Vertex Auto Tapping Head

[Richard Clark 1Participant @richardclark1]

Hi Guys,

I am thinking about purchasing a Vertex Auto reversing tapping head to fit into my Meddings pillar drill.

 

I have lots of holes to tap but does anyone have any experience of this particular machine attachment or make?

I have never used an auto reverse tapping attachment before and they look quite a usefull addition to my workshop.

 

Any advice or info would be greatly received.

 

Regards

Richard

 

[Richard Clark 1Participant @richardclark1]

[John Stevenson 1Participant @johnstevenson1]

They are magic and you will wonder why you didn’t buy one years ago.

I used to have one setup on an Arboga mill as a second operation machine next to the big CNC.

 

The CNC would drill the parts and the Arboga would tap them, the Arboga was always waiting for the CNC to finish.

For a start you will run the tap far faster than you would dream of by hand typically 300 revs on an M6 tap and once the clutch is set correctly hardly any fear of breaking a tap.

 

John S.

[GoCreateParticipant @gocreate]

Hi

Do you use ordiary taps with the auto tapping heads, so for a blind hole taper, second, and plug or do you need to use machine taps? Does it matter?

 

Nigel

[David Clark 13Participant @davidclark13]

Hi There

Machine taps.

Spiral point (pushing swarf down and through) for through holes and spiral flute (ejects swarf out of top) for blind holes. In stainless steel, use drill 0.1mm larger.

regards David

[GoCreateParticipant @gocreate]

Thanks David

Someone is sure to put up a youtube video, so let me be the first this time. First time I have seen this operation/tool.

Auto reverse tapping

 

Richard, interesting tool. Good luck with it if you buy one.

 

Nigel

[Anonymous]

I don’t have any experience of the Vertex tapping head, but I do have two of other makes. The small one, up to 1/4″ is a Tapmatic, bought new, and the bigger one, up to 1/2″, is an Edalmatic, bought on Ebay. I’ve only ever used them on the Bridgeport mill, but then again I only use my pillar drill a couple of times a year for ‘bodge’ jobs.

 

As John says, they’re magic for large numbers of holes, and very quick. I bought the Tapmatic when faced with 800+ 8BA holes to tap. Running at 800rpm it was much quicker to tap the hole than drill it.

 

I’ve only every used machine taps with my tapping heads, spiral point and spiral flute. I guess there’s no reason you couldn’t use hand taps, but it’d be awfully slow, rather negating the use of the tapping head. And there’s always the problem of picking up the thread in an existing tapped hole without cross threading. Of course on the other hand there’s nothing to stop you using machine taps by hand. I sometines use a spiral flute tap by hand if I really need the thread to reach the bottom of a blind hole. I also have, but haven’t yet tried on the tapping head, a roll form tap.

 

If you have the need to tap a large number of holes I’m sure you won’t regret getting a reversing tapping head.

 

Regards,

 

Andrew

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

Andrew, by roll form taps, is that the fluteless taps that my book calls Threadflo taps, they should go well, I’v got a few and they are good by hand, and would be even better under power. Brass and Aluminium, and a larger hole, and they just glide in. Ian S C

[Anonymous]

Ian,

 

Yes, it is a fluteless tap. It has coolant channels which look superficially like flutes, but end on the tap is trilobal, thus giving the game away. I intend to try it first in aluminium alloy, 6082, and then go the whole hog and try stainless steel. I’m starting with M6, but if it works well I’ll buy some other sizes.

 

Regards,

 

Andrew

[Richard Clark 1Participant @richardclark1]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for all the useful info on the tapping heads,

It looks like I will be getting a tapping head unfortunately I can only afford a vertex one and not the Tapmatic make which I have seen on youtube.

 

I dont know if the vertex type has an adjustable clutch for different sizes of taps to stop breakage?.

I am hoping to use fluteless taps in the tapping head as the job I am doing at the moment needs tapped holes M4 size being tapped into aluminium profile extrusion, the only problem is that the hole to be tapped is not a complete round hole its like a C shape.

I am hand tapping it but you have to be careful that the flutes of the tap do not get caught on the open part of the hole as it can snag the tap.

I think the hole tapping operation would be ok on a fluteless tap and hopefully use a Auto reverse Tapping Head.

 

Many Thanks for all the great info as usual on here.

Regards

Richard..

[BogstandardParticipant @bogstandard]

Just to give you a little info on the Vertex offering.

 

I have one, and I can verify that it doesn’t have an adjustable clutch on it, but I have had no troubles at all, and I use just general purpose hand taps that I buy in bulk from Tap & Die. I have done many, many dozens of holes with it, and not one broken tap, but I do make sure that I use the right sized drill, cut undersize and I think you will be asking for trouble, plus a good quality tapping lube.

 

For the price, they cannot be beaten, just make sure you buy one for the sizes of taps you will be using the most.

 

BTW, they are rather large compared to the more expensive types, but if you can put up with that, then as far as I am concerned, they are a very good buy.

 

Bogs

[DustyParticipant @dusty]

Richard

You may be better off using conventional taps. Because your hole is not complete the fluteless tap will want to push its way out of the gap. Fluteless taps work by deforming the metal, with the gap in the hole the tap will want to take the line of least resistance and try to ‘escape’ through the gap. Normal taps will also want to ‘escape’ but because they cut, the effect is less marked. Just an opinion, I would be interested to know. The other alternative would be to make a tapping fixture where the tap was guided through a bush to keep it in line.

[David Clark 13Participant @davidclark13]

Hi There

Either a four flute tap or a slow spiral tap might be better.

Three flute would probably push out and break.

 

regards David

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

Andrew, heres a quote from Stutton Tools Austrialia on Thearflo taps:Under suitable conditions these taps produce threads with a high degre of finish not possible with ordenary taps, the appropriate materials being: Copper – Brass – ie Castings – Aluminium – Lead – Alloy Steel and other ductile materials. For machine use only.

Try for a 65% thread, 80% is possible but tool life is reduced. Keep the speed up, it helps the thread to flow, about 90 ft/min is recomended. As the material gets less ductile, reduce the percentage.

Richard I don’t think the fluteless tap would work. I would try a Spiral Flute tap, although they are listed as machine only they work ok by hand. Ian S C

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