[pete from TN]

Haha actually I did but it was for a new Tension compression tap head, some tapping collets, and some more TTS tooling. I am anxious to get this stuff and try it out on my Lathemaster RF45 CNC mill since I recently got the sensorless vector drive and 3hp motor setup with reversing working. I cannot wait to see it do a CNC tapping operation. I also picked up one of the analog dial indicator mounted TTS toolholders for zero setting. I have been using a short shank solid bit in a TTS collet holder and using the paper method to set my zero but this should make it both easier and more accurate as well as free up that collet holder for a cutting tool. I also noticed that they have a nice digital edgefinder on the site. I seriously thought about buying it and converting it into a probe with a lead to the controller. Anyone here have this thing and might have possibly tried this? How is the accuracy of it?

Anyways, I will try to post here some pics and video of the tapping head once I figure out how to use it and let you guys know how it works if you are interested. I really like the TTS system tooling and it has made running parts much easier on my mill. If I picked up that digital edgefinder I can also free up the toolholder I am using currently for my starret analog edgefinder. Getting quite a collection of tooling now and it is sure nice to be able to keep tools loaded and ready to go without swapping cutters around all the time. If anyone is interested you can see my machine in my build thread on the benchtop machines forum called " finally getting started" Thanks and peace

Pete

[Magnum164]

Let me know how that tapping head works out. I postponed the order of that tapping arm until I see more options. So very interested in what you think about it.

[pete from TN]

Tom, I will definitely give it a run down soon as I get ahold of it. I ordered it last night and oddly enough I did not receive an email confirmation from Tormach today... I think it is a great solution to my tapping on my cnc and I look forward to getting it. I watched the videos a bunch on youtube about it and it seems like a good fit for my machine. I just bought the head itself and about five or six collets of sized I need. I gotta now figure out how to program it with my software either Sheetcam(excellent) or the new Cambam release I am playing with. I am also anxious to get the touch off tool but I am gonna hafta redo all my settings for the tools when I do so I can take advantage of it's setup. This is again not for a Tormach mill but I am gonna be using it on my Retrofitted RF45 mill. It should be a good fit because of the similarities to the tormach mill. I was reading on the website that they use a dwell at the bottom of travel to allow the thing to reverse and I am not sure how to accomplish that just yet. I am gonna play with sheetcam for it at first because I use it all the time and if I have to write a little code snippet for the dwell I will.

I just bought a bunch of used high quality air tools from a local fellow and I got two relatively new Sioux brand butterfly impact wrenches. I had been using a campbell Hausfeld impact butterfly to tighten my drawbar but this thing is a monster!! It has TONS of torque and is adjustable. I was thinking I might pick up some of those 3/8 drive tap holders and try to see how it runs the taps in. If it works well I might follow Bob Warfields lead and build my own tapping arm setup. Simple design really but should work. That way I can tap the small holes on the mill with this new tooling and then tap the larger holes using the impact setup. I even have a nice scissor style keyboard arm that I might be able to use to make this thing. It has the same linkage in it that the commercial ones use that keeps things parallel to the table. I will definitely keep you guys informed about how it goes. Might even make a video or two about it. We shall see.. peace

Pete

[Magnum164]

It has the same linkage in it that the commercial ones use that keeps things parallel to the table. I will definitely keep you guys informed about how it goes. Might even make a video or two about it. We shall see.. peace

Pete

Make you a fitting that will go into the chucks and has a flat magnet on it. I saw that in a video and it was kinda neat. Just put the magnet in the chuck, loosen the arm and then stick the magnet to the part. Will align the arm to any angle in just a few seconds..

[pete from TN]

Not sure what you mean here, got a link? I am thinking I might make one now that I have three nice butterfly impacts... peace

Pete

[Magnum164]

I think this might work...

Your Tapping and Assembly Arm Experts | FlexArm Tapping and Assemby Products

[pete from TN]

The top of that arm Looks EXACTLY like the keyboard mount I have here. I would just have to make the part that holds the impact wrench. I see what you mean about the magnet now. That is pretty clever. Does anyone here think that collet setup for the impact looks familiar??!! Sure reminds me of the Tension compression holder I just bought... I wonder if their collets are interchangeable with the TTS ones.. Thanks for the link...peace

Pete

[pete from TN]

Just got off the phone with Tormach, I mentioned that I had not received an email order confirmation. Well go figure I goofed up when I input my Email address and they were sending it somewhere else. They are on top of it as usual it seems and I should be getting my TTS tap holder and other tooling tomorrow afternoon YEAH!!! I am looking forward to trying this stuff and finally see my mill tap a hole under CNC. Gonna be really cool. Anyways I thought I would post this to let everyone know that they are providing good and responsive service.. peace

Pete

[thedave]

I built my own tapping arm, was easy and cheap. I am using a dewalt Power screwdriver with socket style tap holders. It needs a bit of adjustment still, but I have tapped several hundred holes. It will tap up to about 3/8" in aluminum. I haven't tried any steel. Cost including the screwdriver is under $ 200. I used this basic plan from CNC Cookbook (at the bottom) Using 1" square aluminum tubing and milled the connecting ends.

http://www.cnccookbook.com/CCTappingArm.htm

[pete from TN]

NIce build there with the tapping arm. I saw Bobs post about that...did he ever finish his? I was out in the shop today accurizing my new cutters and had a look at the keyboard arm I have here. It sure is the same basic design really. After all it has to keep the keyboard and monitor from falling off the shelf so it has to remain vertical. I gotta see how I can make a mount for this super bad Sioux butterfly impact wrench and try it out. I need to find me a heavy table to attatch it to so I can take advantage of it really nice... Can you show a picture of that collet setup you are using there? Peace

Pete

[thedave]

I am using socket tap holders with a 1/4" to hex socket adapter. There is a lot of play in the setup between the adapter and tap sockets, but it taps strait enough.

