What to Look for in High-Performance Special Machine Taps
When you’re using metal cutting tools in the fabrication process, the taps you select are critical to ensuring the fastening ports are consistent and strong. Special taps may be the optimal choice depending upon the materials being connected and the load-bearing strength of the bond needed. Special taps produce helical grooves with a distinct pitch, diameter, or both, and may be used when the dimensions of the tap don’t conform to United States Cutting Tool (USCTI) or International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards.
Special taps are made to provide excellent shear cutting, while producing strong core sections for maximum bond strength. The two primary styles are spiral flute and spiral point taps. These taps can be manufactured from blanks, made to follow design blueprints, or constructed with special lengths and/or features to accommodate tight specifications. Proper taps conform to the Unified Thread Standard (UTS) that includes a standard form and series for each tap, along with tolerances, allowances, and designations for screw threads.
For maximum durability, cutting tool tap cores should be made of particle metal-containing tungsten or cobalt/vanadium. A variety of specialized coatings will also provide an extended tool life.
Spiral flute taps should have a flute design that enables effective shear of the material being tapped, providing consistent cutting angles on both the chamfer and flute face for excellent chip control.
Look for spiral point and spiral flute tools that can tap materials including:
medium and high carbon steels;
austenitic, martensitic, duplexing, and precipitation-hardening stainless steel;
nickel, copper nickel, and nickel chrome alloys;
and commercially pure alpha/beta titanium alloys.
Regal Cutting Tools proprietary SuperTuf SS Taps for Stainless Steel provide accuracy while retaining maximum life and class of fit. The SuperTuf line of special taps are built for proper edge support and free cutting action. Regal developed it’s manufacturing process of specialized high performance taps that conform to United States Cutting Tool Institute (USCTI) standards, and can be shipped within 24 hours, with other coated styles shipping within 10 days.
For more information about our SuperTuf high-performance special taps, please request a custom tap today!
