HSS-PM

performance with 5% cobalt 8% cobalt (powder
HSS-PM reamers metallurgy)

• Mainly for hand • Basic choice • For high • High performance

reamers productivity • Long tool life
• For soft steels, • For hard steels,
cast iron and non heat resistant
ferrous alloys steels and titanium
alloys

SUCCESS STORY
Operation • Reaming of a hole Ø 9.27 mm in an automotive connecting rod
Manganese Solution • TiN coated HSS-PM 10.5% Co reamer
steel Cutting data • vc 21 m/min, vf 245 mm/min, fz 0.068 mm
Benefits • Tool life x 3, i.e. 3000 holes
(vs. 1000 holes with a TiN coated carbide reamer)

3 WHICH HSS FOR MAXIMUM EFFICIENCY ?

TOOL MAKER’S TIP

For maximum
coating efficiency, TiN TiAlN MoS2
prefer a HSS-PM Gold or TiAL CN Grey-black
substrate Black-violet

• Conventional, general • High performance • Reduce friction and

purpose coating coating avoid sticking
• For precision reaming in • For reaming of large • For finish reaming of
most steel qualities, non series in all materials difficult material such as
ferrous metals and • Acts as a thermal barrier aluminium alloys and
plastics titanium alloys

SUCCESS STORY
Operation • Reaming of a hole Ø 8 mm, H7 in stay pipe composed of
Steel 4 hard-soldered and coated steel sheets
sheets Solution • TiN coated HSS 5% Co reamer with special geometry
Benefits • Tool life x 10, i.e. 2735 parts
(vs. 250 parts with a non-coated HSS reamer)

4 COATINGS FOR THE BEST PERFORMANCE

A REAMER AROUND Axis
THE WORLD
Tang
French: un alésoir
German: eine
Reibahle Shank
Land
Recess Primary
Italian: un alesatore clearance
Secondary
Spanish: un Circular land
clearance
escariador Overall Radial face
Clearance
length Recess Primary
length Clearance clearance angle
Cutting edge angle

Helix
Body angle Cut Heel Secondary
length clearance
Flute angle
Bevel Centre hole
lead
angle

Length
Bevel lead of bevel
Diameter lead

5 VOCABULARY
 Core drills Front cutting reamer Machine reamer Machine reamer
with straigth flutes with left helix
• To straighten a drilled • For shallow holes • Basic choice • For good hole circularity
hole and quality
• For lower precision holes • Preferred for through-
or before finish reaming holes (the chip is pushed
in front of the tool)

Conical reamer Expanding reamer Expanding reamer Shell reamer

with indexable blades
• For conical holes • Adjustable diameter • Basic choice • For large diameter holes
• For lower precision holes • Used in maintenance
workshops

6 CHOOSE THE RIGHT DESIGN

TOOL MAKER’S TIP

For improved hole

quality, use a low
angle chamfer

No bevel lead 45° chamfer Double chamfer 8° chamfer

(90° angle) 45° and 8°

• For flat bottom holes • Basic choice • For through-holes • For superfinishing
+ Improved hole • Universal use + Improved surface finish + For high quality holes
localisation
- Lower productivity (lower
feed)
- Lower surface quality

7 TYPES OF BEVEL LEADS

TOOL MAKER’S TIP

For improved feed

and hole circularity,
select a higher
number of teeth

Circularity Circularity Circularity Circularity

with 2-tooth reamer with 4-tooth reamer with 6-tooth reamer with 8-tooth reamer

8 NUMBER OF TEETH AND HOLE QUALITY

 TOOL MAKER’S TIP

The dimensions and d min = D max - 0.5 IT

tolerances of a
d max = D min - 0.15 IT
reamer depend
on the dimensions Max. limit of hole size
and tolerances Min. limit of hole size d = reamer diameter
of the hole
D = hole diameter
IT = hole tolerance

0.15 IT
Min. limit of reamer hole size
0.35 IT
Max. limit of reamer size

9 DIMENSIONS AND TOLERANCES

 TOOL MAKER’S TIP

Use a floating holder

to compensate
alignment problems
between hole
and spindle

Morse taper shank Plain shank Square shank

• Former basic choice
• The most popular shank • For hand reamers
+ Available in long length for flexibility
and to compensate alignment defects
+ Available in short length for use on
highly accurate machines or with
floating holder

Angular correction

Radial displacement Radial displacement

and angular correction

Floating holder

10 CLAMPING REAMERS
 • Reaming is a machining operation for enlarging and
finishing holes with accurate dimensions: the reamer
rotates with an axial displacement, and produces a
chip with constant thickness.
• In reaming, the workpiece is the principal support
during cutting.
• The hole quality depends on the bevel leads.

