20-11-2023

Thread Manufacturing

Dr. Shailendra Kumar

Professor
Dept. of Mechanical Engineering,
SVNIT, Surat

General Applications of Screw Threads

 fastening : screws, nut-bolts and studs having screw threads are used for
temporarily fixing one part on to another part
 joining : e.g., co-axial joining of rods, tubes etc. by external and internal screw
threads at their ends or separate adapters
 clamping : strongly holding an object by a threaded rod, e.g., in c-clamps, vices,
tailstock on lathe bed etc.
 controlled linear movement : e.g., travel of slides (tailstock barrel, compound slide,
cross slide etc.) and work tables in milling machine, shaping machine, cnc machine
tools and so on.
 transmission of motion and power : e.g., lead screws of machine tools
 converting rotary motion to translation : rotation of the screw causing linear travel
of the nut, which have wide use in machine tool kinematic systems
 position control in instruments : e.g., screws enabling precision movement of the
work table in microscopes etc.
 precision measurement of length : e.g., the threaded spindle of micrometers and
so on.

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General Applications of Screw Threads..

 acting as worm for obtaining slow rotation of gear or worm wheel

 exerting heavy force : e.g., mechanical presses
 conveying and squeezing materials : e.g., in screw conveyor, injection moulding
machine, screw pump etc.
 controlled automatic feeding in mass production assembly etc.

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Classification of Screw Threads

 According to location
- external screw thread (on bolts etc.)
- internal screw thread (in nuts etc.)
 According to configuration
- straight (helical) – most common, e.g., bolts, studs etc.
- taper (helical), e.g., in drill chuck o radial (scroll) as in self centering chuck
 According to the direction of the helix
- right hand (common)
- left hand (occasionally)
 According to form
- vee thread (600 or 550 angle) – most common
- acme thread (290 )
- square thread (generally in power screws)
- buttress thread (45o )
- worm thread (290 ~ 400 )
- semicircular (groove section) thread being used in recirculating type bolts, screws

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Classification of Screw Threads..

 According to standard
- BSW (British Standard Whitworth); thread – size is designated by TPI (threads per inch)
- metric thread; thread size is specified by pitch or lead (in mm)
 According to number of start
- single start – most common
- multi-start (2 to 4)
 According to spacing of threads
- TPI (no. of threads per inch), e.g. 12 TPI
- pitch (or lead) – distance between two successive threads (or length of travel of the nut for
one rotation of the screw), in mm
 According to compactness or fineness of threads
- general threads (with usually wide thread spacing),
- pipe threads (more densed desired)
- fine threads (generally for leak proof)
 According to segmentation
- full threads (common)
- half turns as in half nuts
- sector thread – e.g., in the jaws of lathe chucks.

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Production Of Screw Threads – Possible Methods And Their Characteristics.

 The various methods, which are more or less widely employed for producing screw
threads are :

Casting:
 only a few threads over short length
 less accuracy and poor finish
 example – threads at the mouth of glass bottles, spun cast iron pipes etc.

Forming (Rolling)
 blanks of strong ductile metals like steels are rolled between threaded dies
 large threads are hot rolled followed by finishing and smaller threads are straight cold
rolled to desired finish
 cold rolling attributes more strength and toughness to the threaded parts
 widely used for mass production of fasteners like bolts, screws etc.

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Production of Screw Threads..

Removal processes (Machining processes):
 accomplished by various cutting tools in different machine tools like lathes, milling
machines, drilling machines (with tapping attachment) etc.
 widely used for high accuracy and finish
 employed for wide ranges of threads and volume of production; from piece to mass
production.

Semifinishing and finishing (Grinding):

 usually done for finishing (accuracy and surface) after performing by machining or hot
rolling but are often employed for direct threading on rods
 precision threads on hard or surface hardened components are finshed or directly
produced by grinding only
 employed for wide ranges of type and size of threads and volume of production

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Production of Screw Threads..

