Competition within the manufacturing industry is intense. We as manufacturers methodically and intently look for ways to improve our production quality, our capacity, and our profit margin even as we compete in a highly cost conscious world. 

The ability to rise to the top of the pool of available metal stampers involves maintaining the highest quality standards and using technology to advance
capabilities whenever possible.  Performing stamping and tapping in a single operation, for example, helps reduce labor costs and increases quality while finishing parts at a fast rate.  From a lean manufacturing perspective, tapping in-die is a great  choice because the stamping is completed in the press, which eliminates a secondary tapping operation and therefore, it does not require additional handling.

Obviously, the cost of in-die tapping must be justified in relationship to the cost of the secondary operation.  The investment in the tapping heads and additional die costs must be justified by a substantial enough run quantity in order for the in-die tapping technology to be viable.  Generally, almost all applications where in-die tapping is utilized occurs in high volume production runs.

Ultimately, the size of the tap and the material being tapped determine the production rate of a tapped, stamped part.  Some stampers have concern that slowing down the press in order to complete the tapping operation is counter-productive.  While it's true that some compromise in press speeds may be necessary, there are options for work-arounds - such as building two, three, or four-up dies to minimize press time.  It is still important to remember the part is finished in one operation.

In-die tapping is a very reliable way of taking significant cost out of stamped parts with tapped holes.  Integrating this technology where appropriate in our own tool room and working closely with our clients to optimize efficiencies helps keep us competitive in the market.