It’s easy to underestimate the time needed to set up an electric tapping machine but if you plan ahead you can get it all done in a morning.
Unpacking and Inspection
15-20 minutes for unpacking the tapping machine, inspecting it for any possible damage during transportation and checking for all required parts and accessories. Missing parts or damaged parts (like a dented arm bracket) can take up lots of time.
Mounting and Positioning
Mounting a tapping machine on a bench can take around 30-45 minutes for a straightforward installation. Care must be taken when positioning the tapping machine arm to ensure that the arm is long enough to comfortably reach the workpiece but not so long that it becomes unwieldy. Machines that are used on large components or components of unusual geometry may need the arm to be repositioned several times in order to achieve the correct geometry.
Power and Speed Configuration
Set up time for connection to power supply and selection of correct spindle speed will be around 15-30 minutes. This should be cross-referenced against the manufacturer’s speed chart, for the correct tap size and material to be tapped.
Tap Holder and Lubrication Setup
10-20 minutes will be needed to fit the correct tapping holder, load the tapping machine with the appropriate tapping, and set up the necessary cutting fluid delivery.
A useful reference for Tapping Machines is cotswold-machinery-sales.co.uk/roscamat-tapping-machines/.
First-Thread Test and Adjustment
Run a test thread in scrap material to verify the work. Allow 20 minutes or so for this, including any slight alterations that are required. Commissioning a machine in the mechanical engineering sense is also highly recommended in order to discover any issues such as poor alignment or the wrong torque setting early on.
Plan the full morning to allow for setup, then get back to production in the afternoon.