The Art

and Science
of
In-Die Tapping
Stampers should not
hile in-die tapping (IDT) can offer we’ll focus on mechanically driven IDT
consider in-die tapping
(IDT) as black-box W phenomenal cost-saving oppor-
tunities for stampers, it continues
to be one of the more intricate and per-
designs. The very same fundamentals
and principles that apply to rock-solid
die design, reliable die construction and
technology; rather, an IDT plexing operations occurring within trouble-free die operation also apply
stamping dies. Although IDT products to attaining success (and handsome
installation must function have been commercially available for profits) with IDT. So, let this article
in harmony with the die, 20-plus years, only a small handful of serve to debunk the myth and mystery
designers and toolmakers have mas- of IDT once and for all.
press and the material- tered the art. Add in the immense pres-
feeding systems around it. sure to reduce overall design-and-build Timing/Sequence
cost and the use of IDT can fall out Let’s break down the IDT process:
Here’s everything due to corner-cutting. Furthermore, • Advance the strip into progression
although CAD and CNC technology and engage the strip with the pilot
stampers need to know to are magnificent resources, there’s still a punches
make IDT work for them. certain amount of tool-making method- • Clamp the strip
ology and passion needed to ensure • Deliver forming lubricant to the
proficiency and success with IDT. working end of the tap
BY L. RAY OSBORNE Although it’s possible to drive an • Tap the part
IDT application by several different • Retract the tap and unclamp the
auxiliary-power approaches, including strip
servo-mechanical and hydraulic, here • Disengage the pilot punches from
the strip
Ray Osborne, business development man- • Repeat
ager for Anchor Danly (www.anchor- Attempting to employ any timing/
danly.com), dedicates this article to the sequence in an IDT installation other
memory of the late Graham J. Clarke— than the aforementioned will almost
colleague, friend and crusader for the art certainly lead to problems, such a bro-
of in-die tapping. ken tap, poor thread quality, damaged

14 METALFORMING / SEPTEMBER 2010 www.metalformingmagazine.com

tapping units, disappointed customers the tapping process, however, the end of If the workpiece contacts the tap before
and frustrated management. the tap should be as near the work- the start of the tapping cycle, premature
Location (true position of the tap piece as possible without actually touch- wear can occur on the tap and also
relative to the workpiece): Most com- ing it. A good rule of thumb: Start with within the tap control cartridge or pitch
mercial IDT units can accommodate a clearance equal to half the thread insert. Further, the first thread pro-
small amounts of misalignment, pitch, although some adjustment may duced in the part can become damaged
depending upon the size of the tap be necessary depending on how the due to the tap reverse-skidding against
employed, but such misalignments gen- IDT unit mounts in the die (solid- it during retraction as the misfeed
erally result in reduced tap life and pre- mounted on the lower shoe, stripper- spring unloads while the tap exits the
mature wear of the tap control car- mounted or lifter-mounted) and hole.
tridge or pitch insert. Excessive whether the tapping direction is up or Workpiece control/size of pre-
misalignments, especially in the case of down. tapped hole: Recommended prehole
smaller-diameter taps, almost always Most commercial IDT units employ diameters for rollforming taps differ
cause tap breakage. direct-drive designs and thus use a pre- from those for conventional cutting
Clearance: A small, but finite clear- loaded mechanical spring as a motion- taps (i.e., tap drill charts). As an ideal
ance between the tap and workpiece is absorbing safety system to protect the starting point for achieving a good bal-
necessary at the beginning of the tap- tapping unit from damage in the event ance between quality rollformed threads
ping cycle. To maximize the efficiency of of a strip short-feed or a broken punch. and optimized tap life, use 65 percent of

