SHAPING, SLOTTING & PLANING MACHINES

Shapers and planers & slotting machine tools which produce a flat surface. They are capable
of machining a horizontal, vertical or inclined flat surface. They employ single-point cutting
tools which are essentially similar to single-point cutting tools used on lathe. In both these
machine tools, the cutting tool is subjected to interrupted cuts, the tools cuts in forward
direction and is idle in the return direction

Types of shapers

1 According to type of mechanism used for ram:

a) Crank type b) geared type c) Hydraulic type

2. According to position & travel of ram:

a) Horizontal type b) Vertical type c) Traveling type

3. According to type of design of table:

a) Standard shaper b) universal shaper

4. According to type of cutting stroke:

a) Push type b) draw type

Working principle of shaper:

It consists of a hollow machine bed made of cast iron which rests on the ground.
Inside the hollow portion the machine drive mechanism is housed. This mechanism is called
slotted lever quick return mechanism and it drives a horizontal ram which reciprocates in
the guide ways provided on the top surface of the machine frame. In the front face of the ram,
a tool post is fitted. This is a very special kind of tool post. It carries a slide which can be
operated by a hand wheel and the entire tool post can be lowered or raised. Besides, the tool
slide can be swiveled in a vertical plane and its inclination to the vertical (amount of swiveling)
can be read off on a scale marked in degrees. The tool is inclined, when an inclined surface has
to be machined. In the front portion of the base, a table is fitted. The table can be raised or
lowered to vary its height. It can also be moved horizontally to left or right. A vice to hold
the work piece is provided on the table top. The tool does useful work i.e., cutting only in the
forward stroke of the ram. It does not cut in return stroke i.e. it is idle during the return stroke
of ram. In order that while returning, the tool may not rub and spoil the strip of the metal
machined in the forward stroke, a special device called the “clapper box” is provided in the
tool post. It lifts the tip of the tool during the return stroke.

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Base: The base is a heavy cast iron casting which is fixed to the shop floor. It supports the body
frame and the entire load of the machine. The base absorbs and withstands vibrations and other
forces which are likely to be induced during the shaping operations.

Body (Pillar, Frame, Column): It is mounted on the base and houses the drive mechanism
compressing the main drives, the gear box and the quick return mechanism for the ram
movement. The top of the body provides guide ways for the ram and its front provides the
guide ways for the cross rail.

Cross rail: The cross rail is mounted on the front of the body frame and can be moved up and
down. The vertical movement of the cross rail permits jobs of different heights to be
accommodated below the tool. Sliding along the cross rail is a saddle which carries the work
table.

Ram and tool head: The ram is driven back and forth in its slides by the slotted link
mechanism. The back and forth movement of ram is called stroke and it can be adjusted
according to the length of the work piece to be-machined.

Shaper specifications:
 Maximum length of stroke or cut it can make ranges from- 175 to 900 mm.
 Drive- belt or individual motor drive
 Power input
 Floor space
 Weight of machine
 Cutting to return stroke
 Number & amount of feed

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Shaper mechanism:
The shaper machine should be so designed that it can allow the ram holding the tool to
move at a comparatively slower speed during the forward cutting stroke the cutting speed
depending upon the type of material & machining conditions, whereas during the return stroke
it can allow the ram to move at a faster rate to reduce the idle return time. This mechanism is
known as Quick return mechanism

1. Crank & slotted link mechanism

2. Whit worth quick return mechanism
3. Hydraulic shaper mechanism

Shapers operations:
1. Machining vertical surface
2. Machining horizontal surface
3. Machining angular surface
4. Cutting slots, grooves & key ways
5. Machining irregulars surface
6. Machining splines or cutting gears

Work holding devices

1. Clamped in a vise
2. Clamped on the table
3. Clamped to the angle plate
4. Clamped on a v- block
5. Held between shaper index centers

1. Shaper Vise
Vise is the most common and simple work holding device used in a shaper. Different
types of vises are used in a shaping machine according to the need and they are Plain
vise, Swivel vise and Universal vise.

2. Clamps and Stop Pins

T – bolts are fitted into the T – slots of the table. The work is placed on the table The
work is supported by a rectangular strip at one end and by a stop pin at the other side.
The screw is tightened to secure the work properly on the machine table.

