FAQ's
6 Things to Know about Roscamat Tapping Arms

Are you considering ways to improve production in your CNC machine and do more with your resources? If tapping is a component of your process, using a tapping arm outside of the CNC can help you meet these goals – and that’s just the start.

This is especially true when you use a Roscamat tapping arm. For your consideration, we put together a few of our most frequently asked questions about implementing a Roscamat tapping arm, so you can determine if it’s right for your production activities.

1. Who buys Roscamat tapping arms?

The types of businesses that invest in Roscamat tapping arms are most often machine shops and fabricators.

Many of these businesses aim to take the tapping process off the CNC machine to save machining time, improve efficiency and be more flexible when they shift from one job to another. For example, they might make 500 parts for one job over the course of a month, then switch to an entirely different job the next month. They need technology that allows for this versatility with fewer adjustments.

Most of these machine shops and fabricators already have a tapping tool and process in place, such as tapping in the machine or by hand. Both have disadvantages, and these approaches are proving inefficient against today’s expectations for speed, flexibility and resource management through the labor shortage. And hand-tapping holes is labor-intensive, as well as mentally and physically arduous for employees.

2. Why buy a Roscamat tapping arm?

Buying a Roscamat tapping arm for your facility and operations has benefits beyond reducing machine cycle time.

Tapping arms transform the tapping process, so it’s faster and easier than doing within the CNC. With Roscamat tapping arms, the operator can bring the tap to the work which is 3-4 times more efficient than bringing the work piece to a fixed spindle. Your employees will be relieved of the physical burdens, such as strain and torque absorption, related to tapping. And they’ll be able to accomplish tapping in less time. Further, with the tapping arm absorbing torque, you can improve tap accuracy on every job.

Roscamat tapping arms also allow for versatility. And they cut down on programming and CNC machine cycle time, as you can run the tapping arm outside the CNC. This means you can mill more parts, with the operator tapping the part while the CNC runs a different part, versus tapping in the CNC.

3. Why buy a Roscamat versus a lower-cost alternative?

Roscamat tapping arms are a high-performance option for machine shops and fabricators that want to be able to trust their tools to guarantee quality, accuracy and efficiency. When operations choose lower-cost options, they tend to come up against challenges that chip away at the value of their investment, such as durability and safety.

Roscamat tapping arms are a safer option for your operators. When using Rocamat quick change torque control tap adapters, the clutch in the adapter ratchets when the tap hits the bottom of the hole, encounters an interference in the hole or when the tap dulls. This prevents tap breakage and allows for the tap to be quickly replaced if needed.

Plus, Roscamat’s closed-case design is much safer for operators because it eliminates pinch-points from cables, spring coils, hydraulic cylinders and other moving parts. Pinch-points can be hazardous to operators’ fingers and can catch on clothing.

When you invest in the most reliable, capable tools from the start, you set yourself up for long-term success.

Roscamat tapping arms:

    •      Easy to set up and move because of lightweight, compact size.

    •      Constructed of heavy-duty cast aluminum.

    •      Safer for operators to use with its closed-case design and torque control tap adapters.

    •      Easy to maneuver due to adjustable balance.

    •      Easy to adjust torque and RPM for each job due to interchangeable speed modules.

    •      Easy to change tool size when using quick-change tap adapters.

The arms can also be used for:

    •      Reaming

    •      Countersinking

    •      Fastening

    •      Helicoil® insertion

    •      Small diameter drilling

Further, the tapping arms have reliable motors made by Roscamat and parts machined and manufactured in Europe. The heavy-duty arms are warranted and Roscamat backs up service.

4. Why consider electric over pneumatic tapping arms?

There are several reasons to consider electric tapping arms over pneumatic ones.

Benefits of Electric Tapping Arms

    •      Are quieter to operate, especially at higher speeds.

    •      Are more consistent and accurate.

    •      Offer variable speeds.

    •      Are more energy-efficient due to variable-speed arms.

    •      Require less maintenance due to fewer mechanical components.

    •      Don’t require an airline, instead plugging into [1-10 electric units?] that you plug into a wall outlet.

    •      Generate less heat.

5. Does the CNC operator tap in between setting up parts?

Whether or not the CNC operator taps in between setting up parts depends on the situation. Ultimately, the primary goal is to optimize use of the CNC machine, where the burden rate is expensive. A tapping arm has a much lower burden rate. Tapping is a slow operation, and shifting it outside of the CNC is often the optimal decision for ROI.

6. How much time does it take to tap in a CNC vs. outside of it?

The time difference between tapping in a CNC compared to tapping outside the machine depends on the operation.

However, let’s take the example of a facility that was milling a part that required 1.5-2 hours of milling, drilling and tapping. Each part had 30 holes to tap, which took 11 minutes in the machine. With a tapping arm, they could remove the tapping process from the machine and perform it with the arm while the next part runs. They purchased a Roscamat tapping arm and were able to tap the 30 holes in three minutes.

Also, consider that if you’re tapping different-sized holes, the CNC machine tool change takes much longer than with the Roscamat tapping arm outside of the machine thanks to the quick-change tap adapter. With it, you can change out a module in 2 to 2 ½ seconds.

Sound like a process upgrade you can get behind? Reach out to one of our experts at Roscamat USA to discuss your operations and how a Roscamat tapping arm can help you optimize machine time, improve productivity and gain flexibility.

Roscamat Specifications:

    •      Reach limits (up to 44" horizontally and 88" vertically)

    •      Taps up to 1-3/8” and options for tap depth control

    •      Uses standard size (1, 2, and 3) quick change torque-control tap adapters

    •      Speed range of 40-2100 RPM

    •      Orientation, vertical, vert/horizontal, or any angle with constant perpendicularity

    •      Auto tool lubrication optional

    •      Mountable from the base, wall or overhead

    •      Heat-treat specifications meet or exceed all standards

    •      Full one year warranty against defects in materials or workmanship

    •      High quality precision of tapped holes

    •      Multiple mounting solutions: stationary or mobile, rails, elevators and beams or carts and rolling tables available for added reach and mobility