Size of Pretapped Hole Based on Thread Size

Pretapped Hole Diameter
Tap Major Diameter Pitch 75% of Theoretical 65% of Theoretical 55% of Theoretical
T.P.I.
Designation Thread Thread Thread
mm in. mm in. mm in. mm in. mm in.
M1 x 0.25 1.000 0.0394 0.250 0.0098 0.873 0.0344 0.890 0.0350 0.907 0.0357
M1.1 x 0.25 1.100 0.0433 101.6 0.250 0.0098 0.973 0.0383 0.990 0.0390 1.007 0.0396
M1.2 x 0.25 1.200 0.0472 0.250 0.0098 1.073 0.0422 1.090 0.0429 1.107 0.0436
M1.4 x 0.3 1.400 0.0551 84.667 0.300 0.0118 1.247 0.0491 1.267 0.0499 1.288 0.0507
M1.6 x 0.35 1.600 0.0630 0.350 0.0138 1.422 0.0560 1.445 0.0569 1.469 0.0578
72.571
M1.8 x 0.35 1.800 0.0709 0.350 0.0138 1.622 0.0638 1.645 0.0648 1.669 0.0657
M2 x 0.4 2.000 0.0787 63.5 0.400 0.0157 1.796 0.0707 1.823 0.0718 1.850 0.0729
M2.2 x 0.45 2.200 0.0866 0.450 0.0177 1.971 0.0776 2.001 0.0788 2.032 0.0800
56.444
M2.5 x 0.45 2.500 0.0984 0.450 0.0177 2.271 0.0894 2.301 0.0906 2.332 0.0918
Metric Thread Sizes

M3 x 0.5 50.8 0.500 0.0197 2.745 0.1081 2.779 0.1094 2.813 0.1107
3.000 0.1181
M3 x 0.6 0.600 0.0236 2.694 0.1061 2.735 0.1077 2.776 0.1093
42.333
M3.5 x 0.6 3.500 0.1378 0.600 0.0236 3.194 0.1257 3.235 0.1274 3.276 0.1290
M4 x 0.4 63.5 0.400 0.0157 3.796 0.1494 3.823 0.1505 3.850 0.1516
4.000 0.1575
M4 x 0.7 36.286 0.700 0.0276 3.643 0.1434 3.691 0.1453 3.738 0.1472
M4.2 x 1.4 4.200 0.1654 18.143 1.400 0.0551 3.486 0.1372 3.581 0.1410 3.676 0.1447
M4.5 x 0.75 4.500 0.1772 33.867 0.750 0.0295 4.118 0.1621 4.169 0.1641 4.220 0.1661
M5 x 0.8 31.75 0.800 0.0315 4.592 0.1808 4.646 0.1829 4.701 0.1851
5.000 0.1969
M5 x 0.9 28.222 0.900 0.0354 4.541 0.1788 4.602 0.1812 4.663 0.1836
M6 x 1.0 6.000 0.2362 1.000 0.0394 5.490 0.2161 5.558 0.2188 5.626 0.2215
M6.3 x 1.0 6.300 0.2480 1.000 0.0394 5.790 0.2280 5.858 0.2306 5.926 0.2333
25.4
M7 x 1.0 7.000 0.2756 1.000 0.0394 6.490 0.2555 6.558 0.2582 6.626 0.2609
M8 x 1.0 1.000 0.0394 7.490 0.2949 7.558 0.2976 7.626 0.3002
8.000 0.3150
M8 x 1.25 1.250 0.0492 7.363 0.2899 7.448 0.2932 7.533 0.2966
20.320
M10 x 1.25 10.000 0.3937 1.250 0.0492 9.363 0.3686 9.448 0.3719 9.533 0.3753
M10 x 1.50 10.000 0.3937 16.933 1.500 0.0591 9.235 0.3636 9.337 0.3676 9.439 0.3716
M12 x 1.25 12.000 0.4724 20.320 1.250 0.0492 11.363 0.4473 11.448 0.4507 11.533 0.4540
M12 x 1.75 12.000 0.4724 14.514 1.750 0.0689 11.108 0.4373 11.227 0.4420 11.346 0.4467
Fig. 1—Attempting to form more than 75 percent of theoretical full thread is never recommended and will not produce any
additional thread strength.

www.metalformingmagazine.com METALFORMING / SEPTEMBER 2010 15

In-Die Tapping

Fig. 2—The pretapped hole should be uniformly cylindrical

and free of any burrs or aberrations. With certain materi-
als, particularly stainless steels (shown here), the stam-
per may need to pierce or extrude the hole to a
slightly undersized diameter and then shave
away material in a subsequent die station
to bring the hole precisely to the
desired diameter and cylindricity.

