[Phishaholic]

I just did the Spindle Drive Upgrade to my machine, What a difference that made! I plan on getting the Tension/Compression Tapping Head because I have a bunch of 8-32 and 1/4-20 holes to tap in 6061 aluminum. My question is who makes good taps for this and what lube works best? I saw somewhere in the something about lube, but I can't find it. Any thoughts on a good way to go about this or things to watch out for would also be appreciated.

Thanks!
Larry O

[compunerdy]

I use tapping fluid as I dont want to run the coolant just to tap a part.

I bought some taps like this http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNSRIT?PMAKA=09223637 and they seem to work good and they snap into place in the holders nicely.

[Fegenbush]

OSG Makes some wicked taps. They're pricey, but a great product. You can buy them from MSC or your local supplier. I would recommend the spiral flute for blind holes and the spiral point for thru holes.

[Phishaholic]

Thanks Guys!

I just ordered some OSG taps, They looked like good quality to me. I'll let you know..

Larry O

[rowbare]

Since you are tapping aluminum, you might want to look at thread forming taps.

bob

[compunerdy]

All I ever do is tap aluminum. Can you explain the benefits/difference in using thread forming taps?

[rowbare]

A thread forming tap displaces the material rather than cutting it therefore you don't have any chip clearance problems. The threads are also supposed to be stronger. You do have to drill a slightly larger hole though since you are not removing any material.

Here is a bit of a pitch by one manufacturer. If you do a forum search on thread forming tap you will find more info here as well.

http://www.precisiontwistdrill.com/t..._prod_taps.asp

bob

[Don Clement]

I have tapped 10s of thousands of 4-40 blind holes in 6061-T6 using Balax forming taps. http://www.balax.com/forming.html With forming taps there are no chips so they work especially well in blind holes. I use Relton A9 tapping fluid with excellent results. Here is a video tapping 2-56 blind holes using a balax forming tap on the Tormach. http://s72.photobucket.com/albums/i1...6Procunier.flv

Don Clement

[compunerdy]

Thanks for the info.. I take it they will work fine with the tension/compression tapping head? Would I use the same code as a normal tap?

[Don Clement]

Thanks for the info.. I take it they will work fine with the tension/compression tapping head? Would I use the same code as a normal tap?

I haven't tried forming taps with my Tormach tension-compression heads yet because most of my tapping is ¼”/M6 or less blind holes and the Procunier tap head works extremely well for blind small holes less than ¼”/M6. in addition the Procunier tap head will stop within a 1/3 revolution for blind holes. I use the same program code for the forming tap as cutting taps and peck cycle is not necessary when using a forming tap because there are no chips produced. Be aware that forming taps require a larger drill size than cutting taps. Material also affects drill size with forming taps so it is best to experiment using the tap manufacturer recommendations as a starting point.

Don