Guhring and The Tool Crib are proud to offer a new series of form and cut taps that provide improved productivity in most materials. According to Dave Hudson with Guhring, the Pionex line was initially developed as an improved thread forming tap for high performance applications.
Conventional fluteless (thread forming) taps are produced by a grinding process only. A result of this process is that they show traces of microscopic grinding marks through the Coating of the tool. This is of particular concern in the area of the tool that forms the threads in the workpiece.
This Coating topography (structure) has several negative effects on the threading operation.
- Increased heat development,
- increased torque forces,
- increased wear of the pressure points of the fluteless tap.
- In addition, the “grinding marks” encourage the build-up of the material to be re-formed in the thread flanks of the fluteless tap. This is also called cold welding.
Guhring developed the Pionex series using improved geometries, surface finish, edge prep, optimized clearance angles and new coatings.
By making these changes, the contact area between the tap and the workpiece is optimized. This results in a reduction of temperature as well as the torque and axial force generated by 30%. The end result is a dramatic increase in tool life. The extremely smooth finish of the tool is possible thanks to a new polishing process as well as their cold forming process.
Following the success of the form taps, Guhring has expanded the line to include cut taps in spiral point and spiral flute geometries. The goal for the cut taps was to improve chip control. Chip control is the most common issue when looking at tool life issues in tapping operations, particularly when reversing the tool out of the material
Currently, Guhring offers almost 700 different item in the Pionex series. There are tools in Metric Coarse, Metric Fine, UNC, UNF and BSP thread forms. Also special sizes can be quoted on application. The tools are produced from cobalt and powdered metal materials depending upon application. The Pionex series also use Guhring’s new Sirius and Slidur coatings.
If you would like to test one of these tools or see how any of Guhring’s products might work in your shop, please feel free to contact us or ask your local Tool Crib Representative. You can also see all of the latest Guhring catalogs in our CATALOG LIBRARY.