the theoretical full serve to remove the thin work- Fig. 3—The nature of rollforming
threads causes a small material puck-
thread. Attempting to hardened layer of material er at the ends of the thread where the
form more than 75 percent near the surface, reduce the thread terminates at the top and bot-
of theoretical full thread is never rec- required tapping torque, extend tap tom faces of the material.
ommended and will not produce any life and produce better-quality threads.
additional thread strength (Fig. 1). The Consider the Type 304 stainless- subassembly, this material pucker often
substantive rigidity of a rollformed steel application example shown in can present problems. If the pucker gets
thread’s crosssection comes from its Fig. 2. The prehole was produced in a pushed back into the thread space, it
pyramidal base, not the geometry near single die progression (tap size = M8 x usually causes binding issues once the
its crest. In the case of the ever-popular 1.25, prehole diameter = 0.294 in., fastener is introduced.
M6 x 1.0 size, decreasing the prehole material thickness = 0.156 in.). Note To avoid binding, some designers
diameter from 5.56 mm to 5.50 mm the ragged hole geometry and the will instinctively chamfer the prehole
can nearly double the required dynam- heavy burrs present on the material by adding a coining operation just
ic tapping. fracture side. prior to tapping. However, material
Two key points: A 5.56-mm extru- Coining/chamfering a hole before pucker will still occur, although it now
sion punch will not actually produce a tapping: The nature of rollforming will sit in the chamfered depression
5.56-mm hole. In fact, the resulting threads causes a small material pucker below the top surface of the part and
diameter will be slightly smaller due to at the ends of the thread where the create problems should the tap be
material memory or elasticity, so a bit of thread terminates at the top and bottom required to enter the part on the side
tribal knowledge (or perhaps trial-and- where the chamfer was installed. Here,
faces of the material (Fig. 3). This is nor-
error experimentation) may come in mal. In the case of an extruded hole, this particularly with higher grade carbon
handy in smartly arriving at a particu- puckering effect also occurs at the exit steels and stainless steels, it can be dif-
lar desired prehole diameter. or rough end of the extrusion, but its ficult for the tap to readily engage the
Second, as the pierce punch or extru- presence there is usually inconsequen- part. The material becomes work-hard-
sion punch wears, the prehole diameter tial. When the finished piece must be ened in the chamfered region, and the
gradually shrinks. Continuous moni- mated flush against another part in a angle of the chamfer somewhat mim-
toring of the diameter, whether by peri- ics the angle on the
odic manual verification using hard Apply Lube to the Tap and into the Prehole forming lobes of the tap.
gauges or by a more sophisticated hot- So, the first lead of the
pilot sensoring approach, proves help- tap prefers to skid against
ful in maintaining consistent thread the hole’s opening rather
quality and optimizing tap life. than readily bite into it.
Prehole shape/geometry: The pre-
tapped hole should be uniformly cylin-
drical and free of any burrs or aberra- Clearance Tapping Lube
gap, g
Spray Point #1
tions. With certain materials, Fig. 4—Ideally, particu-
particularly stainless steels, the stamper t
larly with HSLA and
may need to pierce or extrude the hole stainless steels, the
to a slightly undersized diameter and setup will spray the tap-
ping lube onto the end
then shave away material in a subse- Dp, prehole diameter of the tap and into the
quent die station to bring the hole pre- T, total depth to tap
pretapped hole, from the
cisely to the desired diameter and cylin- Tapping Lube opposite side from which
Spray Point #2
dricity. Shaving operations also can the tap is traveling.

16 METALFORMING / SEPTEMBER 2010 www.metalformingmagazine.com

Tap Peripheral Speed vs. Press Crank Angle Fig. 5—Graph illustrates
peripheral tap speeds
30 (while the tap is engaged
Tap Peripheral Speed (m/min.)

in the material) for three

20
different IDT alternatives
10 for a stainless-steel appli-
0
cation. Red and blue
curves give speed profiles
–10 for direct-drive and exter-
–20 nal drivescrew IDT
devices, while the yellow
–30 curve represents the
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240 260 280 300 320 340 360 speed profile for a cam-
Press Crank Angle (deg.) actuated internal drive-
screw IDT device.

