Tapmatic

Freds Edge

Freds Edge

Well-Known Member
I was using my newly acquired Tapmatic last night and after 3 holes snapped a tap (2 56). I'm not sure if I had the correct rpm on my drill press and was wondered what speeds are commonly used and hole size , my hole was drilled at .072.
 
What material? I run a Tapmatic 30x with 0-80 and 2-56 taps primarily in titanium. Your drill selection should be such that it will produce 50% threads in Ti unless it is very thin (<.040") then you can get away with 60-75%. I run my 30x at about 1500-1800 rpm. Use only spiral point taps and never use one that you have previously hand tapped with. Feed in with authority and reverse like you mean it. I'm not saying to muscle the thing but you can't be timid or you will get ratcheting and that can break taps. Always use a quality tapping fluid. Adjust the torque limiter to a light setting and then adjust until it quits slipping. That's about everything I can think of on using a Tapmatic.

Bob
 
Depends on the material you used

the tap

Was it a spiral point tap made for machine use, or four straight flutes for hand use



The torques setting
 
Fred..... in my expereince the "trickiest" part of a tapmatic is getting the clutch set correctly. Most have a knurled ring at the top, with a set screw.... which is the clutch adjustment. Most have numbers at different heights around that ring. Supposedly you take the bottom of the ring to the number and its suppose to the set. On mine, I broke a couple of taps at first, and although I had the clutch ring set where the instructions said, I had to "fiddle" with it to get it right. What I ended up doing was to take the clutch to the "1" setting, tried tapping a hole, and the clutch would slip....I kept putting about a 1/4 turn towards the "2" until I got it to have just enough "catch" to tap a hole in Ti.

(On most Ti I use a #48 or 5/64" hole for 2-56 screws for a cutting tap, and #47 hole for thread forming taps). On any Ti thicker then .070 I have to go in, back out, and go back in a few times to completely tap the hole (I go until the clutch slips, back out, and to it again until the hole is tapped). Lube for me is a must, espeically with thread forming taps.
 
KenH said:
Bob, why do you say:

I'm not trying to be smart-a**, just wishing to learn.

Ken H>
Click to expand...

Ken, in my experience, hand tapping almost always causes damage to the taps. They may look fine to the naked eye but, look at them under a loupe and you will find damage, usually in the leading edges of the cutting teeth. This damage can cause stress risers in the tap that will lead to further failure. A new tap in a tapping head, if setup properly, can last a long time. A tap that was previously used for hand tapping, will not last nearly as long.

Bob
 
Much like what others have mentioned...
... If we're talking titanium...

When tapping 2-56 holes with my Tapmatic 30x, I drill 5/64" holes, then follow with a thread-forming tap lubed with Moly-Dee.

Erin
 
Thanks for the clarification Bob - makes sense. OK, is this fabled "Moly-Dee" that much better than my old standby "Tap-Magic"?
 
KenH said:
Thanks for the clarification Bob - makes sense. OK, is this fabled "Moly-Dee" that much better than my old standby "Tap-Magic"?
Click to expand...

Yes Ken it realy is MUCH better than Tap-Magic when it comes to titanium. Try it,you'll like it.
 
Gents, I thank you for all the good advise , I could not find Moly Dee but did buy some Tap Magic ( extra duty) oil that seems to work well . I also contacted Tapmatic and talked to Leo who gave me advise on adjusting the clutch , 30 holes and no problem.
 
I run a 30x tapping 1/4 x 20 threads; I've found that some tapes work much better than others. I run a hundred holes at a time on 01 I use two taps each one cutting 50 units. Its cheap to do this considering that if I screw up one hole it cost me 8 dollars.
 
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