Newbie- Tapping Head

[jon_fallon]

A 1987 Fadal 4020 was recently installed and is working fine. It doesn't have rigid tapping, so will be getting a tapping head in the near future for hole sizes ranging from 4-40 to 1/2 NPT.

Does anyone have a good tapping head that they use and would recommend?

Thanks in advance of all responses.

[gsrmmeza]

We just bought a tapping head 2 weeks ago. It is made by Collis and costs $186.34 We are currently using it in stainless cutting a M6 x 1. So far its working great. The range is #0-9/16" Hand, 1/16" & 1/8" NPT. The range that you state 4-40 thru 1/2 NPT means that you would need 2 tapping heads. One that takes #1 adapters and one that takes #2 adapters. This is who we bought it from:


http://www.usshoptools.com/current_y...df/PGS_183.pdf

[scadvice]

...you will find one tap holder with the range your looking for. You would have to get two. I don't know what the 87 Fadals have in their control (CNC 88?)for tapping but you might look. The 89 Fadals have will tap that range with floating tap holders. Use low range for the taps over .375. The programming manual will walk you through it. Steve

[Neal]

The 1989 vintage control had the G84 comprression/Tension and the G75 Tapmatic style of taping cycles.

[jon_fallon]

A CV 40 BILZ 200 NUM/TAP was located in the MSC catalog and was similar to the Collis that gsrmmeza purchased. It was a size 2 and had adapters going down to 0-80 taps, and should be in hand tomorrow.

There was an example of the G84 code for a 3/8-16 tap ( G84G98X?Y?Z-1.R.2S160F10) in a previous post that will be used to supplement the manual. A small DNC program is being developed under XP that will automate drill/tap cycles for a list or circular pattern of holes, and will start working on the tapping portion when the device arrives.

Thanks for the assistance.

-jon