Buy Metric Spiral Point Taps Online in Australia
Metric Spiral Point Taps
Spiral point taps — commonly called gun taps — use a modified cutting geometry that deflects chips forward and out of the hole ahead of the cutting edges. This makes them the preferred choice for through-hole tapping in CNC machining centres, power tapping heads and production tapping operations where speed and reliability matter.
Sutton Tools, Bordo and Goliath
AIMS stocks metric spiral point taps from Sutton Tools, Bordo and Goliath. Sutton's T100 and T103 series use premium HSS in blue-oxide finish for general-purpose through-hole tapping in steel and cast iron. The T110 adds a blue nitride surface treatment for improved corrosion resistance and reduced friction. The T122 Ni (nickel) finish is designed for tapping aluminium and non-ferrous materials. Sutton's HSSE V3 spiral point series is the top-grade option for stainless steel, high-tensile alloy steels and demanding production environments where tap longevity is critical.
Why Gun Taps for Through Holes?
In a through hole, chips can exit from the bottom of the hole as the tap advances. Spiral point geometry takes advantage of this by actively pushing chips forward — preventing chip packing in the flutes that causes tap breakage. For blind holes, spiral flute taps (which pull chips back up) are the correct choice.
HSS vs HSSE V3
Standard HSS (M2) is suitable for tapping mild steel, aluminium, brass and cast iron at moderate speeds. HSSE V3 (8% cobalt, vanadium-enhanced) handles higher cutting temperatures and harder materials — stainless steel, high-tensile fastener stock, tool steel pre-hardened to HRC 30–35, and difficult alloys. In production tapping where tool changes are costly, HSSE V3 delivers significantly more threads per tap.
Metric and Metric Fine
The AIMS spiral point tap range covers metric coarse (M) from small diameters up to M24 and larger, plus metric fine (MF) variants for precision assemblies and thin-walled sections. Confirm thread form, nominal diameter and pitch before ordering — metric fine and metric coarse taps are not interchangeable. For chipless cold-form threading in ductile materials, see our metric thread forming taps.