11 THE BASICS OF REAMING

TOOL MAKER’S TIP

= Circularity >0.1 MM >0.1 MM <0.1 MM <0.1 MM <0.1 MM

IT = Hole tolerance IT 8-9 IT <8 IT 8-9 IT 7 IT 6
Ra = Roughness
1. Conventional drill 1. Conventional drill 1. Spotting drill and 1. Spotting drill and 1. Spotting drill and
+ 0.2, IT11 + 0.2, IT11 autocentering drill autocentering drill advanced
+ 0.1, IT11 + 0.1, IT11 autocentering drill
+ 0.05, IT10

2. Core drill 2. Core drill 2. Core drill 2. Core drill 2. Core drill
IT8-9, Ra 3.2 IT8-9, Ra 3.2 IT8-9, Ra 3.2 IT8-9, Ra 3.2 + 0.025 IT8
or Reamer with
an helix
IT8, Ra 1.6
3. Reamer with a 3. Reamer with a 3. Reamer with a
low helix angle low helix angle high helix angle
and 45° chamfer and 45° chamfer and double
IT7, Ra 1.6 IT7, Ra 1.6 chamfer
or Reamer with a IT6, Ra 0.8
high helix angle
and double
chamfer
IT6, Ra 0.8

12 HOLE QUALITY AND OPERATING PROCESS

 Copper alloys - short chips (Feed no. 6)
Uncoated HSS Aluminium Si <5% (Feed no. 6)
reamer Aluminium Si 5-10% (Feed no. 6)
Cu Al Fe (Feed no. 6)
Coated HSS
Cooper alloys - Long chips (Feed no. 6)
reamer
Aluminium Si > 10% (Feed no. 6)
Cu Al Ni (Feed no. 6)
Pure copper (Feed no. 6)
Magnesium (Feed no. 6)
Lamellar graphite cast iron (Feed no. 5)
Steels: 550 - 850 Mpa (Feed no. 5)
Plastics (Feed no. 8)
Steels < 550 Mpa (Feed no. 5)
Nodular graphite cast iron (Feed no. 4)
Thermosetting plastics (Feed no. 8)
Hardened cast iron > 270 HB (Feed no. 4)
Steels 850 - 1200 Mpa (Feed no. 4)
Pure nickel (Feed no. 1)
Austenitic stainless steels (Feed no. 3)
Pure Titanium (Feed no. 4)
Ferritic , martensitic , ferritic-austenitic stainless steels (Feed no. 3)
Titanium alloys (type TA6V) (Feed no. 4)
Duplex / highly alloyed stainless steels (Feed no. 3)
Nickel alloys < 850 Mpa (Feed no. 1)
Nickel alloys >850 Mpa (Feed no. 1)

0 10 20 30 40

Cutting speed in m/min

13 SPEEDS
 Feed column No.
Reamer Ø
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
mm
F (mm/rev.)
2.00 0.020 0.025 0.032 0.040 0.050 0.063 0.080 0.100 0.125
2.50 0.025 0.032 0.040 0.050 0.063 0.080 0.100 0.125 0.160
3.15 0.032 0.040 0.050 0.063 0.080 0.100 0.125 0.160 0.160
4.00 0.040 0.050 0.063 0.080 0.100 0.125 0.160 0.200 0.200
5.00 0.040 0.050 0.063 0.080 0.100 0.125 0.160 0.200 0.250
6.30 0.050 0.063 0.080 0.100 0.125 0.160 0.200 0.250 0.315
8.00 0.063 0.080 0.100 0.125 0.160 0.200 0.250 0.315 0.315
10.00 0.080 0.100 0.125 0.160 0.200 0.250 0.315 0.400 0.400
12.50 0.080 0.100 0.125 0.160 0.200 0.250 0.315 0.400 0.500
16.00 0.100 0.125 0.160 0.200 0.250 0.315 0.400 0.500 0.630
20.00 0.125 0.160 0.200 0.250 0.315 0.400 0.500 0.630 0.630
25.00 0.160 0.200 0.250 0.315 0.400 0.500 0.630 0.800 0.800
31.50 0.160 0.200 0.250 0.315 0.400 0.500 0.630 0.800 1.000
40.00 0.200 0.250 0.315 0.400 0.500 0.630 0.800 1.000 1.250
50.00 0.250 0.315 0.400 0.500 0.630 0.800 1.000 1.250 1.250
63.00 0.315 0.400 0.500 0.630 0.800 1.000 1.250 1.600 1.600
80.00 0.400 0.500 0.630 0.800 1.000 1.250 1.600 1.600 2.000

14 FEEDS
TOOL MAKER’S TIP

Prefer a high Benefits of oil-hole reamers and high pressure

performance
coalant to improve
hole quality and
avoid chip welding
coolant
• help prevent chip welding
• prevent damaging chemical reactions that occur at
high temperatures

• improve tool life

• allow an increase of cutting speeds

• improve surface finish

15 COOLING
 TOOL MAKER’S TIP

Use a floating holder

Margin
to compensate
alignement problems New chamfer
between hole and Bevel lead
spindle
Rake
face

Small crater

Worn chamfer

Typical wear patterns of reamers include

• wear of chamfer on bevel lead
• small crater wear on the rake face
• wear of margins

16 WEAR
 Problem Causes Solutions

Oversize hole Alignment defect. Reamer not quite true Correct alignment or use a floating holder

Tapering bore Alignment defect Correct alignment or use a floating holder

Too small hole Worn reamer. Recondition

Reaming allowance too small Increase reaming allowance
Bore not true,
showing chatter marks Concentricity and alignment problem Use a floating holder

Poor surface finish Reamer out of true. Inadequate machine data Check cylindrical trueness of edges and cutting
Insufficient coolant data. Increase coolant flow or use an oil-hole reamer

Scoring in bore Different teeth heights Check concentricity of bevel and circular land
«feed marks» Built-up edge Reduce cutting speed

17 PROBLEM SOLVING