3. Tapping machines and accessories

3.1 Tapping machines

Tapping for maintenance purposes can be carried out by hand, but in general, in an industrial production context, this operation is carried out on machine tools. With a given type of machine, such as a drill press, the thread dimensions achievable depend on the machine's capabilities, and in particular on the spindle torque. Irrespective of the notion of capacity, the practice of tapping, with inversion or threading, rigid or compensated, depends on the type of machine used. The choice of machine and tapping practice determines production rates and the thread qualities that can be tapped.