Any experience with Tapping Arms/Tapping Machines?

[lilscorpion]

Been surfing around chasing the idea of buying a tapping arm. A USA made version is called "Flex Arm". They come in a broad array of variants - pneumatic, electric, and hydraulic. Pricing tends to go in that order as well making pneumatic the cheapest, then electric, then pneumatic. Some have digital controls (assuming it's the electric ones) which enable you to set tool size/rpm while others are a little more basic. Pricing for imports appear to be as lows as a couple hundred and as high as $5k - $10k for industrial versions made in the USA. Seems most in the low-mid price-range can tap up to 1/2"-9/16". That's good enough for me. Probably don't want something with a max capacity much smaller...

I'm intrigued by those that are electric and digital - do the controls really help tapping? The higher priced industrial versions don't seem to have those controls so I'm guessing they're just fancy and not necessary.

Have any personal experience and/or recommendations in $800 - $1200 price range? Figured I'd start there...or what recommendations do you have otherwise?

For those that will debate I don't need one, you're probably right, I do just fine today tapping the way I do either with a drill, on the mill, on the lathe, or by hand. This is more of an "upping my game" moment.

 

[dnschmidt]

Check out Abomb79's videos on YouTube. The Flex Arm clearly works great. I don't know of any other machines like it and I certainly don't know of any cheap ones. If you're a commercial shop they do seem worth the money. If you're just playing in your garage probably not.

 

[lilscorpion]

Check out Abomb79's videos on YouTube. The Flex Arm clearly works great. I don't know of any other machines like it and I certainly don't know of any cheap ones. If you're a commercial shop they do seem worth the money. If you're just playing in your garage probably not.

Yeah Abomb79 must have the biggest machine they sell. I've seen him tap some really big stuff and every hole is perfect and even the big taps tap like butter.

Edit: 2", 4" deep like butter.

 

[dr_clyde]

If you need the versatility and are tapping a shitload of holes, they are very nice to have. A customer of mine has one, and we are considering getting one for my shop.

That said, we use a tapping head on the drill press, and it handles 99% of our production tapping needs. Either that or the CNC machining center. Once in a blue moon we get into some parts that would be handy to have a flex arm for, but it would be a luxury.

 

[pcmeiners]

Agree with Dr_Clyde, tapping heads are all that is needed but for extreme precision work, and very reasonable.

 

[lilscorpion]

If you need the versatility and are tapping a shitload of holes, they are very nice to have. A customer of mine has one, and we are considering getting one for my shop.

That said, we use a tapping head on the drill press, and it handles 99% of our production tapping needs. Either that or the CNC machining center. Once in a blue moon we get into some parts that would be handy to have a flex arm for, but it would be a luxury.

I've been considering a tapping head but have ruled it out for a few reasons:

1. My CNC knee mill could run one just fine but I have my tooling setup for my mill set at it's current knee height/position. The knee is the only setting that's not CNC so moving it mid-part/mid-run, or even for a one-off part, is something I avoid.
2. I could run one in a drill press but I got rid of my drill press to gain floor space back. I almost never used it. May be a good option but getting a drill press and a drill head will likely be comparable in cost to getting a tapping arm.
3. I'd probably prefer to get into thread-milling if I'm going to tap on my CNC anyway. May still. that said, the speed in which these tapping arms can switch taps and tap beats the hell out of finding center/plotting all the holes and then generating the CAD.

To your point about luxury, that's kinda what this tool purchase would be.

 

[lilscorpion]

Agree with Dr_Clyde, tapping heads are all that is needed but for extreme precision work, and very reasonable.

I'll look again. I thought a good tapping head with a vareity of collets, wasn't exactly cheap. Maybe I need to re-look. Yes I can buy used too I suppose but I tend to avoid purchases for things like this unless I can actually use and/or inspect them first.

Edit: This may not be the best deal I can get but for quick reference, it's ~$800 for up to 1/2" capacity. Add a good drill press and I'm probably in the $2k range.