Precision forming to near – net – shape

 no machining is required, slight grinding is often done, if needed for high accuracy
and finish
 application – investment casting for job order or batch production – injection moulding
(polymer) for batch or mass production

Non conventional process (EDM, ECM etc)

 when conventional methods are not feasible
 high precision and micro threads are needed
 material is as such difficult – to – process

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Processes, Machines and Tools Used For Producing Screw Threads

Production of screw threads by machining:

 Screw threads can be produced by machining process both manually using taps and
dies as well as in machine tools of different types and degree of automation.
 In respect of process, machine and tool, machining of screw threads are done by
several ways –
1) Thread cutting by hand operated tools
 Usually small threads in few pieces of relatively soft ductile materials, if required, are
made manually in fitting, repair or maintenance shops.
External screw threads:
 Machine screws, bolts or studs are made by different types of dies which look and
apparently behave like nuts but made of hardened tool steel and having sharp
internal cutting edges.
 Hand operated dies of common use, are coaxially rotated around the pre-machined
rod like blank with the help of handle or die stock.

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Processes, Machines and Tools Used For Producing Screw Threads ..

 Solid or button die: used for making threads of usually small pitch and diameter in one pass.

 Spring die: the die ring is provided with a slit, the width of which is adjustable by a screw to enable
elastically slight reduction in the bore and thus cut the thread in number of passes with lesser
force on hands.

 Split die: the die is made in two pieces, one fixed and one movable (adjustable) within the cavity
of the handle or wrench to enable cut relatively larger threads or fine threads on harder blanks
easily in number of passes, the die pieces can be replaced by another pair for cutting different
threads within small range of variation in size and pitch.

 Pipe die: pipe threads of large diameter but smaller pitch are cut by manually rotating the large
wrench (stock) in which the die is fitted through a guide bus

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Processes, Machines and Tools Used For Producing Screw Threads ..

Internal screw threads :

 Internal screw threads of usually small size are cut manually, if needed, in plates,
blocks, machine parts etc. by using taps which look and behave like a screw but
made of tool steel or HSS and have sharp cutting edges produced by axial grooving
over the threads.
 Three taps namely, taper tap, plug tap and bottoming tap are used consecutively
after drilling a tap size hole through which the taps are axially pushed helically with
the help of a handle or wrench.
 Threads are often tapped by manually rotating and feeding the taps through the
drilled hole in the blank held in lathe spindle.

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Processes, Machines and Tools Used For Producing Screw Threads ..

2) Machining screw threads in machine tools

 Threads of fasteners in large quantity and precision threads in batches or lots are
produced in different machine tools mainly lathes, by various cutting tools made of HSS
or often cemented carbide tools.
Machining screw threads in lathes
 Screw threads in wide ranges of size, form, precision and volume are produced in
lathes ranging from centre lathes to single spindle automats.
 Threads are also produced in special purpose lathes and CNC lathes including turning
centres.
External threads :
External threads are produced in centre lathes by various methods :
(i) Single point and multipoint chasing –
This process is slow but can provide high quality. Multipoint chasing gives more
productivity but at the cost of quality to some extent.

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Processes, Machines and Tools Used For Producing Screw Threads ..

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Processes, Machines and Tools Used For Producing Screw Threads ..

(ii) Thread milling:

 This process gives quite fast production by using suitable thread milling cutters in
centre lathes. The milling attachment is mounted on the saddle of the lathe. Thread
milling is of two types;
(a) Long thread milling - Long and large diameter screws like machine lead screws are
reasonably accurately made by using a large disc type form milling cutter.
(b) Short thread milling - Threads of shorter length and fine pitch are machined at high
production rate by using a HSS milling cutter having a number of annular threads with
axial grooves cut on it for generating cutting edges.

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Processes, Machines and Tools Used For Producing Screw Threads ..

(iii) Rotating tool
 Often it becomes necessary to machine large threads on one or very few pieces of
heavy blanks of irregular size and shape like heavy casting or forging of odd size
and shape.
 In such cases, the blank is mounted on face plate in a centre lathe with proper
alignment. The deep and wide threads are produced by intermittent cutting action
by a rotating tool. A separate attachment carrying the rotating tool is mounted on
the saddle and fed as usual by the leadscrew of the centre lathe.
 The tool is rotated fast but the blank much slowly. This intermittent cut enables
more effective lubrication and cooling of the tool.

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Processes, Machines and Tools Used For Producing Screw Threads ..

Internal threads:
Internal threads are produced in centre lathes at slow rate by using –
- Single point tool
- Machine taps
- Internal thread milling

Internal threading by single point chasing

Internal threads in parts of wide ranges of diameter and pitch are accurately done in
centre lathes by single point tool, as in boring. Multipoint flat chaser is often used for
faster production.

