Tap/Die

Safety

The purpose of this tool is to create threads in a hole or shaft. Safety glasses should always be worn when using this tool. There are many different types and styles of taps that are meant for different materials and for either manual or CNC operation. The two main taps are forming taps and cutting taps. A cutting tap will cut material away to form the thread where as a forming tap will compress the material to form the threads. Taps and dies are made from very hard materials that may suddenly snap if too much force is applied. Failure to follow the procedure below will increase the likelihood of the tap snapping off in your work piece. The procedure below shall be used as a guide and not an absolute. The operator shall use his or her judgment to determine when too much force is being applied and the tap and hole needs to be cleaned to prevent a tool failure. Be careful when handling taps as the edges can be very sharp.

Operation

First identify and select the correct tap for your operation. Using a drill chart, drill an appropriately sized hole for the material and thread you want to create. Ensure that a blind hole extends between 0.5” -0.75” below the intended thread depth. Apply the proper lubricant to the tap. Ensure that you are holding the tap perpendicular to the surface. To start the thread, firmly press down on the tap handle for up to two (2) full revolutions. After the thread has been started, repeat the cycle of a half a turn forward and a quarter backwards to break the chip. After repeating this cycle for four or five times, completely back out the tap, clean the chips from the tap and the hole and reapply lubricant. Repeat this process until the required threads have been created. Failure to extract the chips will result in a broken tap.

First identity and select the correct die for your operation. Using a drill chart, ensure that the shaft has the correct major diameter for the thread you intend to create. To ensure that the work piece does not get marred, fixture the shaft in a set of soft-jaws. Apply proper lubricant to the die. Gently align the die to be perpendicular to the axis of the shaft to be threaded. Slowly rotate the die around the shaft to create the threads. Once the threads have been created, remove the die complete, clean the shaft and die and rerun the die across the threaded section to clean up the threads. Ensure that the correct threads have been created by running a nut across the threads. It may be required to chamfer the leading edge of the shaft or use a file to remove any sharp edges.