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Tag broken tap removal

How Long Does it Take to Remove a Broken Tap?

Disintegration Time is Dependent on a Number of Factors

If you are using one of Electro Arc’s metal disintegrators, the answer to this question is must less time than if you used other methods.  Specifically, this is kind of a hard question to answer.   Depending on the type of material you are disintegrating, the size of the broken tap, the depth of the broken tap, and the operator’s experience the total time may vary.  Let’s start by talking about the disintegrating process  (these steps may vary depending on the model of metal disintegrator you are running):

Of course, to start, you need to take the machine to the work site.
1) If you have a magnetic fixture getting it set into position will take approximately 1 minute.
2) You will want to make sure you have the correct size collet and electrode installed into the head.   This takes approximately 2 minutes.
3) Connect power to your disintegrating head.  This takes approximately 1 minute.
4) Connect power to your machine (twist lock connections).  This takes approximately 2 minutes
5) Coolant is connected to the 3-way valve on the machine- 2 minutes
6) Final alignment of the head. 1 minute
7) Disintegration time (1/2” tap) 2 minutes
8) Pick out and clean up of the tapped hole. 2 minutes
9) Break down and put stuff away. 5 minutes

Total Time 18 minutes

For broken taps:
¼” x 1” deep –  60 seconds

3/8” x 1” deep – 1:45 minutes

½” x 1” deep- 2 minutes

¾” x 1” deep – 4 minutes

Of course, it depends on the operator and how fast he is. Could be faster or slower.

Broken Bolt Removal Examples:

Part #1
½ -13 Bolts in turbo housings
Machine: Model 2-DVQT
with 20 KVA power supply
Heat Setting: 6
Head Vibration: 100%
Electrode Consumption: .125”
Electrode Size: .375”
Electrode Type: Graphite (Poco EC3)
Fixture: Right angle plate
Disintegration time: 1:29 minutes
Clean-out time: 2:16 minutes
Total Time: 3:45 minutes

Part #2
½/- 13 Bolts in turbo housings
Machine: Model 2-DVQT with 20 KVA power supply
Heat Setting: 6
Head Vibration: 100%
Electrode Consumption: .125”
Electrode Size: .375”
Electrode Type: Graphite (Poco EC3)
Fixture: Right angle plate
Disintegration time: 1:33 minutes
Clean-out time: 1:42 minutes
Total Time: 3:15 minutes

Part #3
3/8”-16 Bolts in turbo housings
Machine: Model 2-DVQT with 20 KVA power supply
Heat Setting: 6
Head Vibration: 100%
Electrode Consumption: .125”
Electrode Size: .290”
Electrode Type: Graphite (Poco EC3)
Fixture: Right angle plate
Disintegration time: 1:19 minutes
Clean-out time: 1:30 minutes
Total Time: 2:49 minutes

See the Model 2-DVQT in Action:

10 Ways you can use Electro Arc Metal Disintegrators

When you think of a metal disintegrator you probably think of removing broken bolts.  Electro Arc metal disintegrators have a variety of uses.  Disintegrating hard metal is easy with our machines!  A minute arc causes the disintegration process at predetermined intervals.  These arcs burn microscopic pieces of your work metal.

Here are just 10 ways you can use your Electro Arc metal disintegrator to save time and money by accomplishing in minutes what would have taken you hours or days to do in the past.

Broken Taps

You can use your Electro Arc metal disintegrator to remove broken taps from any material. A machine with an Arc*er head will remove taps between #6 – 1 1/4″.  If you need to remove between #0 and 2″ or bigger, the IQ head is built to disintegrate the largest and smallest taps.  If you will be disintegrating carbide, look into our DC metal disintegrators!

Broken Studs

You can remove broken studs  with an Electro Arc metal disintegrator.  Use one of our DC models to remove larger diameter studs (2.5″ – 6″) As illustrated below:

Broken Drills

Don’t waste hours removing broken drills.  Save money and salvage your parts.

Broken Reamers

When reamers break they can be especially hard to remove.  Use your metal disintegrator to remove broken reamers with no damage to your part.

Cut Round and Shaped Holes

Your metal disintegrator can be used to cut round holes without annealing the surrounding metal regardless of the rockwell hardness!

