Pick the Right Tap Tool for the Job
There are plenty more options to choose from.
Guhring’s product manager for threading tools, Paul Motzel, says his Powertap brand is intended as a general-purpose tool, while the High Performance series is more material-specific, and the recently introduced Pionex line is offered as a premium tapping line designed for higher production runs and demanding applications.
“We’ve tweaked the geometry and added some features that greatly extend tool life, starting with the tool’s surface,” he says. “The Pionex is ground, honed and coated like many cutting tools—taps included—but is then given a final polish and coated again. This creates a microscopic break on the cutting edge, just enough to prevent chipping when it first meets the workpiece. And because the surface is smoother, it reduces friction and therefore heat, further extending tool life.”
For machinists and manufacturing engineers alike, this abundance of tap offerings might make tool selection more difficult than deciding which sports car you want to take home from the auto show. But when it comes to selecting a cutting tool, as always, the choice depends on the material you’re machining, how many parts you need to produce, how quickly you need to make them, and lastly, how much you want to spend.
Whether it’s his brand or someone else’s, however, one thing that Motzel doesn't recommend is sticking with the status quo.
“I get calls all the time from people who grabbed whatever tap was in the drawer and are now wondering why they’re scrapping parts,” he says. “Cutting tools overall have improved greatly over the years and taps are no exception, so there’s simply no reason to settle for old technology.”
Broad Lineup of Tapping Solutions
Emuge is another company that dismisses the status quo, especially when it comes to tapping. Product Director Mark Hatch points to the company’s broad lineup of tapping solutions, which includes Emuge’s universal MultiTAP for general-purpose use, the TI tap (for titanium), the NI tap (nickel-based alloys), the A-HCUT (hardened steels) and A-GJV taps (cast iron high in vermicular graphite), and the “revolutionary” Punch Tap, which was designed for use on specially equipped machine tools running high production volumes.
“The Punch Tap is aimed at the automotive industry, where they need the lowest cycle time possible on engine blocks, transfer cases, and so forth, most made out of die-cast aluminum,” he explains. “Through internal testing, we determined that even with an rpm multiplier like our Speedsynchro, there’s a limitation on how fast you can tap a hole. Our Punch Tap, on the other hand, uses a proprietary technology to produce threads in a single spindle rotation, providing up to a 75 percent reduction in cycle time. Granted, it’s a specialized application, but for anyone who needs to produce millions of threads annually, there’s nothing faster.”
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