×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Tapping UHMW?

Tapping UHMW?

Tapping UHMW?

(OP)
Anyone have any experience drilling and tapping UHMW?

thanks

RE: Tapping UHMW?

Yes.

RE: Tapping UHMW?

(OP)
didn't know everyones funny bone would be turned on this morning. I'll try and be more engineer like:
1. Can UHMW be drilled and tapped?
2. What is the smallest tapped hole you have successfully put into UHMW? The largest?
3. Is there a depth to diamter ratio for succesful drilling and tapping of the material?
4. How does the material behave during tapping? Does it tend to gum or fuzz as opposed to creating a nice chip?
5. Is there a torque limit table or guide for the tapped holes in the subject material.

thanks

RE: Tapping UHMW?

1. Yes.
2. 6-32, 1/8 NPT
3. It's plastic.
4. You can't cut a _thin_ chip; it moves away.  You need super sharp tools that are not used for any other material.  Given that, it cuts clean and smooth.
5.  It's plastic.  It's soft.  Through holes or counterbored holes, with sleeves, are better than tapping.



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

RE: Tapping UHMW?

or you can tap the UHMW bigger and then use a Keensert to provide a stronger thread.  

They work well in aluminum, should work here too.

RE: Tapping UHMW?

We also found that recycled materials behaved differently than virgin UHMW

RE: Tapping UHMW?

My experience is that the hole closes in somewhat after tapping.  If you use the same tap you'd use in metal, you end up with a hole that is useable but tight - you can't thread the screw in more than a 2 or 3 turns by hand.

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources