Burning Out Broken Tools: How to Save an Expensive Part Instead of Sending It for Scrap

In metalworking production and repair, there is a situation that almost every lathe operator, machinist, or fitter knows too well: during drilling or thread cutting, a tap or drill breaks off inside a hole. The part has already passed several operations, its production cost is high, and the broken tool fragment is sitting deep with no way to remove it using conventional methods. At that moment, a choice arises: throw the workpiece away or find a way to save it.

This is exactly the kind of case where the service of electrical-discharge removal (burning out) of broken tools is needed – a service provided by Bas-Agro LLC. This technology makes it possible to remove a broken tap, drill, stud, or other hard tool from a hole precisely and locally, while preserving the geometry and functionality of the part.

Fundamentals of Electrical Discharge Machining: Why It Works Where Mechanics Fail

Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) is a non-contact method of shaping material. Metal is removed not by cutting, but by a series of controlled electrical discharges between an electrode and the workpiece in a dielectric medium. In the discharge zone, a microscopic explosion occurs, melting and flushing away a tiny volume of metal.

In practice, this means that the broken tool can be very carefully removed, layer by layer, from inside the hole without applying mechanical force or overloading the part. This is especially important when we are dealing with:

• hardened steels and carbide tools,
• deep or blind holes,
• complex-shaped parts where any additional mechanical load risks cracking or deformation.

The part itself remains stationary, while the electrode (the “tool” in EDM) works in a very local, predefined zone. As a result, only what must be removed is removed, and everything that must be preserved remains intact as much as possible.

Typical Cases When Burning Out a Broken Tool Is the Best Solution

Most often, Bas-Agro LLC is contacted in situations where:

1. During thread cutting in a housing or flange, a tap breaks and its fragment gets jammed in a blind hole.
2. During drilling of a deep hole, a drill snaps off and access to the broken part is limited or completely absent.
3. While repairing an assembly (gearbox, hydraulic block, bracket, flange), a stud or bolt breaks off flush with the surface or even below it.
4. A fragment of a carbide tool remains in a housing-type part and cannot be drilled or machined with standard tools.

All these situations have one common problem: the cost of the part is much higher than the cost of a single recovery operation, but mechanical methods are either ineffective or carry too high a risk of losing the workpiece completely.

In such cases, EDM burning-out allows the part to be returned to service instead of starting production from scratch.

Which Tools Break Most Often and Why It Matters

In real-world production, the most trouble is caused by taps and drills.

Taps work in harsh conditions: they simultaneously take torsional loads, axial feed, chip evacuation and contact with a material that may be tough, hardened, or structurally non-uniform. Any mistake in the choice of cutting parameters, coolant, pre-drilling, or the condition of the tap itself increases the risk of failure. If a tap breaks in a blind hole, the fragment is almost always firmly stuck.

Drills, especially small-diameter and/or carbide drills, often break due to chip jamming, incorrect feed rate, vibration, or insufficient heat removal. In deep holes, the fragment can end up in a zone where mechanical access is practically impossible.

Additional problems are caused by studs, bolts, and dowel pins that break during disassembly. If a part has been operating in a humid or aggressive environment, the threaded joint can seize, and an attempt to turn it out results in the head or shank snapping off. In the end, you are left with an expensive assembly and a broken fastener stuck inside.

How Broken-Tool Burning Out Actually Works in Practice

The first step is diagnosing the situation. Specialists assess the type of broken tool, the material of the part, the depth and diameter of the hole, and access to the machining zone. This is necessary to choose the best clamping scheme and the type of electrode.

Then the part is mounted on the EDM machine so that accurate positioning along the axis of the broken tool is guaranteed. The electrode is prepared – usually a tubular electrode with a diameter that allows it to work on the tool body without touching the walls of the hole.

During the process, the electrode is gradually fed into the broken tool fragment, and specially tuned current pulses step-by-step “eat away” the metal. Tool remnants are flushed out by the dielectric fluid. In many cases, after the main fragment has been removed, only a thin layer or individual small particles remain, which are either also removed by EDM or easily eliminated by additional operations.

The final step is inspecting the condition of the hole. If needed, corrective machining is performed: restoring or re-cutting the thread, truing the diameter, grinding, or other mechanical operations. The goal is to return the part to a condition suitable for further use without compromising the reliability of the assembly.

Advantages of Electrical-Discharge Burning Out of Broken Tools

Among the key advantages of this method are:

• the ability to work with hard, hardened, and carbide materials where conventional tools are ineffective or useless;
• a minimal risk of additional damage to the part since there are no impact loads or excessive mechanical forces;
• preservation of reference surfaces and hole geometry, which is especially important for housings and precision fits.

In addition to technical advantages, there is a very important economic aspect: in many cases, restoring a part is significantly cheaper and faster than manufacturing a new one, especially when special steel, complex machining, or inclusion in a high-value assembly are involved.

Video Example: What It Looks Like in Reality

To better understand the process, you can watch a real-life example of an EDM machine at work. In the short video at: https://youtube.com/shorts/6vEgHNsFnZ8

you can see how an EDM machine gradually burns out a broken tap from a part. It is clearly visible that the tool is removed carefully, without mechanical blows, while the part itself remains stationary and is not subjected to external mechanical loads.

This is a visual demonstration of how EDM technology can save a workpiece that seemed hopelessly ruined. This is the exact approach that Bas-Agro LLC offers its customers: instead of scrapping the part, give it a second life.

Who Needs This Service and Why Bas-Agro

The service of burning out broken tools is especially relevant for owners and service providers of agricultural machinery, repair shops, machine-building and metalworking enterprises. Expensive gearbox housings, implement frames, hydraulic components, bearing housings – all of these are parts that should not be lost because of a single mistake during drilling or thread cutting.

Bas-Agro LLC combines several key strengths: deep practical experience in metalworking, modern equipment, a clear understanding of the specifics of agricultural machinery, and responsibility for the final result. The company does not just provide a single technological operation – it looks at the part holistically, from the moment it enters the shop to its return to service.

An additional advantage is that Bas-Agro also specializes in the production and supply of spare parts for agricultural machinery, so the company fully understands the cost of downtime during the season. In many cases, fast and professional restoration of a part is more valuable than any formal cost saving – the real issue is sowing or harvesting windows and the performance of the entire machine or implement.

You can learn more about the company, its metalworking services, and the spare parts catalog for agricultural machinery on the website: https://bas.ua/

If there is a broken tap, drill, stud, or other tool stuck in your part, do not be in a hurry to declare it scrap. In many cases, it can still be saved – and the electrical-discharge burning-out service from Bas-Agro LLC is designed precisely for such situations.

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