Ram Velocity vs. Press Crank Angle

Again, most commercial IDT designs
25.0
incorporate a spring-loaded misfeed-
protection system, and trying to tap 20.0
into such chamfers often can result in 15.0
Press Stroke = 6 in./Press Speed = 30 spm
unintended, partial misfeed-system
Ram Velocity (in./sec.)

10.0
actuation. This means usable revolu-
tions for the tapping work are lost, and 5.0
an incomplete thread typically results. A 0
better approach—when possible—is to –5.0
provide the necessary clearance for the
–10.0
material pucker by coining a slight
recess into the adjoining part, which –15.0
Press Stroke = 12 in./Press Speed = 30 spm
carries no thread. –20.0
Minimize (or eliminate) lateral and
–25.0
vertical movement of the part relative 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240 260 280 300 320 340 360
to the tap while the tap is engaged: Crank Angle (deg.)
Although most commercially available Fig. 6—Choose the shortest press stroke available. The press stroke, of course,
IDT systems can accommodate slight must be greater than the tapping stroke and must allow sufficient time for feed-
tap-to-hole misalignment, it’s important ing and piloting.
to ensure the workpiece cannot shift
during the tapping process. A robust ficient, because the lubricant doesn’t cants may be necessary to optimize tap
piloting and clamping arrangement is get applied where it’s needed—on the life, particularly with HSLA and stain-
mandatory for reliable IDT operation tap and in the prehole. Larger taps less steels.
and satisfactory tap life. With stripper- (M10 or 3⁄8 in. and above) should be Quantity required: The amount of
mounted IDT configurations, the strip- serviced by two or more spray noz- lubricant required depends on tap size,
per should be precision guided to the zles. Ideally, particularly with HSLA material type, lubricant type and mix
lower die through the use of pins and and stainless steels, the setup will spray ratio. Some experimentation and
bushings, locating cones, or both. the tapping lube onto the end of the bench-marking may be required to
If the strip moves vertically during tap and into the pretapped hole, from determine the proper amount of tap-
the tapping process, the tap can be the opposite side from which the tap is ping fluid to be administered for each
forcibly pulled out of the tap holder, or traveling (Fig. 4). press cycle.
the working end can fracture and be Lubricity/quality: A discussion of
separated from the rest of the tap, or this very subjective topic is well beyond Preventive Maintenance
both. the scope of this article but, suffice to say As previously discussed, monitoring
Lubrication (tap): Rollform tapping a near-dizzying array of petroleum- and controlling prehole diameter and
is a high-friction process, and so lubri- based and water-soluble commercial shape will help enable an effective pre-
cation must be provided. lubricants are available in the market- ventive-maintenance program for IDT
Delivery point: Lubricant/coolant place. Strict adherence to the lube man- installations. IDT devices are high-
must be delivered to the working por- ufacturer’s guidelines (dispensed speed, high-precision mechanisms and
tion of the tap (first three to five leads), amount, mix ratio, recommended deliv- should be periodically cleaned and
on every press cycle. Simply spraying or ery method, etc.) is strongly advised. lubricated in accordance with the
flooding the strip is wasteful and insuf- Experimentation with various lubri- manufacturer’s recommendations.

