Getting a Roscamat up and running smoothly in your workshop depends on several factors, often underestimated factors.
Check the Floor Loading
This plan covers the work of fitting a Roscamat tapping machine to a bench or column. The first factor to consider is the floor on which the machine will be situated. The Roscamat is a bench-mounted or column-mounted machine and therefore the surface on which it is to be situated must be solid and level. The best floor is a solid concrete floor. Timber or raised flooring may flex under the column base and, although this may not cause any problem, it could affect the accuracy of the threads being cut. Therefore check the weight of the machine with the manufacturer and check that your floor can take this weight before trying to fix the machine to the floor.
Allow Clearance Around the Machine
There must be sufficient space around the machine for the operator to move around, without being hindered by obstructions to work presentation. Allow for at least 600mm of clearance space on the working side and check overhead clearance for column type machines, with long arms, to name a few. The HSE’s guidance on workplace environment requirements for machinery sets out minimum space and floor loading requirements for various sizes and types of machine.
Plan Cable and Hose Routes
The Roscamat electric tapping machine is supplied with electric connections, these must be connected to a suitable supply point and all cables routed in a safe and logical manner. Pneumatic tapping machines require a dry and regulated air supply, ideally this would be provided by a filter-regulator-lubricator unit positioned close to the machine. A long unsuitable hose would be supplied from the compressor and be prone to damage.
Sort Workpiece Support Before Day One
Support for the workpieces to be tapped will be required on the tapping machine, and this will be in the form of a flat table or a suitable fixture which will be fixed to the tapping machine at a suitable height. The arm of the tapping machine, the reach and mounting height of the tapping machine should be similar to the typical workpiece size that will be required to be tapped on the machine, before it is installed in the workshop.
A useful reference for Tapping Machines is //www.cotswold-machinery-sales.co.uk/roscamat-tapping-machines.
Remember it just takes a little preparation for your new tapping machine to be made for you from the day it arrives at your workshop.
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