 

[pcmeiners]

Reasonable, as compared to an arm, and I generally buy used from Ebay. As for used on Ebay, most tools I buy are basically new, used very little or I do not buy, haven't been burned yet.

 

[dutchgray]

Agree with Dr_Clyde, tapping heads are all that is needed but for extreme precision work, and very reasonable.

A flex arm will be no more precise than a tapping head either.
I have 4 or so auto reversing tapping heads and 6 ish friction clutch based ones, even then they are only worth getting out when you have multiple holes to tap.
I have a job at the moment which is 8 m8 holes in 10mm aluminium plate, will be done on a Bridgeport and I will probably use an auto reversing one for that.

 

[dr_clyde]

I bought my Procunier off McMaster when I had a job with a few hundred holes to tap. I leave it set up in the drill press quite a bit, it's not a huge deal to pop out the Jacobs chuck and pop in the tapping head, they're both MT3.

I have 2 bridgeports and we still use the drill presses for drilling holes, it's much faster with a float vise than on the mill where you have to position the table for every hole.

My CNC is old, so it rigid taps pretty slow. I find it is usually faster to drill the holes in the CNC and tap the part with a tapping head on the drill press.

As far as floor space is concerned, a drill press takes up less floor than a tapping arm, and can drill holes too.

 

[rsanter]

My friend has one for his business.
It all small threaded holes generally 1/4” or smaller
He loves it

 

[lilscorpion]

When comparing a tapping head with the flex arms, I think the flex arms are much easier to swap taps quickly. In the videos it looks like they come standard with a quick change collet setup.

For a tapping head don't you need to change the clutch setting for each of the different tap sizes? Aren't the collets just plain elastomer ER-style collets with a nut?

 

[Jason280]

I don't know much about them...other than I want one.

 

[pcmeiners]

"A flex arm will be no more precise than a tapping head either."

Was not referring to an flex arm for precision, was referring to the OP's mill.

"For a tapping head don't you need to change the clutch setting for each of the different tap sizes?"

The tapping heads I used required changes to the clutch setting, the "changes" were finger pressure

 

[dr_clyde]

When comparing a tapping head with the flex arms, I think the flex arms are much easier to swap taps quickly. In the videos it looks like they come standard with a quick change collet setup.

For a tapping head don't you need to change the clutch setting for each of the different tap sizes? Aren't the collets just plain elastomer ER-style collets with a nut?

My tapping head just uses a different collet for each tap size. Takes a minute or so to swap the collet. No different than any other collet system.

As far as I can tell, the only clutch settings are “pull harder or less hard”.

Tapping arms are cool, not trying to talk you out of one. Just saying they may not be all that they’re talked up to be compared to existing tools.


The flex arm ones are hydraulic, so they have a whole hydraulic unit attached. Abom’s tapping arm uses a whole welding table to house the unit and make it useable.

My buddy’s unit is mounted under a 4x4 table, with fixtures and vises on it

Flex arms take up more room than you might think.

 

[lilscorpion]

My tapping head just uses a different collet for each tap size. Takes a minute or so to swap the collet. No different than any other collet system.

As far as I can tell, the only clutch settings are “pull harder or less hard”.

Tapping arms are cool, not trying to talk you out of one. Just saying they may not be all that they’re talked up to be compared to existing tools.


The flex arm ones are hydraulic, so they have a whole hydraulic unit attached. Abom’s tapping arm uses a whole welding table.

My buddy’s unit is mounted under a 4x4 table, with fixtures and vises on it

Flex arms take up more room than you might think.

I'm really just working through it. I've always wanted a tapping head for the mill, can totally see how useful one would be. The reasons I don't have one, really the only reason, is the height offset. The added 8" (or so) makes my setups a mess. So, unless there's a solution to that problem, I've more or less ruled them out.

Silly thing though - the guy I bought my mill conversion from used to sell a rigged tapping setup which would convert my mill to have right tapping at in the centroid control. Then I'd just program the tapping sequence into my part. He retired and sold his business to another guy and I don't see the upgrade on his site. The upgrade was about as much as a flex arm setup.

