cheaper options with no signature required. The no signature required options are at the customer’s risk once the goods leave our store. Keyseaters, also known as keyseating machines and keyway cutters, are specialized machines designed to cut keyways. They are very similar to vertical shapers; the difference is that the cutting tool on a keyseater enters the workpiece from the bottom and cuts on the down-stroke, while the tool on a shaper enters the workpiece from the top and cuts downward. Another difference is a keyseater has a guiding system above the workpiece to minimize deflection, which results in a closer tolerance cut. The process starts by clamping the workpiece to the table with a fixture or vise. The workpiece is properly located and then the reciprocating arm is started. Some models have a stationary table so the cutter is fed horizontally into the workpiece, while others have a movable table that feeds the workpiece into a fixed cutter. These machines can cut other straight sided features other than keyways (see the picture). They can also produce blind slots, which are slots that do not extend through the whole workpiece. [7] [8] Wire-cut electrical-discharge machining (EDM) [ edit ]

One part of the Shaft key fits into a precut slot in the shaft known as a key seat and the other part fits into a slot in the hub called a keyway. The whole system is called a keyed joint. A keyed joint may allow relative axial movement between the parts.Shigley, Joseph; Mischke, Charles (1989), Mechanical Engineering Design (5ed.), McGraw-Hill, ISBN 0-07-331657-1. A saddle key is a key for securing a member to a machine shaft that fits into a keyway in the secured member and is concave to grip the shaft by friction compared to a flat key, or sunk key. Feather keys are fully contained. It does not set-up to hold the key in position and the wing keys cannot move out of the assembly. The second possible mode of failure, also caused by forces exerted on the key by the shaft and hub, is based on compressive forces, which can induce permanent deformation and crush the key. In this case, the maximum torque that can be transmitted is based on the height, rather than the width, of the key.

Parallel keys are commonly used in mechanical and automotive engineering because of their inefficiency, availability, and ease of installation. Like other types of shafts, they are available in a collection of styles, including ball splines, crowned splines, helical splines, serrations, and parallel splines.

Registered Australian Company: Small Parts & Bearings Pty Ltd (ABN 79 121 865 414) - Trading as Bearing Shop Online Round: These are used mostly for low power drives. They are circular and fit into holes drilled partly in the shaft and partly in the hub. Round keys are usually considered to be most appropriate for low power drives. These are not as popular as the rounded edge is much more prone to shearing than a square edge.