Tormach Tooling System - Tapping Heads and Collets

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About Tapping Heads

CNC tapping on a Tormach PCNC Mill is easily accomplished with the aid of a tapping head (also known as a tapping chuck). Tormach offers 3 styles of tapping heads1:

Procunier TruTAP™ for Tormach® Auto-Reversing Tapping Head

An industrial, high duty cycle tapping head made exclusively for Tormach and manufactured in the USA by Procunier Safety Chuck Co.  This head can not be held in Tormach Automatic Tool Changer (ATC) carousel because it uses a stop collar to engage the reverse gear.

 
Tension Compression Tapping Head Kit
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Modular Tension/Compression Collet Chuck

A modular system consists of a tapping chuck and a set of quick change collets.  Collets can be pre-loaded with taps for quick changeover.  The tapping chuck also has an adjustable slip clutch.  This system is compatible with the Tormach ATC.

 
ER20 Tap Holder
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ER series TTS Tap Holders

These are clutchless low profile Tension/Compression tap holders that use ER20 or ER16 collets for tap retention.  These are meant to be dedicated to a single tap and are ATC compatible.

How to choose a Tapping Head

Consider the Procunier TruTapâ„¢ if your application requires any of the following:

  • A large number of tapped holes of the same size and pitch is required or a Tormach PCNC is being used as a dedicated CNC Tapping Station. Once installed, the Procunier TruTAP cycle time is up to 25% reduced when compared to a tension/compression tapping head and provides long life and repeatable performance
  • Small tapped holes (#0-#5, M2-M5) . The clutch mechanism on an Auto-Reversing head minimizes tap stress, reducing the chance of small taps breaking during retraction when compared to a tension/compression tapping head.
  • Easy programming with your Tormach PCNC Mill. The Mach3 control system included with your PCNC milling machine features several handy tapping macros (M871-M874) for simple and straight forward programming of the Procunier TruTap.

Consider either the Modular Tension/Compresssion Collet Chuck or ER Series TTS Tap Holders if your application requires any of the following:

  • Occasional Tapping. Interchangeable collets accommodate a wide range of tap sizes and the simple mechanisms used in these tapping heads require minimal effort to maintain.
  • Compatible with an Automatic Tool Changer (ATC) System. Neither the Tension/Compression tapping chuck or the ER series TTS Tap holders require the use of a stop collar for operation, and both are compatible with the Tormach ATC.
  • Affordable Tool Holding. Both Tension/Compression style heads cost a fraction of the price of a quality auto-reversing system. The modular tapping chuck system is popular for prototyping because of its versatility. The ER-series TTS holders are perfect for use as dedicated tap holders for small-run production.

How to Program a Tapping Head

To program the Procunier TruTap on a PCNC Mill, simply use the M871-M874 programming macros included in the Mach3 control system. Alternatively, the Procunier TruTap can also be programmed with explicit G-code or with the G85 canned cycle for use with other mills or control systems.

To program either the Modular Tension/Compression collet chuck or ER series TTS tap holders, explicit G-code is recommended.

Detailed programming examples for both auto-reversing and tension/compression tapping can be found in the following document:

Last Updated Sep 26, 2012
- Download TD10077: CNC Tapping Guidelines   



1The Modular Tension/Compression Tapping head and ER series TTS tap holders are not recommended for use with PCNC 1100 Series 1, unless the Spindle Upgrade has been installed. For compatibility with non-Tormach CNC mills, please check with your mill manufacturer.

TTS - Tapping Heads Documents

All TTS - Tapping Heads Documents

09/26/12 - TD10077: CNC Tapping Guidelines (470 kb)
Basic operation and programming guidelines on how to tap using Tormach Tapping Heads.
05/03/12 - U10044M: Tormach Tooling System Manual (844 kb)
Product Manual for the Tormach Tooling System.
03/19/12 - DS10052: Tormach Tooling System Catalog (3278 kb)
Tormach Tooling System Catalog
03/19/12 - DS10120: Tapping Heads Datasheet (282 kb)
Datasheet on the Tapping Heads.
10/26/10 - Preventing Collet Slip (1002 kb)
Best practices and proper maintenance with R8, ER, Morse and other collet systems can greatly improve tool holding

TTS - Tapping Heads Manuals

05/03/12 - U10044M: Tormach Tooling System Manual (844 kb)
Product Manual for the Tormach Tooling System.

TTS - Tapping Heads Datasheets

03/19/12 - DS10052: Tormach Tooling System Catalog (3278 kb)
Tormach Tooling System Catalog
03/19/12 - DS10120: Tapping Heads Datasheet (282 kb)
Datasheet on the Tapping Heads.

TTS - Tapping Heads Technical Documents

09/26/12 - TD10077: CNC Tapping Guidelines (470 kb)
Basic operation and programming guidelines on how to tap using Tormach Tapping Heads.
10/26/10 - Preventing Collet Slip (1002 kb)
Best practices and proper maintenance with R8, ER, Morse and other collet systems can greatly improve tool holding

TTS - Tapping Heads Drawings

No documents available at this time.

TTS - Tapping Heads Service Bulletins

No documents available at this time.

TTS - Tapping Heads General Policies

No documents available at this time.