tapping Titanium %^&*

[mkd]

MJ 2.0 MM x 0.4

Having a hard time breaking taps. so far I've broke 3 flute and 4 flute bottom taps. (Yes apparently I'm an idiot for staring with a bottom tap.)

 Got some $40 taps coming in tomorrow just for Ti. Planning on using oil and hand-tapping.

any super secret black magic for tapping this $%^& ?

 

 I had very good luck threadmilling on other holes where access was fine for a stubbie tool. Pretty crazy threadmilling when you can't even see the teeth on the cutter. lol

[Matthew Hajicek - Singularity]

I always threadmill Ti.  I have heard that taps expressly designed for Ti work well, so if you can't threadmill I wish you luck.

[crazy^millman]

Threadmilli it is my black magic trick or roll form it. 

[gcode]

Try a Carmex Hardcut thread mill

It climb cuts from the top down running M04 and G42

I've successfully done 2-56 threads in Ti with these babies.

If you insist on tapping make sure your minor diameter is as close

to max as possible.

[Leon82]

Osg hypro vc10

List number 344ti or whatever the metric equivalent is

[Leon82]

We have a part with a 00-90 in ti

[Henk]

https://www.iscar.com/eCatalog/Family.aspx?fnum=2458&mapp=TH&app=120&GFSTYP=M

Those are lefthand cutting (M4), so climb cutting from to to bottom

[JeremyV]

Funny this topic showed up.  We just tapped titanium in early August.

We tapped M2.5 x .45 threads using OSG's  plug tap.  It is a reverse helix tap that turns right handed - worked out very well as we were going 5mm dp.  We also used carbide drill as the tap drill.

[RaiderX]

thread mill is the ultimate solution but I have had great luck with the OSG hypro lines in exotic metals. some older machines just don't lend themselves to threadmilling?

[nickbe10]

In one shop I worked we used a mixture of Copper Ease and Moly D to lube the tap and hole before the tap cycle, which worked well. If you don't want to stop to apply the goop, threadmill is safest

[gcode]

57 minutes ago, RaiderX said:

thread mill is the ultimate solution but I have had great luck with the OSG hypro lines in exotic metals. some older machines just don't  do tiny threaded holes themselves to threadmilling?

 

fissed for accuracy

[mkd]

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. Moly-dee and a bigger minor...

 I thought about rollforming. i guess i could re-drill if the minor closes down outside of the aero' "j" limits.

On this application, i had to buy a taper length .063 drill just to reach the shoulder inside a bore plus a tap extension to reach. Even if this were not the case, I can't use CDC on okuma while using g127 plane change. Guess i got to get the post modded to use G17/G18/G19 at B0/B90...someday.

 

[nickbe10]

47 minutes ago, mkd said:

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. Moly-dee and a bigger minor...

Don't forget to mix in some Copper Ease it seems to help stopping the tool from binding....

[mkd]

never heard of that^^^

http://www.commaoil.com/passenger-vehicles/products/view/220

 

[mkd]

14 hours ago, gcode said:

Try a Carmex Hardcut thread mill

It climb cuts from the top down running M04 and G42

I've successfully done 2-56 threads in Ti with these babies.

If you insist on tapping make sure your minor diameter is as close

to max as possible.

^^ never heard of that either. Nice to be able to go top down AND climb mill

[Newbeeee™]

DC Taps are excellent for Ti and roll tap is the way to go.

I would always use the moly dee rather than just rely on coolant.

Best of luck and go and have a stiff word with the bloke who quoted the job...

[mkd]

15 minutes ago, newbeeee said:

.

Best of luck and go and have a stiff word with the sadist-bloke who specified freaking 2mm threads in Titanium...

Sadistic designer fo sho

[mkd]

wish i could post pics of this part; it's really out of this world.

[nickbe10]

2 hours ago, mkd said:

never heard of that^^^

Yeah, commaoil is the manufacturer. It looks a little like the anti-seize compound you get with insert tools, paste like.

Thin it down to your requirements with Moly dee, you will probably want it fairly thin for the small holes. One of my fellow machinists dreamed it up cause we were having problems with tapping "sensible" size holes in Ti, it did work well but nothing will save you if you let the tap go too dull.

[chris baugh]

10 hours ago, nickbe10 said:

In one shop I worked we used a mixture of Copper Ease and Moly D to lube the tap and hole before the tap cycle, which worked well. If you don't want to stop to apply the goop, threadmill is safest

Premier Poly-cut does well on Titanium.

[mkd]

Just completed some testing with roll tap and moly-dee. Had to ream to the low side of balax spec (.073 ") in order for pitch& minor gauge within spec. Still takes a far amount of torque to drive the tap. its going to be scary.

 I actually broke a roll tap (in test piece) by letting the tap handle wiggle around too much

[Goldorak]

On ‎2017‎-‎09‎-‎11 at 9:33 PM, Leon82 said:

Osg hypro vc10

List number 344ti or whatever the metric equivalent is

i love those taps , they can tap TI, Hastelloy and inconel like butter 

[Spotterhphc]

I am currently tapping titanium and am having huge success! I am using Emuge's D-Ti taps. The 1/4-20 cut tap has currently cut 240 holes and still looks great. 80rpm is all but it's one pass (no peck tapping). Using Blaser's "Blaso-Tap" which is really thick like honey . They recommended i didn't use molly based oils with these taps but we do use it with other brands in Ti. Not sure they have the the 2mm but just consider these in the future. Price does matter in this case. Spend an extra $20 now, or whatever it is, or an hour of machine time trying to dig it out. Best of luck.

 

Post Script,

Use tooling manufacturers applications department rather than always referencing their book. They, a lot of times, have personal experience which can help in sticky situations plus you might ask about a specific tool but they have a better one in mind.   

[mkd]

Just to hijack this thread with another project:

 what are the chances of drilling a .065" hole about 5" deep in 6AL4V?

 

[Matthew Hajicek - Singularity]

With a pilot and a custom gun drill maybe.