HSS Tap & Drill
Blog & Guides
Practical, engineering-first articles on thread tapping, drill bit selection, and production machine setup — written by the team that manufactures the tools. No marketing fluff. Just technical content that helps you make better parts.
Spiral Point Taps — Everything You Need to Know
The complete guide to spiral point (gun) taps — how the forward chip ejection works, why they are the default choice for through holes, speed and feed recommendations, material compatibility, and how to choose between M2, M35, and M42 cobalt grades for your application.
Spiral Flute Taps — Comprehensive Guide
Spiral flute taps pull chips back out of the hole — the essential design for blind-hole threading. This guide covers helix angle selection, the materials where spiral flute outperforms spiral point, and how to set correct depth limits to prevent tap breakage.
Straight Flute Taps — All You Need to Know
Straight flute taps are the most versatile tap design — suitable for both through and blind holes in the right conditions. Learn when straight flute is the correct choice, how it handles chips differently from spiral designs, and the materials where it excels.
Hand Taps — A Comprehensive Guide
Taper, plug, and bottoming — the three-piece hand tap set explained. When to use each tap in the sequence, why skipping the taper tap causes breakage, and how to select between DIN 352 grades for different materials and thread depths.
HSS Forming Taps for Aluminium — The Ultimate Guide
Forming taps produce stronger threads, generate zero chips, and outlast cutting taps by 3–5× in aluminium. This guide explains the cold-forming mechanism, the larger pre-drill diameter required, and why aluminium is the ideal material for fluteless tapping.
Complete Guide to Metric Thread Taps
Everything you need to know about metric thread taps — M2 through M24, coarse and fine pitch, DIN 371 and DIN 376 standards, grade selection for different materials, and how to specify the right tap for CNC production vs manual tapping.
Complete Guide to HSS Taps and Dies Sets
Taps cut internal threads, dies cut external threads — used together they cover most threading tasks in any machine shop or production environment. Guide covers set configurations, grade selection, and how to specify combined tap-and-die kits for OEM distribution.
Tap Drill Size Chart — Metric, UNC & NPT Complete Guide
How to use a tap drill chart, the formula behind the numbers, and the adjustments needed for forming taps vs cutting taps. Includes the full interactive chart with metric, UNC, and UNF thread sizes — free to use and print.
Automatic Drilling & Tapping Machines — Custom Built
Chamfering + drilling + tapping in one automated cycle. Fully custom-designed to your part drawings. Free engineering design with no commitment. Single-station, multi-spindle, and rotary transfer configurations available.
Common Questions About HSS Taps & Drill Bits
Questions our engineering team answers most often — answered here for quick reference.