Tapping for High-Quality Thread Production

Our vice president of sales and engineering, Jack Burley, answers some hard-hitting questions on tapping in the April 2018 issue of Canadian Metalworking.

Tapping is an efficient way to create threads in a drilled hole and it makes the overall machining process easier. Burley goes on to discuss this in further detail by emphasizing how tapping has changed within the industry over the years – what previously use to be a slow and manual process is now a common function included on all of today’s machines.

Burley mentions a successful tapping operation is defined by “a quality thread, to required depth, with correct pitch diameter and no chips left in the hole.” A great way to reach such a result? Tool holding.

“Tool holding is critical,” says Burley. “Tap breakage is sure to occur if the setup is wrong, and removing a broken tap from the workpiece is labor intensive.” In fact, BIG KAISER’s Mega Synchro holders are designed specifically to provide radial stiffness and precise runout.

A few other methods in quality threading include utilizing coolants to extend tool life and to begin the process with a hole of proper diameter.

Read the full online version of the article here. You can also find more information on our Mega Synchro holders in our new High Performance Tooling Solutions catalog.