Friday, September 7, 2012

Settting the Correct Tap Depth with In-die Tapping

Setting the Correct Tap Depth for In-Die Tapping

One of the most common questions we receive when customers are new to In-die tapping is “How do we set the height of the tap?”  The ease of adjusting the tap depth is one of the favorite features of users of our In-die tapping heads.  The tap adjustment is all done through the quick change Lead Screw Assembly. 
The correct depth of the tap in the closed position of the press should be approximately 5 full threads through the part.   Using this guide line we can estimate the starting position of the tap in the open position of the press using this example.
Tap size:  ¼-20           Material Thickness:  .150”      Tap Travel:  .750”
If we take the material thickness(.150”) plus  5 threads through the part(.250”) we arrive at .400”.  With the total tap travel of .750” minus .400” we can assume the tap should start .350” above the top of the strip in the open position of the press.
These adjustments are made by removing the quick change Lead Screw Assembly from the tapping head, adjust the height of the Lead Screw by turning it inside the Lead Screw Bushing and locking the quick change Lead Screw Assembly back into the unit—it is that simple.  You can view this adjustment being done on our 8 minute video that is posted on our website(www.hutchisontool.com).