Lisle Corporation

[pete from TN]

I have not seen those before, I guess they must be kinda light duty with the 1/4 inch shaft but should work for up to around 3/8 I would guess. How do you find the torque of that screwdriver when it is tapping? You should make a video of it if you can.. peace

Pete

[Magnum164]

I was playing around the other week with a drill and figured if I could pull the inards out and put in arm like you have it could be done real cheap. I was tapping 3mm threads with no problem, just needed a way to hold it straight.

if you could move that heavy battery to the top arm, you could probably use it to slide back and forth for balancing the arm better.

[pete from TN]

Received my new Tension compression tap head and collets as well as my tool setting holder. I am impressed with the quality of these items so far. It is heavy duty and the collets are pretty cool too. I noticed the ground tops of the part that goes into the holder were ground to slightly different heights but that is not gonna affect their operation any. I am currently using sheetcam and the new release from CamBam and trying to figure out how to code them for the tap and more specifically the dwell. Anyone on here using this system that has figured it out I would appreciate your input. Cannot wait to give it a whirl on the mill but I am working on a power drawbar cylinder for my mill right now and do not want to tear down the fixture for it.

I gotta redo my zero settings for all my tools now that I have this Dial indicator tool number one for work offsets. Need to buy a nice digital height gauge and get to offline measuring. This is really a great little system and should be more accurate than my current paper method and is also safer since the Indicator has that spring loaded plunger. I am finally getting a real colllection of TTS tooling now and with these two additions I am at about 25 or so collets and holders and measuring tools. I really enjoy this tooling and it has worked GREAT on my RF45CNC. It makes machining much easier and more accurate. It is also reasonably priced compared to other offerings.

I will try to post some video of the new tapping head at work when I get it sorted here and show you guys that are interested. Peace

Pete

[pete from TN]

I finally got some time to play with the Tormach Tension and Compression head I bought and I gotta say I am pretty impressed with it. I ran a test in some acrylic plastic to get a feel for it here.....

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZRSR0fajOw"]YouTube - RF45 CNC tapping video.wmv[/nomedia]



Then once I changed some settings I ran a test in 1/4 inch 6061 aluminum plate with a 3/8-16 spiral flute tap. Worked great and I am really pleased that I can now drill AND TAP in my RF45 cnc milling machine and this opens me up to a new world of possibilities with this machine. The Tormach head is a great piece and while it was not cheap I did not buy the whole kit, rather purchased the head seperately and bought the holders I thought I would use. I currently have taps setup for 1/4-20, 8-32,6-32 and I am working on getting the offsets for all of them put into the computer. I really like the idea that I can set the offsets offline like the rest of the tooling and be able to swap to a different tap whenever I need to and if I have to tap a hole that is not setup in a holder they can be removed and changed out for a different tap pretty quickly all the while allowing me to record the offset for that particular tap in my tool table because I think they will go into the tap only a certain distance before they bottom out so my offsets should be fine considering I have a generous safeZ setup.... I have tried two of the taps/holders now and it is working very well. I would ask those of you who have this setup as well to give me your thoughts about spindle speed as to the size and thread pitch of the tap. I have been playing with speeds and Sheetcam will figure the appropriate feed automatically. I am pretty impressed with Sheetcam so far, it has done everything I have asked of it. Here is the aluminum tapping video.. peace


[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiGH-lGG_bw"]YouTube - RF45 CNC aluminum tapping.wmv[/nomedia]

Pete

[Etced]

Pete, have you tried any blind holes yet. It will be interesting to see how much over travel is needed.

Etced

[pete from TN]

I have not done that yet..... I just don't have the balls I guess!! I am trying to figure out a good way to test and measure the depth without actually doing it. At 150 RPM I have AMPLE torque to do the tapping and because it is spinning so slow I have pretty good control and the reversing is damn near instantaneous... I don't even have a braking resistor on the machine yet. In that video the Sensorless vector drive is actually set for power to a stop instead of coast to a stop. Not sure which would be better really. Anyone got any idea how the Tormach vector drive is setup? Does it power to a stop or coast? I would think that if it was set for coast and it was down in the material like that as soon as power was removed it would just quickly stop whereas with power down it might take a moment more. As you can see from the vid it changes direction rather quickly. All eighteen of those holes just tool a minute or two... This thing is just plain cool man...

I am gonna need to tap some smallish holes and I have a 4mm spiral flute tap for some specific projects I am making for a friends bicycle company that are pretty neat but I have yet to try it.... we shall see.. peace

Pete