Disclaimer: CNC Concepts, Inc. accepts no responsibility for the use
or misuse of techniques shown in this web page. We simply publish information
we feel will be of interest to CNC users. In all cases, the reader is totally
responsible for considering the implications, good and bad, of implementing one
or more of the techniques we show.
When should you tap?
Tapping tends to be the most error prone and frustrating operation a
machining center performs. Depending upon the tap style, the material being
machined, the size of the thread being tapped, and even the machine tool
itself, tapping poses a variety of special problems. In many tapping
applications, the operator must also blow out the chips formed during drilling
and apply tapping compound.
If not properly planned, these problems can lead to wasted machine time,
especially if the operator is expected to do other things during the machining
center cycle. For this reason, we recommend that all tapping be done at the
very end of the cycle.
We also recommend placing an M00 (program stop) in the program prior to the
first tapping operation. This will allow the operator to blow away the chips
and apply tapping compound. Also, once the cycle is reactivated, the operator
will only have to monitor the balance of the program (only tapping will be
left). He or she will be free during all other machining operations to perform
other functions.
