Tapping

Pipe Tapping

10/01/1998

Author:

Taper pipe threading is unlike any other threading operation, and it may be one of the most difficult operations a machinist can be asked to perform. This article reviews the various types of taper threads and the tools and techniques needed to produce them.

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The need for ta-C

08/08/2018

Author:

Michiel Eerden

Tool applications and deposition technologies for tetrahedral amorphous carbon coatings.

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Admitting my mistakes

I received an email from a reader letting me know that he disagreed with my recent article on tapping versus thread milling. In it, I stated, “There’s little chance of successfully thread milling metals much above 45 HRC. And if you’re going to try to tap them, be prepared to duck the flying shrapnel when the tap explodes!” We all make mistakes. So when Tom Fares, president of TNT Custom Equipment in Stow, Ohio, called me out on that section of the article, saying that he routinely taps holes in 45 HRC steel alloy and thread mills into “the low 60s,” I listened to what he had to say.

A tipping point for tapping

As discussed in the current issue of Cutting Tool Engineering magazine in the feature article “Specialization on tap,” material-specific taps continue to evolve. Sources anticipate increasing specialization of the materials used for taps across industries.

Material-specific taps continue to evolve

05/17/2018

Author:

Greg Bartlett

A look back at the use and evolution of sintered powder metal and the PM process that results in a tool substrate that consists of finer, more consistent particles, and yields a stronger, longer-lasting cutting edge.

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Do you tap or thread-mill?

05/10/2018

Author:

Kip Hanson

For many in the machining community, tapping is the preferred method of threadmaking on a CNC machining center. Yet others contend that thread milling is better. Kip Hanson breaks down the long-running argument.

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7 ways to avoid breaking taps

Bob Warfield of the CNC Cookbook offers seven tips for avoiding breaking taps in the 11th episode of the CNC Chef, a Cutting Tool Engineering video series produced in conjunction with the CNC Cookbook.

Considerations when having taps resharpened

07/07/2017

Author:

Kip Hanson

Resharpening dull taps by hand is probably not a good idea when you could be making parts. Plus, a thorough reconditioning requires a grinder designed for grinding the actual tap form. So resharpening dull taps is one job best left to the experts.

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Enduring attachments

12/30/2016

Author:

Evan Jones Thorne

Tapping attachments date back to the early 20th century—and they’ve endured for good reason.

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CTEplus visits with Widia at IMTS

Chris Merlin, director of portfolio commercialization for the WIDIA Products Group, visited with Cutting Tool Engineering Publisher Don Nelson during IMTS 2016 to discuss the company's 90-year milestone and latest technology, including the VariMill Modular System, the VariTap and the features of the NOVO app.