ArticlefromMagazineWerkstatt+Betrieb(Germany),No.

9/2014
OriginalarticlefromDietmarHechtle(EMUGE),PeterKopton(AUDI),Dr.RolandMeyer
(AUDI),WolfgangBahle(Journalist),ArticletranslatedbyEMUGE
Technicalarticleonthenewhelicalthreadformingprocess
Dipl.Ing.DietmarHechtle,Dipl.Ing.PeterKopton,Dr.Ing.RolandMeyer,WolfgangBahle.

Helicalthreadformingissignificantlyfasterandsavesenergy

PunchTaprevolutionizesthreadproduction
AUDIAGandEMUGEFRANKENnotonlycreatedanewtypeoftoolintheirpresentationofthenew
jointlydevelopedproductionprocesshelicalthreadformingbutalsoacompletelynewtechnology
formachiningthreads.ThenewprocessalsocalledPunchTapproducesinternalthreadsata
significantlyreducedenergyconsumptionandfasterbyapproximatelythreequarterscomparedto
theconventionaltechnology.DietmarHechtle,headofthetechnicaldepartmentatEMUGE
FRANKENinthecityofLaufexplainsThePunchTapprocessisabsolutelynewandrevolutionary.
Comparedtoexistingtechnologies,internalthreadsinspecificmaterialscanbeproducedalotfaster
withastronglyreducedconsumptionofenergyrequiredbythemachine.Andindeed:a3D
animationshowsthenewPunchTapwhichdoesnotlooklikeaconventionaltaporcoldformingtap
nordoesithaveacontinuousthreadprofile.Insteadtwotwistedrowofteethareoffsettoeach
otherby180(IMAGE1).Thetoolmovesintothepredrilledtapholeatlightningspeedonasteep
helicalpathwheretwotwistedgroovessocalledhelicalgroovesaregeneratedonthe
circumferenceoftheholebytwobroachingteethlocatedattheheadofthetool.Afterwardsthe
spindleturnsby180,theaxialfeedaxismovessynchronouslybyhalfapitchandthethreadis
completelymachined.(IMAGE2).Thetoolispositionedintothegroovegeneratedandcannowbe
retractedfromthetaphole.Inshort,firstaplunge,halfaturn,thenretract,thatisthebangeffect
asDietmarHechtlesumsuptheprocessinanutshellwhichactuallytakeslessthanhalfasecond.
ThenamePunchTapdenotesthislightningfastandprecisemovementderivedfromtheterm
punchusedinprofessionalboxing.
TakingacloserlookatthePunchTap,thetoolwithitsrelativelythickshankgivestheimpressionof
beingveryrobust.Androbustnessisarequiredfeaturebecausethetwogroovesareexclusively
generatedbythepunchteethlocatedattheheadofthetoolwhichatthesametimeservetoprotect
thethreadingteeth.Inadditionahightorqueistransmittedsincethetoolexecutesaveryfast
movementwithallthreadformingteethinoperationatthesametime.
AUDIAGasdrivingforceofdevelopment
AudAGisthedrivingforceinthedevelopmentofthenewandmeanwhilepatentedthreadforming
processandwasintegratedfromtheverybeginning(IMAGE3).TheideaofthePunchTapprocess
wasprecededbysomejointinitialdeliberationsandexperimentsbyPeterKopton,responsiblefor
tooltechnologyatAUDIAGandDietmarHechtle,withtheobjectiveofsavingtimeandenergyinthe
productionofthreads.TheresultwasacooperationprojecttwoyearsagowhichincludedtheISF
instituteformachiningattheTechnicalUniversityofDortmundwherepartoftheteststookplace.

Wetestedseveralprocedures,someofthemworkedandsomedidnt.EventuallyIsaid,letsjust
cutsomegroovesintotheinternalthreadexplainsPeterKopton.Abrilliantideabutitrequiresalot
ofconvincingefforts.AsthePunchTapdoesnotproduceacontinuousthreadonthecircumference
ofthetapholebuttwothreadareasoppositeeachother.PeterKoptonofAudiAG:Itwasalong
journeyuntilallscepticismwaseliminatedthatathreadwithtwogroovescoulddothesamejobasa
threadcoldformedinaconventionalway.
Numeroustestsconfirm:thethreadworksreliably.
Theworkandpersuasionpaidoff.ButdoesathreadmanufacturedbyaPunchTapreallyachievethe
samestrengthasaconventionallycoldformedthread?Theanswerisaclearyes.Inatransition
areawithanunusuallylowscrewedindepth,theconventionallycoldformedthreadperformsalittle
bitbetterunderstaticalconditionswhichisnotsurprisinganddoesnothaveanypractical
consequences,saysDr.Ing.RolandMeyerandreferstonumerousseriesoftestswithdifferentsizes
ofthreads,machiningparametersandmaterials,conductedamongothersonmachiningcentersof
Grob(BZ600)andDMGMori(DMC835V).Thetestsinclude,amongothers,variationsofthepredrill
diameterandthedepthofthreadinmanufacturingbothwithemulsionaswellaswithminimum
quantitylubrication(MQL).Bothscenariosdonotposeaproblem.Thetestsshownearlyidentical
strengthvaluesofthePunchTapthreadcomparedtoconventionallycoldformedthreads.Thetests
areconductedamongotherswithcylinderheads(workpiecematerialAlSi7MgandAlSi10Mg)ofAUDI
AG.Firstexperienceswithregardtoprocessandcomponentpropertiesunderseriesproductionhave
alreadybeengained.
Thespindleofthemachineexecutesthemovementpathofthethreaddirectlyinthisnewprocess.
ThisresultsinanimprovedaccuracyofpositionofthetapholegeneratedbecausethePunchTap
toolisrigidlyclamped.Theprocessrequirescoordinationoftherespectivecontrolunitandthe
dynamicsofthemachine,thereforecompaniesSiemensandHeidenhainareintegratedinthe
developmentprocess.

Theuseinserialproductionwillstartshortly
AUDIAGalreadyusesthetoolonseveralmachiningstationsoutsideserialproduction.Wealready
usethePunchTapprocessinprototypemanufacuringandwehaveassembledenginesusinghelical
coldformedthreadsandhavetestedthemsaysDr.Ing.RolandMeyerfromthetooltechnology
assemblyunitsatAUDIHUNGARIAMOTORKFTwhoisresponsiblefortheintroductionoftheprocess
inserialproductionattheengineplantinGyr.(IMAGE4).
Helicalcoldformingofthreadsisnowinthestartingblocksthere.Sinceitisacompletelynewtype
ofthread,additionalrequirementssuchascleanlinessofthecomponent,suitabilityforautomatic
assemblyandqualitycontrolmustbefullfilledinadditiontothestrengthofthethreadtouseitin
serialproduction.Thisworkiscurrentlyinprogress.ThefocusisspecificallyonM6threadsin
cylinderheadswhichareproducedwiththePunchTapunderwetlubricationconditions.An
additionalobjectivebesidesanincreaseinproductivityisthesavingofenergyatAUDIHUNGARIA.It
isanadvantagethatournewprocessdoesnotrequirehighrotationalspeeds.Theprocesstakesonly
averyshorttime,thereforeoveralllessenergyisrequired.,explainsDr.Ing.RolandMeyer.
Regardingtoollife,theobjectiveistoachievecomparablecostsperworkpieceasinconventional

coldformingofthreads.Thusthereisnodisadvantageintoolcosts.Onthecontrary:withregardto
newinvestmentsinproductionmachinesandequipment,machinecapacitywhichmeansinvestment
costsaresaved.Thisisaresultofsavingsintime.Inserialproductionthemachiningtimeofathread
isreducedfrom1,9to0,5seconds.Anadvantagewhichpaysofffastandsavesenergyconsidering
themillionsofthreadswhichareproducedattheengineplantinGyreveryweek.Thereasonbeing
thatamachinewhichisnotneededandnotprocureddoesnotconsumeenergy.Priortoseries
production,thetestingprogramiscurrentlybeingexpandedunderseriesconditions,thismeansthat
entirelotsofcomponentsareproducedwithhelicalcoldformedthreadsandprocessreliabilityis
analyzedinincreasingquantities.

IMAGE1:EMUGEPunchTaptoolforhelicalcoldformingofthreads.
(BildbeschriftungImagetext)
GewindeformenColdformingofthreads
GewindetiefeDepthofthread

IMAGE2:SequenceofworkmovementsusingthePunchTaptechnology
IMAGE3:ThePunchTaptechnologyisdevelopedinclosecooperationbetweenAUDIAGand
EMUGEFRANKEN.Fromtheleft:GerhardKnienieder(EMUGEFRANKENmanagementboard),Istvan
Olah(AUDIAGheadoftooltechnology),PeterKopton(AudiAGtooltechnology),Dr.Ing.Roland
Meyer(AUDIAGtooltechnology),DietmarHechtle(EMUGEheadoftechnicaldepartment),Helmut
Glimpel(EMUGEFRANKENManagingDirector).
IMAGE4:TheengineersofAudiAGandEMUGEFRANKENhavetheirsightsfirmlysetonserial
productionincylinderheadsandotherautomotivecomponents.Fromtheleft:Dr.Ing.Roland
Meyer(AUDIAG),PeterKopton(AUDIAG),DietmarHechtle(EMUGE).