Cleaning Tools · Stickel GmbH · Reutlingen
Profile broaching tools –
Single-pass & multi-pass
Custom-made
Involute gears, spline gears, polygonal profiles, and custom profiles—we supply broaching tools for complex internal profiles, tailored to your component, material, and manufacturing conditions. Over 20 years of experience in broaching technology.
Send a request now 07121 – 94 99 68-0Profile broaching tools from Stickel GmbH
Profiling tools for complex internal profiles
A profile broaching tool is a multi-tooth precision tool that cuts a complete internal profile—such as involute teeth, spline teeth, or a polygonal profile—into the workpiece in a single pass. In the process, each tooth removes a defined amount of material until the profile achieves the required shape and tolerance.
Stickel GmbH has many years of experience with profile broaching tools. We supply single-pass and multi-pass broaching tools for involute gears, spline gears, polygonal profiles, and special profiles—tailored to your profile, component material, and manufacturing conditions.
Send us your drawing or the profile standard—we’ll review the requirements and provide you with a quote.
5480
Profile Types
Which profiles can be cleared?
Broaching enables the cost-effective production of virtually all internal profiles—from standard involute profiles to custom profiles made to drawing. Here is an overview of the most common profile types we offer.
Involute gearing
Involute gearing is the most common gear profile used in drive technology. The involute tooth profile enables a precise, low-backlash, and high-load-capacity shaft-hub connection.
Used in gearboxes, clutches, machine tools, and anywhere else where high torque must be transmitted with maximum smoothness. These are manufactured in accordance with DIN 5480 (metric) or ISO 4156 (inch-based).
Typical applications: Gear hubs, clutch plates, drive shafts, machine tool spindles.
Serrated teeth
Spline teeth (also known as multi-spline profiles) have straight teeth with a trapezoidal cross-section that are evenly spaced around the circumference. The high number of load-bearing flanks ensures that the torque is distributed evenly.
Spline drives are robust, easy to manufacture, and widely used in vehicle drivetrains, agricultural machinery, and industrial gearboxes. This type of connection is particularly well-suited for alternating loads and axial movement under load.
Typical applications: vehicle transmissions, tractors, industrial drives, drive shafts.
Square & Hexagonal
Square and hexagonal internal profiles are used when high torques need to be transmitted via a positive-lock connection and easy installation and removal are required.
This broaching process ensures maximum dimensional accuracy and perfect contour fidelity even with these profiles—all in a single pass and with excellent repeatability for mass production.
Typical applications: valve actuation, keyways, clamping devices, drive shafts.
Special Profiles
Not every internal profile conforms to a standardized shape. Custom profiles based on drawings are created when design requirements, installation space, or specific connection types call for a custom profile geometry.
We also provide consulting services and design profile forming tools for non-standard special profiles—based on your drawings or CAD data. Contact us; we’ll assess the feasibility and determine the best manufacturing method.
Typical applications: prototypes, custom designs, special gearboxes, custom machinery.
Tool Types
Single-stroke needle & multi-stroke needle
Depending on the profile, groove depth, and component dimensions, we distinguish between single-pass and multi-pass reamers. We can advise you on which type is best suited for your application.
Feed pin
The single-pass needle creates the entire profile in a single stroke. All cutting teeth—from roughing teeth to finishing teeth to calibrating teeth—are located on a single needle that is drawn through the workpiece’s bore.
This is the most cost-effective and fastest solution for shorter travel distances. A single machine stroke is all that’s needed—setup time is minimal, and cycle time is optimized.
- Your entire profile in one place
- Minimum cycle time – ideal for mass production
- No tool changes between runs
- Suitable for involute, spline, and polygonal gears
- The most cost-effective solution for shorter run lengths
Multi-pass needle
With long broaching lengths or deep grooves, the broaching needle becomes too long—the chip chambers would no longer be able to accommodate the chips produced. Multi-pass broaching tools consist of two or more sets of broaching needles that divide the machining process into several passes.
Between each pass, a clearing insert is placed under the workpiece to build up the profile depth incrementally. Each set of needles is responsible for a specific section of the overall profile.
- Required for long run lengths and deep grooves
- Typical: Two sets (Needle 1 + Needle 2)
- Prevents the chip chambers from becoming overfilled
- Tread depth is built up over several passes using cutting inserts
- Requires a compatible scraper mount
💡 When to use a single cast, when to use multiple casts?
As a rule of thumb: If the broaching length is short, a single-stroke broach is the more economical choice—one stroke, one tool, done. For long workpieces or deep grooves where the chip chambers of a single-stroke broach would be insufficient, a multi-stroke broach set (typically two sets) is used. We will design the appropriate type tailored to your broach length, profile depth, and machine capacity—please contact us.
Tool materials
M2, M35, and PM-HSS – the right steel for every application
The base material of the broach has a decisive influence on tool life, toughness, and applications. We offer three quality grades—tailored to your component material and production volume.
M2 – HSS
M2 is the most widely used tool material for broaching tools—and for good reason. This proven high-performance high-speed steel reliably covers the vast majority of all broaching applications. It offers an excellent combination of hardness, toughness, and grindability.
M2 is ideal for structural steel, heat-treated steel, stainless steel, aluminum, and gray cast iron—making it the first and most cost-effective choice for nearly all common component materials.
Cost-effective, versatile, and the right choice for the vast majority of profile clearing applications.
M35 – HSS-Co
M35 is a cobalt-alloyed high-speed steel containing approximately 5% cobalt. Cobalt significantly increases hot hardness and wear resistance—the cutting teeth stay sharp longer, even at higher cutting temperatures.