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Processes, Machines and Tools Used For Producing Screw Threads ..

Internal threading by taps:

 Internal threads of small length and diameter are cut in drilled holes by different types
of taps;
Straight solid tap – used for small jobs
Taps with adjustable blades – usually for large diameter jobs
Taper or nut taps – used for cutting threads in nuts.

Internal thread milling cutter

 Such solid cutter produces internal threads very rapidly, as in external short thread
milling, in lathes or special purpose thread milling machine.

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Production of screw threads by thread rolling

 Bulk deformation process used to form threads on cylindrical parts by rolling them
between two dies
 Most important commercial process for mass producing bolts and screws
 Performed by cold working in thread rolling machines.
 In production of screw threads, compared to machining thread rolling,
 is generally cold working process
 provides higher strength to the threads
 does not cause any material loss
 does not require that high accuracy and finish of the blank
 requires simpler machines and tools
 applicable for threads of smaller diameter, shorter length and finer pitch
 enables much faster production of small products like screws, bolts, studs etc.
 cannot provide that high accuracy
 is applicable for relatively softer metals
 is used mostly for making external screw threads
 needs
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different threads
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Production of screw threads by thread rolling..

Different types of dies and methods are used for thread rolling which include,
 Thread rolling between two flat dies
 Thread rolling between a pair of circular dies
 Thread rolling by sector dies

Thread rolling with flat dies:

(1) start of cycle, and (2) end of cycle

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Production of screw threads by thread rolling..

Rolling of external screw threads by flat dies:

Flat dies; one fixed and the other moving parallely, are used in three configurations
 Horizontal : most convenient and common
 Vertical : occupies less space and facilitates cleaning and lubrication under gravity
 Inclined : derives benefit of both horizontal and vertical features
Thread rolling by circular dies:
 Circular die sets occupy less space and are simpler in design, construction, operation
and maintenance.
 The different types of thread rolling circular dies of common use and their working
methods are :
(i) Circular dies with plunge (radial) feed –
The two identical circular dies with parallel axis are rotated in the same direction and
speed. One stays fixed in a position the other is moved radially desirably depending
upon the thread depth.

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Production of screw threads by thread rolling..

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Production of screw threads by thread rolling..

(ii) Circular die with inherent radial feed :
Here the forced penetration of the threads in the blank is accomplished not by radial
shifting of one of the dies but gradual projection of the thread in archemedian spiral over
an angle on one of the dies. This makes the system simpler by eliminating a linear
motion.

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Production of screw threads by thread rolling..

(iii) Thread rolling in the annular space between two dies:

In this simpler system and process the outer die remains fixed and the inner one rotates.
Because of simple construction and motions, this method is more productive but limited to
smaller jobs.

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Production of screw threads by thread rolling..

(iv) Thread rolling by circular die sector:
This method is the simplest and fastest way of thread rolling enabling easy auto feed of the blanks.
Fine internal threads on large diameter and unhard metals may also be done, if needed, by using a
screw like threaded tool which will be rotated and pressed parallely against the inner cylindrical wall of
the product.

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Finishing and production of screw threads by grinding

 In production of screw threads, grinding is employed for two purposes;
1) Finishing the threads after machining or even rolling when -
 High dimensional and form accuracy as well as surface finsh are required, e.g.,
screw threads of precision machines and measuring instruments
 The threaded parts are essentially hardened and cannot be machined or rolled
further, e.g., leadscrews of machine tools, press – screws etc.
2) Directly originating (cutting) and simultaneously finishing threads in any hard or
soft preformed blanks. This is employed generally for finer threads of small pitch
on large and rigid blanks
Screw threads are ground in several methods which include;
External and internal thread grinding by single ribbed formed grinding wheel: Such
grinding is usually done in cylindrical grinding machine but is also occasionally done in
rigid centre lathes by mounting a grinding attachment like thread milling attachment, on
the lathe’s saddle.
Multi-ribbed wheels save grinding time by reducing the length of travel of the wheel but
raises wheel cost.

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Finishing and production of screw threads by grinding..

External threads by centreless grinding:
 Like centreless grinding of short and long rods by plunge feed and through feed
respectively, centreless thread grinding is also done by ribbed grinding wheel using
respectively parallel and desirably inclined plain guide wheels.
 Centreless grinding, if feasible, is more productive but at the cost of accuracy to
some extent.

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