[andy_con]

hi all,

im new this is my first post.

i own a denford triac vmc with 6 station tool changer. the machine has been converted to run on mach3.

today i received this bad boy -

Tapmatic BT35 N/C-R Tapping Head | eBay

not got a clue how to use it, i cant even find a manual for it online.

can anyone offer any help on how to get up and running with it?

[Al_The_Man]

Quite a few on Utube?
https://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&n...w=1455&bih=925
Al.

[fizzissist]

It'll tap between a #4 (like a 4-40) and a 1/4-20 thread. It should have come with at least 1 rubber collet (for that range you really need 2).

It'll run up to 3000rpm

Stick your tap into it, tighten it with the 2 flat wrenches that should have been provided.

Run it down as though you had a tap in a drill chuck... but keep in mind that the tap will continue down after the head stops its -Z travel. The tap will continue down until it releases inside the head, then while the spindle continues to rotate, the tap will stop turning. .... You'll need to experiment to see what that overtravel distance is for YOUR head..... Just think of this thing in terms of rigid tapping.

When you retract the head (at the same rate you fed it in) and the spindle in reverse, the tap will re-engage internally and begin to back out of the hole.

The side lug is to keep the head from rotating, so you're machine will need to accommodate it.

Do some test holes with it.... in some 1/4" thick AL,,, with a 1/4-20 tap. Drill some .201" holes and tap 'em with the material clamped in such a way that you can see the tap go thru, and see how much further it goes after the Z travel of the head stops.

Tapmatic heads are wonderful creatures! ...

[andy_con]

ok maybe i should have explained slightly more.

i understand how to use a tapping head and what it does, but i dont know how to use it with my machine

im assuming i would need some special code setup in mach3?

[fizzissist]

.."not got a clue how to use it, i cant even find a manual for it online."

ok maybe i should have explained slightly more.

i understand how to use a tapping head and what it does, but i dont know how to use it with my machine

im assuming i would need some special code setup in mach3?

ok, maybe I should have explained a lot less.

[andy_con]

ok, maybe I should have explained a lot less.

sorry im not being clear.

i understand the principles of what a tapping head does and how it works, but ive never actually used one so dont know how to use it