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3. T-bolts, Clamp and Step Blocks
The step blocks are used in combination with T-bolts and clamps to hold the work
directly on the machine table. T-bolts are fitted in the T-slots of the machine table.
One side of the clamp holds the work and the other side rests on a step of the step
block. The different steps of the block are useful in levelling the clamp when holding
works of different heights. A nut on the top of the clamp holds the work rigidly.

4. Angle Plate
Angle plate resembles the English alphabet ‘L’. It is accurately machined to have two
sides at right angles. Slots are provided on both the sides. One of the sides is bolted to
the machine table and the workpieces are held on the other side.
5. V – block
V – block is a metal block having a ‘V’ shaped groove on it. It is used for holding
cylindrical workpieces. Operations like keyway cutting, slot cutting and machining
flat surfaces can be performed on the cylindrical workpieces held on a ‘V’ block.

6. Special Fixtures
When internal keyways are to be machined on the holes, the work is held with a
special fixture. The fixture has a V-block attached to it and the cylindrical work is
mounted on it.

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PLANER OR PLANER MACHINE
The planer (also called planning machine) is used to produce plane and flat surfaces by a single
point cutting tool when the work piece is very large in size. It is similar to shaper but its size is
very large and is used for producing flat surfaces on much larger work than a shaper. The major
difference between shaper and planer is that in a planer, the tool remains stationary and the
work reciprocates whereas in the shaper, the work remains stationary and the tool reciprocates.
The surface machined may be horizontal, vertical or at an angle.

Types of planning machines

1. Double housing planer
2. Open side planer
3. Pit type planer
4. Divided table planer
5. Edge or plate planer

Planing Machine:
Construction: The main parts of the double Housing Planer machine is Bed, Table,
Housings, Cross rail, Tool heads, Driving and Feed Mechanism.

Bed: The bed of the planer is the heavy cast iron structure which provides the foundation for
the machine and supports the housing and all other moving parts. At its top, V- type guide-
ways are provided on which the table slides.

Table: It is a box type structure made up of cast iron. It reciprocates along the ways of the bed
and supports the work. At its top, it carries longitudinal T-slots and holes to accommodate the
clamping bolts and other devices. The table movement may be actuated by a variable speed
drive through a rack and pinion arrangement, or a hydraulic system.

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Housing or Columns: The housings are rigid castings placed on each side of the bed in case
of double housing planer and on one side only in case of open side planer. It carries cross rail
elevating screws, vertical feed shaft and cross feed bar to transmit the power to the upper parts
of the machine. The front face carries the vertical ways along which the cross rail slides up and
down.
Cross Rail: The cross rail is mounted on the vertical guide-ways of the two housings. It can
be raised or lowered to accommodate work piece of different heights. Accurately finished ways
are provided at the front of the cross rail for two vertical tool heads.
Tool Heads: Two tool heads are mounted on the cross rail and the other two on the vertical
columns. Each column carries one side tool head. All the four tool heads work independently,
such that they can operate separately or simultaneously, as desired. Tool heads may be
swiveled so that angular cuts can be made.
Driving and Feed Mechanism: The tool heads may be fed either by hand or by power in
crosswise or vertical direction. The motor drive is usually at one side of the planer near the
centre and drive mechanism is located under the table.

Planer mechanism:
Two important mechanism of a planer are
1. Table drive mechanism
2. Feeding mechanism

Different mechanism used to drive the table.

1. Open & cross belt drive mechanism
2. Reversible drive mechanism
3. Hydraulic drive mechanism

Planer operations:

1. Planing flat horizontal surfaces

2. Planing vertical surfaces
3. Planing at an angle & machining dovetails
4. Planing slots & grooves

1. Horizontal surfaces:
While machining horizontal surface, the work is given a reciprocating
movement along with the table & the tool is fed crosswise to complete the cut. Both the
rail heads may be used for simultaneous removal of the metal from two cutting edges.

2. Vertical surfaces:
The vertical surface of a work is planed by adjusting the saddle horizontally
along the cross rail until the tool is in a position to give the required depth f cut. The
vertical slide is adjusted perpendicular to the planer table & the apron is swiveled in a
direction so that the tool will swing clear out of the machined surface during the return
stroke.

3. Planing at an angle & machining dovetails

For dovetail work, cutting v- grooves etc., the tool head is swiveled to the
required angle &the apron is then further swiveled away from the work to give relief to
the tool cutting edges during return stroke.