This makes M35 suitable for more demanding materials such as austenitic stainless steels, titanium, high-strength heat-treated steels, and cast iron alloys—as well as for applications involving higher cutting speeds, where M2 would reach its limits.
Longer tool life when machining demanding materials—where M2 wears out too quickly.
PM-HSS – ASP 2030
Powder-metallurgical high-speed steel (PM-HSS) combines the hardness and wear resistance of cemented carbide with the toughness of HSS. The sintering process produces an extremely fine-grained microstructure with uniformly distributed carbides—resulting in superior cutting edge stability.
PM-HSS is the right choice for high-volume production, high-alloy special materials, and applications where maximum tool life and minimal tool change intervals are critical to manufacturing efficiency.
Maximum tool life and cutting edge stability—for production runs where tool changes are costly.
Coatings
TiN and AlCrona Pro – longer service life thanks to hard coating
A hard coating reduces friction, increases surface hardness, and lowers cutting forces—this significantly extends tool life and improves the surface quality of the broached profile.
TiN – Titanium nitride
TiN is the proven standard coating for HSS profile broaching tools. The golden-yellow coating significantly increases the surface hardness of the cutting teeth, reduces the coefficient of friction, and improves chip flow.
TiN is recommended for most standard applications involving structural steel, heat-treated steel, and gray cast iron—it is cost-effective and proven.
AlCrona Pro
AlCrona Pro (aluminum-chromium nitride) is a high-performance coating designed for demanding profile broaching applications. Its superior hot hardness and oxidation resistance enable higher cutting speeds and significantly longer tool life—especially when machining difficult-to-cut materials.
Particularly effective for austenitic stainless steels, titanium alloys, high-strength heat-treated steels, and in high-volume production where maximum tool life is required.
Our Services
From drawing to tool
Profile broaching tools are precision tools that must be precisely designed to match the desired profile and manufacturing conditions. We support you every step of the way, from your initial technical inquiry through to tool delivery.
What we do for you
From technical consulting and tool design to delivery—we are your go-to partner for broaching tools.
Technical Consulting
We will discuss your profile, material, and manufacturing conditions, and recommend the appropriate tool type, material, and coating.
Tool design
Based on your drawing or profile standard, we will design the appropriate profile broaching tool—tailored to your machine and tolerances.
Delivery
We supply profile broaching tools for involute gears, spline gears, polygonal profiles, and custom profiles based on drawings.
Re-sharpening Service
Dull profile broaching tools can be reground. Contact us—we’ll assess the options for your tool.
Request
Request a profile broaching tool – we'll provide a quote
Send us your drawing and briefly describe the material of your component and the quantity required—we’ll get back to you with a technical recommendation and a quote.
Here's how to do it
Please email us your drawing or the relevant standard (e.g., DIN 5480—module, number of teeth, tolerance), along with the material and quantity. We will review your requirements, design the appropriate tool, and send you a binding quote.
If you don’t yet have a complete drawing: even a sketch, a sample part, or a description is sufficient as a starting point. We are accustomed to working with our customers to develop the technical solution.
Personal and professional—directly from the experts, no call centers involved.
Sign up via email – we'll be in touch
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQ – Profile Broaching Tools
What is the difference between a keyway broach and a profile broach?
A keyway broach cuts a single rectangular groove (keyway) into the bore of a component—it is a relatively simple tool that we manufacture ourselves. A profile broach, on the other hand, cuts a complete profile—such as involute or spline teeth—distributed over the entire circumference in a single pass. Profile broaches are geometrically much more complex; they place significantly higher demands on design and tolerance selection. We also offer profile broaches—please contact us.
What tolerances can be achieved in profile broaching?
Slotting is considered one of the most precise machining processes for internal profiles. Depending on the profile, tool quality, and component material, tolerances ranging from IT6 to IT7 can be achieved—with excellent dimensional accuracy and surface quality. We would be happy to provide specific advice tailored to your particular profile and tolerance requirements.
How long does it take to deliver a profile broach?
Profile broaching tools are precision tools that are primarily manufactured to order. Delivery times depend on the profile, the complexity of the tool, and current production capacity—typically 4–10 weeks. Delivery may be faster for standard profiles. We will provide specific delivery times based on your inquiry.
Can profile broaching tools be reground?
Yes – profile milling tools can be reconditioned by professionally regrinding the cutting edges. The service life per regrinding depends on the profile, material, and coating. We will assess the options and terms for your tool—in most cases, regrinding is significantly more cost-effective than purchasing a new tool.
What information do I need to provide for a request?
Ideally: Please provide your drawing, including the profile (e.g., DIN 5480—module and number of teeth—or DIN 5481), the required tolerance, the material of the component, and the expected quantity. Information about the available broaching machine (cutting force, stroke) is also helpful. If no drawing is available yet: Even a sketch or a sample component is sufficient for an initial assessment.
Can non-standard profiles that do not comply with any standard also be broached?
Yes—broaching is generally possible for any internal profile that is geometrically broachable (i.e., no undercuts that would prevent threading). For custom profiles based on drawings, we offer specialized broaching tools. Please contact us—we will assess the feasibility and provide technical advice.
What are the advantages of broaching over other processes, such as milling or planing?
For suitable profiles and production volumes, broaching is the most cost-effective and precise method: The entire profile is formed in a single pass—resulting in short cycle times, excellent repeatability, and very high surface quality. The downside is that the tool is expensive and profile-specific. For small production runs or individual parts, planing may be more cost-effective. We can advise you on which method is the better choice for your specific application.
Request a profile broaching tool – we’ll be happy to advise you
Please provide the profile, material, and quantity—we will recommend the appropriate tool type, material, and coating, and send you a binding quote.
Request a profile tool now