Tapping into machine shops

By OEM Update Editorial July 8, 2019 4:00 pm IST

Machine shops right across the north eastern states of America are getting the job done thanks to support from cutting tool manufacturer Dormer Pramet. An end user in Cincinnati, Ohio, machining small spindles of 303 stainless steel was achieving tool life of around 400 holes per tap. The Dormer spiral flute Blue Shark was tested as an alternative option. Although the recommended speed for this tap is 400 RPM, the end user ran their existing program (100 RPM) and achieved 1,500 holes. They quickly switched to Shark taps and are now looking to increase speed rate further to save time and improve tool life on other applications.

In Indianapolis, Indiana, a machine shop bought a new CNC but was not happy with the performance or price of the tooling provided with it. The Dormer Yellow Shark tap was tested due to the soft steel material being machined, with the DIN version providing a suitable fixing option. Overall it achieved 50 percent more holes without changing running parameters and was less expensive than the previous tooling, making it a win-win. They are now a regular purchaser of the Dormer range of Shark Line taps.

Over in Michigan, a company was tapping holes in a variety of stainless steels for items in the food industry. They were having significant trouble with their taps, with many breaking, leading to the machined parts being scrapped. Dormer’s Blue Shark tap was brought in and now the customer is seeing none of its tooling break. It means they are saving thousands of dollars by not scrapping taps or machined parts on a regular basis. All their taps are now from the Shark Line range and are adding the Dormer Force drills, also specifically designed for stainless steels, to their shop.

Finally, back in Ohio, a job shop specialising in precision machining was looking for a new tap to take over all its threading applications. They were looking for a ‘do all’ tap to provide versatility across steels and stainless steel. Not getting enough tool life out of their current taps, the end user decided to put the Dormer Blue Shark through testing. The tap proved itself in all the applications and the shop has converted all threading tools to Dormer Pramet.