Shop Floor Tool Management
There’s no question that tool manufacturers have complicated tool crib management this century. Decisions have to be made based on the job at hand and overall shop cost effectiveness. This article only addresses tapping but the philosophy of tool management applies to most types of tooling.
The development of material specific taps for most types of production tapping has created a dilemma for shop managers. If your shop runs jobs tapping Duplex Stainless, 52100 steel, medium carbon steel and maybe some Titanium or Nickel Alloys you can choose to use taps made from premium steel designed for specific materials. Optimum tool life can be gained using four different designs for the materials mentioned. Each is designed for cutting action, wear, and chip ejection based on the machining characteristics of the various materials being tapped. If the job is long running or expected to repeat, the best option is to select the tap best suited for the material.
However, in the practical world there are too many unknowns:
- How many taps will I need to run this job?
- If I produce accurate parts and deliver on time, can I count on repeat business?
- What’s my tool budget based on the cost of the work?
Sometimes choosing to use a style of tap that’s considered high performance but has broader application characteristics may be the right choice. Tools like Regal Cutting Tools Accu-Shear spiral flute and spiral point taps are designed to produce superior performance in a broad range of applications. These are strong durable taps, made from particle metal, designed to provide quality threads in steel, stainless, titanium and aluminum. The superior flute design and cutting edge structure ensures accurate tapping and exceptional tool life in a wide range of applications.
Using high performance multi-function tools for most tapping jobs helps aid the production of quality parts, eliminates the confusions in selecting the right tap for the operator, and helps tool budget considerations (stocking multiple styles of the same size).
Contact us today to speak to an expert about these high performance tools, and how they can play a role in your process.