There is a plethora of reasons why Taps fail in the workplace. Here are a few common reasons why, from our friends at ‘The Tap and Die Company:’
1. Tap out of alignment with the hole or tap not running true
2. Feed pressure incorrect producing thin or deformed threads
3. Core hole too small
4. Incorrect tap for the material.
a) Cutting rake too great b) Incorrect thread relief c) Chamfer lead too short
5. Incorrect sharpening eg. chamfer relief uneven or excessive
6. Tap hitting bottom of a blind hole
7. Tap reversed carelessly
8. Lubrication lacking or of wrong quality
9. Material too hard or abrasive of the type of tap
10. Speed too fast leads to a poor thread finish
11. Tap requires resharpening
12. Tap flutes blocked with swarf
13. Blind hole: Below 4mm if tapping depth is more than 3/4” thread length, tap may break by chip clogging or tap may break by hitting bottom
14. Deep hole tapping: If tapping depth is more than thread length, tap may break by chip clogging
15. In a punched hole the diameter of the hole reduces from top to bottom hence material tend to grip the tap resulting in breakage of the tap
16. The tap may break while reversing if jerk is given while reversing
17. It is recommended to use proper coolant while tapping, as use of coolant reduces friction during tapping & reduces heat generation during tapping which subsequently reduces the property of welding build-up edge formation
18. Improper drill size – only ‘recommended tapping drills’ (shown on lefthand side) should be used
19. Tap may break during tapping, if cutting load is going beyond torsional strength of the tap ie. due to excessive torque
Make sure you are careful and take time with your job to ensure you do not break equipment or compromise your safety. We get phone calls all the time from customers who break their taps! Do it once, do it well!
