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Tool Manufacturer Offers 'Made in USA' Rotary Broach for OEMs Looking to Reshore

The new 'Made in USA' rotary broach allows machinists more flexibility and offers OEMs a 'Made in America' option.
Photo courtesy Polygon Solutions Inc.

FORT MYERS, Fla.—Polygon Solutions Inc.'s new 'Made in USA' rotary broach not only expands the company's tooling line and features multiple text letters, but also offers an innovative solution to manufacturers hoping to capitalize on the reshoring trend, according to company representatives.

"Made in America is one of the strongest selling points we have, even for our U.S. customers," said Matt Chambers of Marine Concepts in Cape Coral, Fla., in a press release. "The quality of the overseas product has been from the start an inferior product, and as the cost of quality is more than ever being taken into account, not only are we sought after for quality, but our total cost for our customer is less." Marine Concepts and Polygon Solutions Inc. actively work together as members of the Florida's Southwest Regional Manufacturing Association (SRMA).

The new rotary broach, with multiple text letters, allows machinists to stamp or mark their part in a lathe or milling machine without removing the part from the machine. Polygon's rotary broaching system is usually used for making hexagon or square holes in precision machined products.

In 2010, Polygon Solutions first introduced what it called an innovative, adjustment-free Rotary Broach Tool Holder, said to be suited for CNC machines because of its maintenance free sealed bearings and a new pressure relief system. The company later announced a series of letter broaches in 2012. The broaches have letters or numbers and are inserted into Polygon's broach holder to mark parts. The different identifying marks improve quality to distinguish between mixed lots of parts made in the same machines.

The 'Made in USA' broach was first tested during Polygon's annual National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) Manufacturing Day tour in 2013. Lee Virtual School students in Fort Myers, Fla., were taught about product development and how the new rotary broach "wobbles" or displaces material to create the text. Polygon showcases new products to students in hopes of promoting the desire for STEM education in a new generation of engineers and machinists.

Polygon's new broach is not limited to the 'Made in USA' mark. The company sells its tools worldwide and is also developing the system to mark logos, slogans, and symbols. "We've had a few challenges to get it to work perfectly," said Peter Bagwell, product engineer at Polygon, in a press release. "But we keep working with our customers and our partners to get it right. Customers reshoring their parts want to show they are now made in the United States."

Partners include the Precision Machined Product Association and National Tooling & Machining Association. "We've learned from our customers that our rotary broach holder is very easy to set up in the machine and very easy to use for making small hexagon and square holes. We hope the new 'Made in USA' broach helps them achieve an even higher level of satisfaction in both their parts and ours," Bagwell added in the release.