What is Reamer? Features, types Uses

Why is reaming used?

• The main working of reaming holes for working components is to provide high accuracy for the dimension tolerance level and good quality of surface.
• • The reamer matching process is used since it is a high-speed and low-cost process.
• CNC reaming provides high surface finish features and accurate grinding features, making holes of certain sizes and with high, accurate diameters.
• Different processes, such as drilling and boring, are performed before reaming metal since, in these processes, holes are prepared before reaming.
• Hole reamer is the best option for providing tolerances with an accurate value of -/+± 0.002″.

Reamer Construction

• The reamer comes with parallel straight cutting edges over the length of the cylinder shape.
• Each cutting edge is ground at a slight angle and has a slight undercut below the cutting edge.
• Reamers provide hardness for cutting edges and toughness so tools are not damaged as a result of formal force applications.
• It is not used for removing small materials. That provides a longer working life for the reamer and good finishing for the hole.
• • A spiral can be clockwise or anti-clockwise based on uses. Such as a tapered hand reamer having a clockwise spiral provides self-feed when it is used, causing wedging action and breakage.
• The antilock spiral is also used when the reamer is turned in a clockwise direction.
• For making machine tools, shank types are standard taper, straight round shank held with collet, or straight round shank with flat used for set screw configured with solid toolholder.

Different Types of Reamers

 Hand Reamer

• Hand reamers are a type also called fluted reamers that come with a small taper on the cutting edge for easy entry of the reamer. These reamers are solid. But since the increment is limited to a certain value. While hand reamers come with irregular blades connected over the body, which reduces chattering

Chucking Reamer

• Chucking reamers are common type of reamer used for lathes, drilled presses, and screw machine that provide smooth finishing for holes. They have different types such as flutes and cuts also different shank types.
• Chunking reamers made with straight shank or  morse taper shank

Floating Reamers

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• This type of reamer can set faulty alignment existing between the drilled hole and the axis of the reaming tools.
• Floating reamers come with two replaceable and modifiable cutting edges that are connected in one slot of the reamer and cause floating in the radial direction.
• These reamers are good to use for rotary working components on current lathes.

 Shell Reamers

• Shell reamers are used with a combination of shell reamer arbors that provide proper fitting holes.
• These reamers are made for free-cut materials and provide proper finding to hole size. It is also used for screw machines, drill presses, lathes, etc.
• Shell reamers are a low-cost option for larger hole reaming processes.

Carbide Reamers

• Carbide reamers are best to use for machining processes where high abrasion resistance is needed that provides reamers a longer working life and holes that provide good finishing. Solid carbide reamers make error-free holes over the axis.

 Straight reamer

• The straight reamer is used for making increments in the size of the hole. The entry side of the reamer comes with a slight taper; the length is based on the type. That makes the self-centering press when entering raw holes. The larger part of the length comes with a constant diameter.

Reamers vs. Drill Bits

• The drill bit is a cutting tool that has helical cutting edges on the front end and at the sides. This design helps to come with a high material removal rate. For drilling a hole, there is a need for a drill bit for making a hole on the inner side of solid material. Before drilling, the working component did not have a hole.
• Metal reamers used for cutting edges on sides. Reaming is also a hole-making process, but reamers also do different working-life finishing of the surface that has a drilled hole.

Reamers vs. Boring Tools

• These two are also used as cutting tools for finishing holes. They are related to two types of hole machining functions: reaming and boring.
• Boring is a hole-size-increasing function like reaming. It is used for material removal and does not make a fine surface. Its material removal rate is higher compared to the reaming process.
• • A boring tool comes with certain geometry, and cutting edges are at entering faces over the axis.

Applications of Reamers

• It provides accurate dimensions in engine cylinder bores.
• It is also used for bearings and bushings, making fine-tuning holes.
• It provides accurate alignment in different mechanical components. With good surface finishing of drilled holes.
• It refines holes for valve seats in the engine block and provides accurate reaming of gear bores.
• It provides proper quality of holes for dowel pins.