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standardizing metric taps


sharles
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We are a standard shop. We only use metric when we have to, but mastercam has gotten too smart for itself. In the past when I put metric taps into our standard library, I could simply put in the speeds and feeds that were correct. Now mastercam tries to force one to sync with the other. Somehow my co-worker figured out how to fix that, but he's gone for a long weekend, and I can't figure out what he did.

 

Does anyone know how to make the speeds and feeds for metric taps in the mastercam English library correct?

Thanks,

Scott

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thanks, Tim, but there's some proper way to do it...my co-worker is a Millenial and he loves these kinds of issues and somehow he figured out how to make Mastercam use the correct speeds and feeds for metric taps in the English library...

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21 hours ago, sharles said:

thanks, Tim, but there's some proper way to do it...my co-worker is a Millenial and he loves these kinds of issues and somehow he figured out how to make Mastercam use the correct speeds and feeds for metric taps in the English library...

That is how I come up with my feeds when I create my metric taps.

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its pretty easy, ill elaborate on this process.

 

Equation I use

 A=pitch in millimeters

1/(A/25.4)=TPI

 

Lets start with M6x1

This pitch is all we care about, the diameter does not influence the feed rate. We just basically are trying to convert the pitch of the thread into how many threads per inch that would equate to.

So we take the pitch of 1mm and convert that number to metric with the equations below

1/25.4 gives us .03937

Now all we need to do is take 1inch and divide it by the inch equivalent of that pitch, which gives us Threads per inch. So lets do that 1/.03937 which = 25.4 TPI
 

Lets try another,

Maybe this time a M6X1.5mm

A=pitch

1/(A/25.4)=TPI

So with that being said a 1.5mm pitch equates to 19.933 threads per inch.

So to define the m6x1.5mm tap I would use .2362 dia and 19.933 Threads per inch.


There is another way to do this even easier by using the Metric Check box, this allows you to insert actual metric data into the tap info but if you like all inch data the above methods work nicely.

 

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2 hours ago, JoshC said:

 

its pretty easy, ill elaborate on this process.

 

Equation I use

 A=pitch in millimeters

1/(A/25.4)=TPI

 

Lets start with M6x1

This pitch is all we care about, the diameter does not influence the feed rate. We just basically are trying to convert the pitch of the thread into how many threads per inch that would equate to.

So we take the pitch of 1mm and convert that number to metric with the equations below

1/25.4 gives us .03937

Now all we need to do is take 1inch and divide it by the inch equivalent of that pitch, which gives us Threads per inch. So lets do that 1/.03937 which = 25.4 TPI
 

Lets try another,

Maybe this time a M6X1.5mm

A=pitch

1/(A/25.4)=TPI

So with that being said a 1.5mm pitch equates to 19.933 threads per inch.

So to define the m6x1.5mm tap I would use .2362 dia and 19.933 Threads per inch.


There is another way to do this even easier by using the Metric Check box, this allows you to insert actual metric data into the tap info but if you like all inch data the above methods work nicely.

 

Hey Josh, yes, I know how to do what you showed me...but how do you get the d@mn mastercam tool editor to accept your speeds and feeds when the default is English? And If you leave that metric box checked and you pull it into your English files then it scales the tools down and is worthless! I guess I'll just have my coworker show me how when he gets back on Monday.

Thanks.

Scott

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1 hour ago, sharles said:

Hey Josh, yes, I know how to do what you showed me...but how do you get the d@mn mastercam tool editor to accept your speeds and feeds when the default is English? And If you leave that metric box checked and you pull it into your English files then it scales the tools down and is worthless! I guess I'll just have my coworker show me how when he gets back on Monday.

Thanks.

Scott

when i select a tap my feeds and speeds automatically update. Make sure you have the drill cycle set to tap, also make sure you are selecting a tap. 

You may either need to right click and choose reload speeds and feeds or go to File --> Config --> toolpaths and turn off the Lock Feed rates 

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Hey guys, thanks for all the replies.

My coworker got back from his long weekend yesterday, and this is what he does. It's so easy, I'm a little embarrassed that I had such difficulty remembering it, but maybe it's because it's the exact opposite of what you do to figure out the feedrate for a metric tap when you already have the spindle speed you want.

Anyway, on the first page of the editor where it says threads per inch all you have to do is type 25.4/1.5 (enter)  if it's an M14x1.5 and you'll get the 16.933. Then both the speeds and feeds fields on the second page will work just fine.

Scott

tap.bmp

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2 hours ago, Leon82 said:

You can also type a number followed by mm and it will automatically convert it for you in most of the fields in mastercam

Unfortunately, in this case that won't work, because the 'mm' simply divides whatever number you put in by 25.4, but here you need to do the opposite and divided 25.4 by the pitch. That's what got me hung up...

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13 minutes ago, sharles said:

Unfortunately, in this case that won't work, because the 'mm' simply divides whatever number you put in by 25.4, but here you need to do the opposite and divided 25.4 by the pitch. That's what got me hung up...

With metric threads, the second number is the pitch...unlike english threads where it's threads per inch. So the mm method does work. For example, M12 X 1.75 has a .0689 pitch (1.75/25.4).

For 1/2-13, to determine the pitch, you divide 1/TPI, or 1/13, in this case. Since metric threads call out the pitch, you simply have to convert the metric value to english.

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6 minutes ago, Thad said:

With metric threads, the second number is the pitch...unlike english threads where it's threads per inch. So the mm method does work. For example, M12 X 1.75 has a .0689 pitch (1.75/25.4).

It doesn't work when you are trying to incorporate metric taps into your English library. If you do that on the first page of the tool editor, then it just blows to h3ll your speeds and feeds on the second page. And if you leave the metric box checked and select the correct metric tap from the drop down, it will work except that when you try to import your metric tap into your English file it doesn't translate it to the correct size...

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7 minutes ago, Thad said:

I see. I created my taps in my tool library eons ago (with all english values as though they are english taps) so I have no idea what kind of trouble MC has with it when creating taps today.

Yes, we did too. I'm just glad I'm working with a Millenial who loves these kind of problems because he figured out how to get around Mastercam's attempts to make things 'easier.'

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35 minutes ago, sharles said:

Unfortunately, in this case that won't work, because the 'mm' simply divides whatever number you put in by 25.4, but here you need to do the opposite and divided 25.4 by the pitch. That's what got me hung up...

in the FPT box you could just put  1mm (m6x1) in that box and it will convert it to the .039" blah blah blah for you and that's basically all you need. The speeds and feeds will figure themselves out.

 

 

If everyone just worked in metric and dropped the silly imperial system we wouldn't have this problem....... metric taps are the perfect example they give you all the information you need to find the tap drill with out having to do silly division

Edited by F10Brandon
trash talking the imperial system
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