www.metalformingmagazine.com METALFORMING / SEPTEMBER 2010 17

In-Die Tapping

Die protection/sensoring: Physi- prehole diameter, tap coating, and the and its preload increases. Eventually, a
cally detecting the tap’s successful pen- type and quantity of tap lube all affect sufficient amount of preload develops
etration through the workpiece is an tap life. For IDT manufacturers, it’s and the tap finally engages the part and
important step in striving for zero- generally safer to answer such ques- begins to form a thread. However, in
defect IDT. Inductive proximity sen- tions with actual case-study data. such cases the tap invariably loses use-
sors, photoelectric/optical sensors or With a new application, it’s advisable ful revolutions upon entry and, in so
physical contact switches may find use, to optimize and maintain the key doing, usually falls short of tapping the
according to the end-user’s preference. parameters and then benchmark the part completely to depth.
Turn the sensoring equipment to “look resulting tap life. In healthy IDT appli-
on” for the tap’s presence generally cations, taps generally will wear out Watch the Speed Limit
around bottom-of-stroke, between 180 before they break. In one mode of wear, Speed restrictions with IDT tech-
to 190 deg. after top-dead center. A the tap continues to fully penetrate the nology almost always result from the
good tap sensing setup can detect bro- part, but the forming lobes become so physical limitations of the taps, rather
ken or worn taps (when partial misfeed- worn they’re no longer producing a than the IDT units themselves. These
system actuation is involved), as well as deep enough thread (major diameter), limitations are mandated by the amount
improper tap-setup positions at initial and the “go” side of a pitch-diameter of friction-generated heat that can be
tryout and each successive production thread gauge no longer will go through tolerated by the tap’s base material and
startup. the part. coating, and the lubricant being applied.
Another way a tap can wear out: The So, the next time you’re hoping to go 60
Optimizing Tap Life lead-in threads become too dull to strokes/min. in an M10 x 1.50 stainless-
Tap life: A common—and difficult- immediately engage the prehole, and a steel application, don’t blame your IDT
to-answer—question from IDT users partial actuation of the misfeed spring supplier when it tells you it can’t be
is, “What kind of tap life can I expect in (safety system) occurs while the tap done.
this application?” Material type, tap size struggles to enter the hole. As the tap Fig. 5 shows peripheral tap speeds for
and depth, press speed and stroke, the skids against the hole opening, the safe- three different IDT alternatives for a
amount of press stroke used for tapping, ty system’s misfeed spring compresses stainless-steel application. Each of the

18 METALFORMING / SEPTEMBER 2010 www.metalformingmagazine.com

three curves represents the peripheral that corresponds to 65 percent of theo- prehole that is uniform in size and
speed while the tap is engaged in the retical full thread. shape increases due to the strain-hard-
material. The red and blue curves give • Provide ample, quality tap lubrica- ening nature of these materials. In most
speed profiles for direct-drive and exter- tion, delivered directly to the first three cases, at least one shaving operation is
nal drivescrew IDT devices, while the to five leads of the tap on each and needed after the hole has been initially
yellow curve represents the speed pro- every press cycle. formed.
file for a cam-actuated internal drive- Compared to a cold-rolled-steel
screw IDT device. Because direct-drive How to Handle HSLA application, the allowable tap periph-
designs generally do not disengage from and Stainless Steels eral speed with HSLA is about half,
the upper die shoe during operation, the When stamping high-strength alloys, and with stainless steel it’s about one
tap moves continuously whenever the the challenge of producing a quality third. MF
press operates. Thus, the tap has signif-
icant velocity when it’s trying to engage
the hole.
By contrast, cam-actuated IDT
devices are engaged and disengaged by
the upper die shoe during the press
cycle. The tap gradually accelerates from
rest and exhibits a low velocity upon
entry into the prehole—the single most
critical moment in an IDT operation. In
the case of the red curve, the peripher-
al speed of the tap upon entry is about
16 m/min. In the case of the blue curve,
the peripheral speed is about 12 m/min.
In the case of the yellow curve, the tap
peripheral speed is very slow upon entry
into the workpiece, which generally
makes for more reliable engagement
and reduced tap wear rates.

How to Maximize Speed

Key points in maximizing the speed
of an IDT application:
• Understand and respect the kine-
matics of the process. Design and build
the die around the necessary operating
parameters of the IDT unit.
• Use the longest tapping stroke pos-
sible. Not to be confused with depth to
tap, tapping stroke is the amount of
press stroke that can be safely used to
tap.
• Match stripper travel (and piloting
duration) to the tapping stroke.
• Choose the shortest press stroke
available. The press stroke, of course,
must be greater than the tapping stroke
and must allow sufficient time for feed-
ing and piloting. A 12-in.-stroke press
operating at 30 strokes/min. will exhib-
it double the ram velocity of a 6-in.-
stroke press operating at 30 strokes/min.
(Fig. 6).
• Maintain the prehole at a diameter

www.metalformingmagazine.com METALFORMING / SEPTEMBER 2010 19