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Helicoil taps
- Thread starter johnfin
- Start date
- Replies 11
- Views 1,525
trevj
Titanium
- Joined
- May 17, 2005
- Location
- Interior British Columbia
I think so.
All the Helicoil taps I used were marked with the diameter and pitch, plus the initials "STI", which stands for Screw Thread Insert.
I understood that to mean that somewhere out there, there was a Standard written up which defined the sizes and tolerances for those taps.
Supposition on my part, but we dealt with Helicoils from 2-56 on up to over an inch, pretty regularly, and had a LOT of those taps on hand.
crossthread
Titanium
- Joined
- Aug 5, 2004
- Location
- Richmond,VA,USA
Yes. If they are in fact Helicoil then they are.
Limy Sami
Diamond
- Joined
- Jan 7, 2007
- Location
- Norfolk, UK
Based on over 45 years experience of ''Helicoils'' - in all their forms and makes etc etc.
Assuming I've used the right helicoil and or tap for the thread (and we've all messed that one up
) I've never had a male thread that wouldn't fit a properly executed ''helicoil ''
Just my 2 cents YMMV
Assuming I've used the right helicoil and or tap for the thread (and we've all messed that one up
) I've never had a male thread that wouldn't fit a properly executed ''helicoil ''Just my 2 cents YMMV
awander
Stainless
- Joined
- Jun 11, 2012
- Location
- Eastern PA
If you think about it, the final thread form and size dictates the wire form and size, and so all "helicoils" with a particular internal thread would have to have the same external thread.
Limy Sami
Diamond
- Joined
- Jan 7, 2007
- Location
- Norfolk, UK
Agreed - up to a point, .........because life has taught me the world can be a very strange place, .......and the fact one manufacturer MAY (as in just might??) differ slightly from another is far from uncommon.
trevj
Titanium
- Joined
- May 17, 2005
- Location
- Interior British Columbia
Yep, this above, indeed.
If you look at the inserts you have a limited field of dimensions that you have available to work with, the logical choice seeming to be a diamond with 60 degree angles both sides, evenly split between the inner and outer 'wedge' shapes.
But so far, I have no proof that some joker at one of the insert manufacturers, did not decide to dick about with the dimensions so you were stuck buying from them and only them.
Anyways, I figure that we had 6 or maybe more different insert and "Twin-sert" systems at my last place of employ, and as long as a fella would RTFI (Read the Frikken Instructions), there was not a lot to go wrong.
morsetaper2
Diamond
- Joined
- Jul 2, 2002
- Location
- Gaithersburg, MD USA
There are also the tanged and tangless variants of inserts. But they use the same tap. Different installation tools however.
RJT
Titanium
- Joined
- Aug 24, 2006
- Location
- greensboro,northcarolina
Exactly as Mtndew said. Buy the Heliciol inserts, but buy better quality STI taps. Other similar inserts haven't always been truly interchangeable, we have had random installation problems with "copycat" inserts..
morsetaper2
Diamond
- Joined
- Jul 2, 2002
- Location
- Gaithersburg, MD USA
Totally disagree! Convert to KATO tangless STI's and problems will dwindle. To many morons are in a rush and break off (or just bend out of the way) helicoil tangs, in a rush, and F-up the break or otherwise ruin the STI installation such that a fastener won't pass. And I have to get it fixed.
Tangless, or just GTF outta the way!
KATO does #0-80, #1-64, & M2 tangless STI's if you do small instrument stuff. As well as larger STI's.
Kato tangless definitely better, much easier to install. About taps, I found that helicoil taps from McMaster didn't do so well. The 10-32 completed thread whas about .005" dia too large, and the raw threads looked horrid under magnification. I ended up thread milling.
