The best way to tap on any machine, any application
Tapping Checklist
Work Piece All Applications
- What are the size and depth of the hole?
- Will it be a through or blind hole?
- Is the hole drilled to the correct size?
- Is the work piece rigidly held against rotation and upward movement?
- If tapping a bottom-hole, does drilled depth allow for chamfer teeth of tap and sufficient clearance to keep tap from bottoming out in hole?
- What is material and hardness of the work piece?
Tap All Applications
- Do you have the correct tap design for the application?
- What are the tap sizes and styles?
- What material is the tap made from?
- Is the tap sharp?
- Is the tap properly aligned with the drilled hole?
- Is there sufficient clearance between the tap and the hole to allow for retraction?
- Who is tap manufacturer? What speed do they recommend for optimum performance of their tap in this material?
Machine Tool Manual Applications
- Is machine stop set so the tap releases in neutral to prevent bottoming?
- Is the machine retraction correct for tapping attachment being used?
- Is the torque control set to prevent tap breakage?
- Is depth control set to correspond with machine stop to provide the total thread depth required and prevent bottoming?
CNC Applications
- What type of machine is in use?
- What is the horsepower?
- What is the spindle taper?
- What is the method of fixturing?
- Are machine feed and speed set correctly?
All Applications
- Is the proper cutting fluid or lubricant being used for lubricating the tap?
Tapping Attachment All Applications
- Is the correct Tapmatic tapping attachment being used for the specific job requirements?
CNC Applications
- Is the machine retraction correct for the tapping attachment being used?
Tapping Head Installation and Machine Set Up All Applications
- Never perform any installation or programming, before reading the operator instructions accompanying the tapping attachment and the machine as well as the tap manufacturers' recommendations.
- With a self-reversing tap chuck for manual or CNC operations, it is important to make sure that stop arm is strong enough to prevent torque bar from bending or deflecting. Machine torque bar must be stronger than largest tap.
- Is clearance between the drilled hole and tap sufficient at start position to allow the tap to clear the hole upon retraction?
- If a bottom hole is being tapped is there sufficient chip clearance?
Manual Applications
- If torque control attachment is being used, is torque set correctly so that tap will not break if accidentally bottomed?
- If depth control feature is employed, is it set correctly to cooperate with machine stop, provide total thread depth required and prevent engagement with bottom?
CNC Applications
- The machine retraction must be correct for the tapping attachment being used.
- What is the feed rate?
- What is the actual tapping speed?
- What is the clearance plane height?
- Is the potentiometer canceled?
- Be sure to follow programming instructions for the tool.
- When using a self-reversing head, has the ramp, dwell or exact stop been disabled?