57.DIE TAPPING JOBS

One of the best ways for stampers to compete in this market is by maintaining the highest quality standards and using technology to combine operations wherever possible.Performing stamping and tapping in a single operation, for instance, helps reduce labor costs and increase quality while finishing parts at a fast rate. In the past many metal stampers often shied away from quoting jobs for stamped parts with tapped holes because of the cost of performing secondary tapping operations, a lack of understanding of in-die tapping, or a bad experience with in-die tapping.

With modern tapping heads, speeds have been increased, maintenance has been reduced, and design methods have changed. Tapping-head engineers can provide customers with the necessary information and support to quote an in-die tapping job knowledgeably, and they can work closely with tool and die designers throughout the design process. This cooperation between tapping-head engineers and prospective customers benefits everyone by limiting potential problems before they exist.Considerations for Combining Stamping and Tapping .

The cost of building a tapping die, including the tapping unit, is generally less than that of building a secondary high-speed tapping machine. Secondary tapping machines usually are dedicated to a single part, but a tapping unit can be changed from die to die, reducing the initial cost of subsequent tapping dies and making lower-volume tapped stamped parts feasible for in-die tapping.The cost of stamping parts with multiple tapped holes can be further reduced using a multispindle tapping unit. The initial cost of multispindle tapping units per hole tapped typically is about 30 to 40 percent less than that of an individual tapping unit.

Multispindle tapping units usually are dedicated to a single die, so they cannot be interchanged. However, the tapping heads are compact, and the decreased die space required to accommodate the tapping die helps reduce initial tooling costs.Eliminating a secondary tapping operation also eliminates related handling and feeding costs. In-die tapping enables the press operator to produce completed tapped parts in one operation. Of course, inspection and tap changes still are required. New sensor technology can help reduce inspection costs, and a twist-lock lead screw assembly can help speed tap changes.