The Different Types of Carbide Taps and When to Use Them

This is Part 2 of our series on Carbide taps.  Be sure to check out Part 1 if you missed it:
 Carbide Taps: A Practical User’s Guide to When, What, How and Why
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Carbide taps have a lot of advantages, especially when you’re cutting very abrasive materials. The absolute best choice for tapping glass-filled polycarbonates, space age alloys, nonferrous materials, cast iron, and a range of other exotic materials, their anti-friction qualities lead to a longer tool life.

Because of this, you’ll require fewer replacements, less downtime, and increased productivity.

The durability, flexibility, and longevity of carbide taps is unparalleled, allowing you – and your employees – to focus on what’s important: getting the job done.

Regal Cutting Tools offers an unparalleled selection of taps for many applications, allowing you to source all of your essential taps from one supplier.

​In today’s post, we’re going to take a closer look at a few of the options that they offer.

Standard Screw Thread Insert Taps

S.T.I. (Screw Thread Insert) Taps are special taps for helical coil wire screw thread inserts, which provide positive means for protecting and strengthening tapped threads in any material.
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Typically used on softer abrasive materials, these taps create more accurate thread forms than other standard taps. When you need to be precise, these carbide taps are the best choice.

STI taps are correctly sized to produce an internal thread that accommodates a helical coil wire screw thread insert. The insert, in turn, will accept a screw thread of the nominal size and pitch at final assembly. Screw thread inserts provide stronger tapped threads (stronger assemblies) due to a more balanced distribution of loads throughout the length of thread engagement.

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Thread Forming Tap

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Roll Taps (aka, Thread forming taps, Form taps0 offer improved thread quality and strength due to the fluteless design, and therefore allows for greater fastener strength in the threaded product. This tap does not cut, so it is “chipless,” and therefore will not cause a chip problem.  This is why thread forming, over thread cutting, eliminates costly and time-consuming chip clean-up and disposal.

Thread forming taps are fluteless and include lubrication grooves. Not intended for general applications, they work by displacing the metal without removing it. Because of this, they are ideal for chip removal in blind holes.

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Roll Thread Forming Taps Features 

• Improved thread quality and strength due to fluteless design of tap; allows greater fastener strength in threaded product.
• Tapping speeds can be increased as much as double that of conventional cutting taps…more tapped holes per hour.
• Thread forming (over thread cutting) eliminates costly and time-consuming chip clean-up and disposal.
• Improved tap life, even in abrasive materials…no cutting edges to get dull.
• Lubrication grooves allow forced passage of air and lubricant when tapping.
• Simplifies tapping of problematic blind bottoming holes where adequate chip clearance is impossible with chip-producing cutting taps.

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Carbide Insert Taps

A cost-efficient solution, only the cutting portion of insert taps is made from carbide. Their HSS body is able to absorb vibration and account for their lack of rigidity.

If you’re considering testing the waters with carbide taps, insert taps are a great option. It's a very economical way to utilize the benefits of carbide with solid carbide cutting face inserts meticulously brazed to a H.S.S. tap body.
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Carbide Insert Tap Features

• High speed steel body absorbs excessive shock and offers the rigidity necessary to minimize carbide breakage or chipping.
• Ideal for high production runs, offering the capability to achieve higher speeds and feeds, with fewer tool changes.
• High performance tapping allows greater efficiencies in part throughput.
• Can also be used in conjunction with surface treatments for enhanced performance.
• Carb-I-Sert® Taps are available in a wide range of sizes (inch and metric) in both straight and taper pipe threads.

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