Cut shaped holes in hardened metals using shaped electrodes.

Preserve the thread when you remove large broken taps by disintegrating out the core.  Our magnetic pick set helps you remove the sections in no time!

You can remove small diameter drills from expensive parts saving you from salvaging expensive machine parts.

When you have a frozen stud our metal disintegrators can still save you time and money by removing the broken stud, screw or bolt with two cuts.

You may have wiped out half of the thread on your broken bolt trying to remove it, broken easy-out in the hole, made a mess trying to weld out a broken stud, or totally galled the thread when you were trying to remove that broken stud.  If you really want an easy solution for removing broken studs and screws, we have your solution!  An alternative to the “two cuts” method illustrated above?  The square hole.  When you disintegrate a square hole in your broken studs you can use an socket wrench to remove them!

Save your broken end mills!  As any machine shop knows, broken end mills can shut down operations costing your company more money per hour than you can afford!  Our Metal disintegrators will save your broken end mill and save you money immediately!

An Electro Arc metal disintegrator is an investment some companies use to provide metal disintegration services for time sensitive jobs!  Most of our customers need the metal disintegrator to continue operations this is especially true for power stations, petro-chemical works, oil equipment, offshore installation ships and general process industries.  In these industries every minute is worth thousands of dollars.  If you have key piece of equipment, that needs repair due to a broken fastener you need it now!  Easy out will not cut it in these settings!

Applications go well beyond just broken stud and bolt removal.  you can cut slots 1mm wide, and 10mm deep in heavy test pieces for calibration or deep cuts through seized clevis pins.  Orientation is never a problem with our versatile disintegrating heads!

Are you looking for more applications for your metal disintegrator?  Check out our new post 10 More Ways you Can use Electro Arc Metal Disintegrators.

How to Remove a Broken Tap Quickly

Electro Arc’s 3-S portable metal disintegrator is featured below. You do not need dielectric fluid to use Electro Arc machines, just coolant. The 3-S is easy on your pockets and convenient for you to use. Our metal disintegrators remove broken taps and drills without damage or coming into contact with the part. You can also use an Arc-er Head with other machine tools like the drill press in the video below:

What is a metal disintegrator?

You have probably heard a metal disintegrator referred to by many names including; tap extractor MDM machine, tap burner, tap zapper, and spark eroder. You can use these metal disintegration machines to remove broken bolts, broken taps, and broken drills without damaging your part. Cheap alternatives are available but can cause more damage or break easily. With an Electro Arc metal disintegrator, you get the precision, speed, and value without the headache of replacing parts on expensive equipment.

Broken tap removal service

You may experience broken taps in any situation, even when drilling and tapping a riffle, the risk of a broken tap is present. It may be tempting to use a simple cheap product like ex-out or Tap Magic, but as many of you know, this often makes the problem worse.

When you are working with broken taps it is important to remember that the center part is solid. Meaning the broken tap can be broken and essentially removed. Taps with a thread size smaller than M12 should be removed by breaking the center. In some cases, your tap will have a very large thread. If this is the case we advise that you divide it into halves for removal. You do not have to apply the electrode to the largest depth. When it reaches the desired depth just turn up the Arc-er head and begin to remove the debris. You can then continue the process of disintegration with your electrode. The power of a metal disintegrator is established by creating a series of electric arcs or discharges that erode the broken metals into smaller particles.

This produces sparks that move between the broken piece and the electrode cutting through the broken machine part.  A puddle is created by the spark (also known as the hot plasma) as a result of the workpiece being melted by the electrical discharge produced by the electrode. The small amount of dielectric is vaporized which creates bubbles around the spark.

Sparks illustrated

It is important to keep your work area clean. A slower removal rate increases the rate of tear which is related to the rate of removal. The head is located in the flush area which helps to speed up the time for metal removal. The result of the removal also affects the size of the spark. Big and long sparks lead to a bigger depth and a rougher surface. For a finer finish, smaller sparks, a higher wear rate, and low removal rate are required. There are copper alloys that have been designed to maximize the process of spark eroding and offer better wear resistance and improved machinability.

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