Choosing the Right Tapping Machine for Your Workshop.
Choosing the correct tapping machine for your workshop can save you lots of time and effort. It can also protect your taps and create clean threads. Here are the key things to check when selecting a tapping machine.
Drive Type
Tapping Machines can be supplied in Electric, Pneumatic or Hand-feed versions, each finding a particular application in the workshop. The most versatile form of Tapping Machine is the Electric version in that it does not require the use of a compressor.
Torque and Tap Size Range
Make sure that the machine can deliver enough torque for the material you are most often threading. For example, a machine rated to M6 on steel is of little use if you are mostly cutting M12 threads. Always check the recommended tap sizes for steel, not for aluminium as these figures are significantly different.
Spindle Speed Settings
Different materials require different tapping speeds. While softer metals and plastics can be tapped quickly, harder materials require slower tapping speeds. Therefore, it is particularly important to check the number of tapping speeds offered by a tapping machine. Three or four speeds are a must in order to avoid forcing an unsuitable tapping speed on the material. A single speed machine is of poor value if you work with a variety of different materials.
Throat Depth and Reach
The Throat Depth is a measurement of how close you can cut a thread to the edge of the workpiece. If you measure your largest workpiece then you will be able to select a Tapping Machine with a suitable reach to suit your requirements.
Torque-Limiting Clutch
The torque limiting clutch is the single most important safety feature on any tapping machine. A good quality clutch should disengage the drive when the resistance exceeds the set level. Ideally, the clutch should be easily adjustable for different jobs and the adjustment should be easy to make.
Mounting and Portability
Some tapping machines are mounted on a workbench arm, while others are simply placed on a workstand. Others can be mounted on a radial arm. A useful reference for Tapping Machines is www.cotswold-machinery-sales.co.uk/roscamat-tapping-machines/.
Specifying a machine to the work you intend to do (as opposed to the work you think you will be doing after six months) will prevent you from buying a machine with capability that you will never use and, worse still, buying a machine short and reaching the limits of the machine’s capability in six months time.
