1

Introduction
Roe (1916) credits James Nasmyth with the invention of the shaper in 1836. But the basic
function of a shaper is still sound; tooling for them is minimal and very cheap to reproduce; and
they are simple and robust in construction, making their repair and upkeep easily achievable.
Thus they are still popular in many machine shops, from jobbing shops or repair shops to tool
and die shops, where only one or a few pieces are required to be produced and the alternative
methods are cost- or tooling-intensive.

Shaper
A shaper is a type of machine tool that uses linear relative motion between the work piece and
a single-point cutting tool to machine a linear tool path. Its cut is analogous to that of a lathe,
except that it is (archetypal) linear instead of helical.

Types
Shapers are mainly classified as higher, draw-cut, horizontal, universal, vertical, geared, crank,
hydraulic, contour and traveling head. The horizontal arrangement is the most common. Vertical
shapers are generally fitted with a rotary table to enable curved surfaces to be machined (same
idea as in helical). The vertical shaper is essentially the same thing as a slitter (slotting machine),
although technically a distinction can be made if one defines a true vertical shaper as a machine
whose slide can be moved from the vertical. A slitter is fixed in the vertical plane.
Small shapers have been successfully made to operate by hand power. As size increases, the
mass of the machine and its power requirements increase, and it becomes necessary to use a
motor or other supply of mechanical power. This motor drives a mechanical arrangement (using
a pinion gear, bull gear, and crank, or a chain over sprockets) or a hydraulic motor that supplies
the necessary movement via hydraulic cylinders.

Working Principle
The job is rigidly fixed on the machine table. The single point cutting tool held properly in the
tool post is mounted on a reciprocating ram. The reciprocating motion of the ram is obtained by a
quick return motion mechanism.
As the ram reciprocates, the tool cuts the material during its forward stroke. During return, there
is no cutting action and this stroke is called the idle stroke. The forward and return strokes
constitute one operating cycle of the shaper.

Figure shaper machine

Construction
The main parts of the Shaper machine is Base, Body (Pillar, Frame, Column), Cross rail, Ram
and tool head (Tool Post, Tool Slide, Clamper Box Block).

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.

Operation
A shaper operates by moving a hardened cutting tool backwards and forwards across the work
piece. On the return stroke of the ram the tool is lifted clear of the work piece, reducing the
cutting action to one direction only.
The work piece mounts on a rigid, box-shaped table in front of the machine. The height of the
table can be adjusted to suit this work piece, and the table can traverse sideways underneath the
reciprocating tool, which is mounted on the ram. Table motion may be controlled manually, but
is usually advanced by automatic feed mechanism acting on the feed screw. The ram slides back
and forth above the work. At the front end of the ram is a vertical tool slide that may be adjusted
to either side of the vertical plane along the stroke axis. This tool-slide holds the clapper box and
tool post, from which the tool can be positioned to cut a straight, flat surface on the top of the
work piece. The tool-slide permits feeding the tool downwards to deepen a cut. This
adjustability, coupled with the use of specialized cutters and tool holders, enable the operator to
cut internal and external gear tooth profiles, spines, dovetails, and keyways.

The ram is adjustable for stroke and, due to the geometry of the linkage, it moves faster on the
return (non-cutting) stroke than on the forward, cutting stroke. This action is via a slotted
link or Whitworth link.

Specification of shaper
The size of a shaper is determined by the maximum length of stroke or cut it can make. The
usual size ranges from 175 to 900 mm. The length of stroke indicates, in addition to the general
size of the machine, the size of a cube that can be held and planed I the shaper. Thus in a 250 mm
shaper the length of stroke may be adjusted from 0 to 250 mm, the cross feed adjusted of the
table will be 250 mm and the extreme bottom position of the cross rail will permit the table to
accommodate a work piece 250 mm high. The length of stroke of a shaper merely indicates the
overall size of the shaper other particulars, such as the type of drive : belt or individual motor
drive, power input, floor space required, weight of the machine, cutting to return stroke ratio,
number and amount of feed etc. are also sometimes necessary.

Mechanism in shaper
In order to reduce the time wasted during the return non-cutting stroke, shaping machines are
fitted with a quick-return mechanism, usually of the crank and slotted-link design.

This is shown diagrammatically in Figs. . The ram is driven by a slotted link which pivots at its
lower end and is attached to the ram by a loose connecting link at its upper end. The slotted link
engages with the crank pin mounted on the driving wheel which rotates at constant speed and
causes the link to oscillate and the ram to reciprocate. A gearbox controls the speed of the driving
pinion, thus providing a range of speeds for the ram. A shaper is analogous to a planer, but
smaller, and with the cutter riding a ram that moves above a stationary work piece, rather than
the entire work piece moving beneath the cutter. The ram is moved back and forth typically by
a crank inside the column; actuated shapers also exist.

Assuming the driving wheel is rotating in a clockwise direction, then with the ram at the start of
the cutting stroke the centre-line of the slotted link is tangential with the path of the crank pin
shown at point 2 on diagram. As the wheel rotates the ram moves forward until the link again
becomes tangential, shown at point 10. Further rotation of the driving wheel withdraws the ram
to its starting position at point 2. Hence the rotation from point 2 to 10 in this example, 240, is
the cutting stroke, and that from 10 to 2 in this example, 120, is the return stroke, giving a 2:1
ratio. As the length of the stroke is increased or decreased the ratio of the cutting time to the
return time varies
As the driving disc is connected to the bull gear the table feed movement is effected when the
bull
gear
or
the
diving
disc
rotates
through
half
of
therevolution, i.e., during return stroke only. Rotation through other half imparts no feedmoveme
nt. To reverse the direction of rotation of ratchet wheel and consequently the feed, a knob / on the
top of the pawl 4 after removing the pin 2 is rotated through 180 degrees. The amount of feed
may be altered by shifting the position of crank pin 9 with respect to the centre. Greater the
throw of eccentricity, more will be the rocking movement of the arm and the pawl will pass
through three or four teeth on the wheel at a time imparting greater feed movement.

Uses
The shaper is a machine tool used primarily for:
1. Producing a flat or plane surface which may be in a horizontal, a vertical or an angular plane.
2. Making slots, grooves and keyways
3. Producing contour of concave/convex or a combination of these.
4. It is even possible to obviate wire EDM work in some cases. Starting from a drilled or cored
hole, a shaper with a boring-bar type tool can cut internal features that don't lend themselves to
milling or boring (such as irregularly shaped holes with tight corners)

Conclusion
So the shaper machine is very needed Producing a flat or plane surface which may be in a
horizontal, a vertical or an angular plane

Reference

Www.shaper machine. wiki

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shape
seminarprojects.com/s/shaper-machine-pdf-file

www.alibaba.com/showroom/advantages-of-shaping-machine.html
wiki.answers.com Wiki Answers Categories Uncategorized

End