Tapping timesaver: Supply Chain & Logistics

When reduced setup time and increased precision are top tapping priorities, this all-in-one option is designed to fit the bill.

Made by Australia-headquartered ANCA, the TapX CNC tap grinder integrates all the different processes normally required to produce a tap into a single machine. A wide variety of tap types and sizes can be manufactured with only one setup, according to the company.

Typically, four to six different machines are used to grind a tap, each of which produces only one feature, noted ANCA product manager Kaine Mulder. “The factories are huge because they’ll have 20 of one machine down one aisle, 20 of the next machine down the next aisle and so on,” Mulder said. “Whereas with the TapX, you have one machine that does it all.”

This versatility, he explained, stems from the fact that the TapX is a six-axis machine “that can maneuver around and do everything you need to do. With (conventional) machines, the spindle’s generally fixed, and they’ll have fewer axes for maneuvering around the tap.”

With its additional axes, ANCA says the TapX can reduce total setup time from three or four hours to just one, slashing lead times for small to medium-size batch production. In addition, Mulder noted that one-stop grinding improves accuracy because taps are completely manufactured in one setup instead of being moved to multiple machines.

By performing multiple operations in a single machine, the TapX slashes tap-grinding setup times and improves accuracy. Image courtesy of ANCA

According to ANCA, the TapX also benefits from high rigidity that boosts manufacturing quality and repeatability. In addition, the machine features ANCA’s LinX motors for its linear axes and direct drive technology for the rotary axes. The company points out that the elimination of belts, pulleys and gears improves precision and reliability.