Screw thread manufacturing is an important technique in CNC machining, it weighs much to the quality of machined parts and efficiency of the machining center. With the improvement of CNC machining performance and cutting tools, there are better CNC threading ways to increase precision and efficiency. Here dajinprecision.com will introduce 3 common screw thread CNC manufacturing methods. 

Common Screw Thread Manufacturing Methods in CNC - CNC Thread Machining

1. Tapping

Tapping is a typically efficient and economic threading method, it used to produce internal threads. Tapping covers the most screw thread profiles and applicable for threaded holes with small diameter and low accuracy of position. Rigid tapping, which refers to the rigid spring chuck holds the tap, and the spindle feed is consistent with the spindle speed under the control of the machine tool, which is the basic configuration of CNC machining. 

Features and Benefits of Tapping

- Reduced machine downtime, simple structure

- High-speed cutting, improved machining efficiency and productivity

- Decreased cost of cutting tools, lower manufacturing prices

- It can also hold end mills, drills and other tools.

- Wide applications. Different applications need different tap designs.

2. Thread Milling

Thread milling is another way for manufacturing screw threads on CNC machines through the circular ramping motion of rotating cutting tools, utilize the milling cutter and 3-axis machining center, adopting circular interpolation of x-axis and y-axis, and z-axis linear feed. Thread milling is especially suitable for the thread processing of large parts and valuable materials, and can cut a host of threads and workpiece on the same machine. 

Features and Benefits of Thread Milling

- Fast processing speed, high efficiency and high precision. Generally, the CNC milling cutting tool is made of hard alloys with high precision in manufacturing. 

- Milling cutters are widely used and reduced tool inventory cost. One tool can be used for a left-hand thread or right-hand thread with the same pitch of screws, as well as different thread tolerances, hole diameters and a broad range of materials.

- The CNC milling process is easy to remove chips and cool, it also has better cutting compared to tapping, especially suitable for the CNC threading of difficult materials like aluminum, copper and stainless steel. 

- Thread milling suits for CNC thread machining of blind holes with short bottom holes and holes without a run-out groove. 

- Thread milling generates superior smooth burr-free surface finishes.

Thread Milling Applications 

- Thin-walled parts

- Asymmetric/non-rotating parts

- CNC components made of materials easy to cause chip breaking and chip removal. 

- CNC components made of tough materials that create high cutting forces

- Threading close to the bottom of a blind hole

- Components with unstable setup

3. CNC Threading on Lathes - Lathe Threading

CNC lathes can also produce high quality single point screw threads in a single setup of the CNC machined part. CNC threading allows numerous thread pitches, tapered threads, and multiple lead threads without changing gears. Single point threading uses a tool with special threading indexable insert, the shape, and size of which should correspond to the shape and size of the finished screw thread.