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 4. Planing slots & grooves
Slots or grooves are cut by using slotting tools. The operations are similar to that of
a shaper.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SHAPER AND PLANER

S.No. Shaper Planer

The work is held stationary and the
In a planer, the tool is stationary and the
1 cutting tool on the ram is moved back
workpiece travels back and forth under the tool.
and forth across the work
A planer is meant for much larger jobs than can
be undertaken on a shaper. Jobs as large as 6
2 It is used for shaping much smaller jobs
metre wide and twice as long can be machined
on a planer

3 A shaper is a light machine It is a heavy duty machine.

Shaper can employ light cuts and finer

4 Planer can employ heavier cuts and coarse feed,
feed

Several tools can cut simultaneously on a

5 A shaper uses one cutting tool at a time
planer

The shaper is driven using quick- return The drive on the planer table is either by gears
6 link mechanism or by hydraulic means

Because of better rigidity of planer, as

7 It is less rigid and less robust compared to that of a shaper, planer can give
more accuracy on machined surfaces.

Slotting machines:
The slotting machine (Slotter) is a reciprocating type of machine tool similar to a shaper
or a planer machine in which, the ram holding the tool reciprocates in a vertical axis and
the cutting action of the tool is only during the downward stroke. It may be considered as
a vertical shaper. The main difference between a slotter and a shaper is the direction of the
cutting action. The slotting machine operates in a manner similar to the shaper. However,
the cutting tool moves vertically direction rather than in a horizontal direction. The
workpiece is held stationary. The slotting machine has a vertical ram and a hand or power
operated rotary table.

Construction:

The slotter can be considered as a vertical shaper and its main parts are:

1. Base, column and table

2. Ram and tool head assembly
3. Saddle and cross slide
4. Ram drive mechanism and feed mechanism.

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Bed or Base: Bed or Base is made up of cast iron. It supports column, tables, ram, driving
mechanism, etc. the top of the bed carries horizontal ways which the worktable can transverse.
The base of the slotting machine is rigidly built to take up all the cutting forces.
Column: Column is the vertical member. They are made up of cast iron and it houses the
driving mechanism. The vertical front face of the column is accurately finished for providing
ways along which the ram moves up and down.
Cross-slide: Cross-slide can be moved parallel to the face of the column. The circular
worktable is mounted on the top of the cross-slide.
Ram: Ram is provided to reciprocate to and fro motion. At the bottom of the ram, it carries the
cutting tool. It is more massive and moves vertically, at a right angle to the worktable.
Table: The workpiece is mounted on the table which can be given longitudinal, cross and
rotary feed motion.
Hand wheels: Hand wheels are provided for rotating the table for the longitudinal and cross
traverse.

The different types of slotting machines are:

1. Punch slotter: a heavy duty rigid machine designed for removing large amount of metal from large forgings
or castings

2. Tool room slotter: a heavy machine which is designed to operate at high speeds. This machine takes light cuts
and gives accurate finishing.

3. Production slotter: a heavy duty slotter consisting of heavy cast base and heavy frame, and is generally made
in two parts.

Operations Performed on a Slotting Machine:

1. The slotting machine can be used to cut slots, splines keyways for both internal and
external jobs such as machining internal and external gears.
2. It can be used for shaping internal and external forms or profiles.
3. It can be used for works as machining concave, circular, semi-circular and convex
surfaces.

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4. It can be used for machining vertical surfaces, machining angular or inclined surfaces,
machining of shapes which are difficult to produce on a shaper machine and
machining dies and punches.
5. It can be used for internal machining of blind holes.

Difference between the three types

Shaper Planer Slotter
1 The work is held The tool is stationary The work is held
stationary and the tool on and the workpiece on stationary and the tool on
the ram is moved back and the table travels back the ram is moved up and
forth across the work and forth under the tool down across the work

2 Used for shaping much Meant for much larger It used for making slots
smaller jobs jobs are of 6 m wide & in smaller jobs.
twice as long can be
machined
3 Is a light duty machine It is a heavy duty Slotter is light duty
machine machine
4 Can employ light cuts and Can employ heavier cuts Can employ light cuts
finer feed. and coarse feed and finer feeds

5 Driven using quick- return The drive on the planer The rams are either
link table is either by gears or crank-driven or by
hydraulic means hydraulic driven

6 It is less rigid and less Better rigidity that give It is less rigid and less
robust more accuracy on robust
machined surfaces

7 Smaller jobs can be fixed Bigger jobs require Same as shaper

quickly & simply in a fixtures for fixing &
vice. job sizes 900 mm hence more fixing time
cube( max) & skills are required.
max job size:
3m*3m*2.5m