I know i'd need to mount it to a table/bench and I do happen to have one I was thinking of attaching it to. What I don't know is if I can make it removable (don't see why I couldn't)..

anyway, just working through it in my head. your thoughts have been helpful in the process.

 

[lilscorpion]

I don't know much about them...other than I want one.

The more I watch videos about them on youtube, the more I want one. Makes tapping a super easy task. One of the videos showed a single shot full speed tapping a 1/4-20 blind hole until the clutch slips, and then full reverse out. No broken tap, perfect threads. Would be cool.

 

[Tim in Indiana]

With the flexarm you can use pneumatic for smaller taps. 1/2" or 9/16" is a small tap and can be easily ran with their air motor. You can buy a depth control option which uses a depth rod to reverse the motor rotation and back out the tap.

You can also use the clutch tap holders instead of the standard tap holders and it will help prevent tap breakage when the tap begins to get dull.

Flexarm offers packages with the arm, motor and collets. The S-36 is the most common pneumatic arm in my experience. It's simple and works well. They do offer a try and buy promo once in a while.

I sell industrial equipment and have sold many with very little problems. Plus if it matters to you they are made in the USA.

 

[American Locomotive]

I've been considering a tapping head but have ruled it out for a few reasons:

1. My CNC knee mill could run one just fine but I have my tooling setup for my mill set at it's current knee height/position. The knee is the only setting that's not CNC so moving it mid-part/mid-run, or even for a one-off part, is something I avoid.
2. I could run one in a drill press but I got rid of my drill press to gain floor space back. I almost never used it. May be a good option but getting a drill press and a drill head will likely be comparable in cost to getting a tapping arm.
3. I'd probably prefer to get into thread-milling if I'm going to tap on my CNC anyway. May still. that said, the speed in which these tapping arms can switch taps and tap beats the hell out of finding center/plotting all the holes and then generating the CAD.

To your point about luxury, that's kinda what this tool purchase would be.

So you got rid of your drill press to gain floor space back, but you want to get a one-trick-pony tapping arm that will also take up floor space but be useless for just about anything else?

 

[lilscorpion]

So you got rid of your drill press to gain floor space back, but you want to get a one-trick-pony tapping arm that will also take up floor space but be useless for just about anything else?

Well....yeah.

 

[lilscorpion]

With the flexarm you can use pneumatic for smaller taps. 1/2" or 9/16" is a small tap and can be easily ran with their air motor. You can buy a depth control option which uses a depth rod to reverse the motor rotation and back out the tap.

You can also use the clutch tap holders instead of the standard tap holders and it will help prevent tap breakage when the tap begins to get dull.

Flexarm offers packages with the arm, motor and collets. The S-36 is the most common pneumatic arm in my experience. It's simple and works well. They do offer a try and buy promo once in a while.

I sell industrial equipment and have sold many with very little problems. Plus if it matters to you they are made in the USA.

Saw the stop/reversing feature in this video where ABOM79 taps a couple hundred of the 2 1/2 ton tie rod ends. Happens to be the exact same ends I run on my truck so it was equally interesting to know how the ends I have were tapped.

. The unit he's using is a monster..

They seem like fairly robust setups with quite a few features. I just received a quote back yesterday so I'm pondering.

 

[Tim in Indiana]

Saw the stop/reversing feature in this video where ABOM79 taps a couple hundred of the 2 1/2 ton tie rod ends. Happens to be the exact same ends I run on my truck so it was equally interesting to know how the ends I have were tapped.

. The unit he's using is a monster..

They seem like fairly robust setups with quite a few features. I just received a quote back yesterday so I'm pondering.

Yes, Abom's setup is one of the largest they offer. It's a beast.

Flexarm likes web influencers, maybe you need to make some youtube videos and get a free unit yourself.

 

[WhoWhatNow]

Bringing this topic back up. Anyone have any experience with the off-shore units? Used Flexarms seem to be pretty rare.

I have a very small shop and am thinking that a tapping arm mounted on my welding table would be very useful. Can you drill holes with them as well as tap? My usage would probably be up to 1/2”.