A method of producing a nitrided cut tap that includes a nitrogen diffusion layer. The method includes (a) a nitriding step for forming the nitrogen diffusion layer in which nitrogen atoms contained in an atmospheric gas are diffused from a surface of a base material of the cut tap under heat, such that the nitrogen diffusion layer has a thickness ranging from 10 ?m to 30 ?m; and (b) a honing step for rounding a cutting edge portion by colliding abrasive particles against a local part of the cutting edge portion of the base material of the cut tap that has been subjected to the nitriding step, such that a difference between a thickness of the nitrogen diffusion layer in the cutting edge portion and a thickness of the nitrogen diffusion layer in flank and rake surfaces sandwiching the cutting edge portion, is not larger than 5 ?m.

A method of producing a nitrided cut tap that includes a nitrogen diffusion layer. The method includes (a) a nitriding step for forming the nitrogen diffusion layer in which nitrogen atoms contained in an atmospheric gas are diffused from a surface of a base material of the cut tap under heat, such that the nitrogen diffusion layer has a thickness ranging from 10 ?m to 30 ?m; and (b) a honing step for rounding a cutting edge portion by colliding abrasive particles against a local part of the cutting edge portion of the base material of the cut tap that has been subjected to the nitriding step, such that a difference between a thickness of the nitrogen diffusion layer in the cutting edge portion and a thickness of the nitrogen diffusion layer in flank and rake surfaces sandwiching the cutting edge portion, is not larger than 5 ?m.

A method for producing a threaded bore in a workpiece with a tapping tool bit, which, at its drill bit tip, has a main cutting lip and a thread profile trailing in a tapping direction (I) with at least one thread cutting tooth, wherein, in a tapping stroke (G), the main cutting lip produces a core hole and, at the same time, the thread profile forms an internal thread at the inner wall of the core hole until reaching an intended thread depth (t.sub.G), specifically with a tapping feed (f.sub.G) in the tapping direction (I).

A method for producing a threaded hole in a workpiece with a thread tapping tool bit, which, at its drill bit tip, has a main cutting edge and a thread profile that trails in a thread tapping direction with at least one thread cutting tooth, wherein, in a thread tapping stroke, the main cutting edge produces a core hole, and, at the same time, the thread profile forms an internal thread at the inner wall of the core hole until a target thread depth is reached, and this is conducted with a thread tapping advance in the thread tapping direction and at a thread tapping rotational speed of the thread tapping tool bit synchronized therewith. After the thread tapping stroke, an oppositely directed reversing stroke is produced, in which the thread tapping tool bit is withdrawn out from the threaded hole in a reversing direction and, in fact, this is conducted with an opposite reversing feed.

A method for producing a threaded hole in a workpiece with a thread tapping tool bit, which, at its drill bit tip, has a main cutting edge and a thread profile that trails in a thread tapping direction with at least one thread cutting tooth, wherein, in a thread tapping stroke, the main cutting edge produces a core hole, and, at the same time, the thread profile forms an internal thread at the inner wall of the core hole until a target thread depth is reached, and this is conducted with a thread tapping advance in the thread tapping direction and at a thread tapping rotational speed of the thread tapping tool bit synchronized therewith. After the thread tapping stroke, an oppositely directed reversing stroke is produced, in which the thread tapping tool bit is withdrawn out from the threaded hole in a reversing direction and, in fact, this is conducted with an opposite reversing feed.

A thread forming tap includes a partial thread. The partial thread is provided, in the axis direction view, with a protrusion formed so as to protrude in the radial direction and a clearance section formed so as to have a smaller diameter than the protrusion, and as a result of the foregoing, if a thread forming tap rotates in a state where the inner circumferential surface of a pilot hole and the partial thread come into contact, the protrusion of the partial thread can be caused to engage with the inner circumferential surface of the pilot hole. Due to this configuration, rubbing in a state where the partial thread is pressed against the inner circumferential surface of the pilot hole can be suppressed, and as a result, chipping of the partial thread can be prevented.

A thread forming tap includes a partial thread. The partial thread is provided, in the axis direction view, with a protrusion formed so as to protrude in the radial direction and a clearance section formed so as to have a smaller diameter than the protrusion, and as a result of the foregoing, if a thread forming tap rotates in a state where the inner circumferential surface of a pilot hole and the partial thread come into contact, the protrusion of the partial thread can be caused to engage with the inner circumferential surface of the pilot hole. Due to this configuration, rubbing in a state where the partial thread is pressed against the inner circumferential surface of the pilot hole can be suppressed, and as a result, chipping of the partial thread can be prevented.

A cutting tap includes thread ridges, roots formed between the respective axially adjacent pairs of thread ridges, and a plurality of deburring thread grooves arranged at a constant pitch toward the axial front side of the cutting tap from the rearmost ones of the roots in which the deburring thread grooves are formed, and formed such that a groove bottom diameter of the deburring thread grooves gradually decreases toward the axial front side of the cutting tap. The respective deburring thread grooves have groove bottom diameter reliefs by which the groove bottom dimeter gradually decreases from the front side toward the rear side of each deburring thread groove in the rotation direction of the cutting tap, the groove bottom diameter reliefs being set to be larger than effective diameter reliefs of the thread grooves.

A cutting tap includes thread ridges, roots formed between the respective axially adjacent pairs of thread ridges, and a plurality of deburring thread grooves arranged at a constant pitch toward the axial front side of the cutting tap from the rearmost ones of the roots in which the deburring thread grooves are formed, and formed such that a groove bottom diameter of the deburring thread grooves gradually decreases toward the axial front side of the cutting tap. The respective deburring thread grooves have groove bottom diameter reliefs by which the groove bottom dimeter gradually decreases from the front side toward the rear side of each deburring thread groove in the rotation direction of the cutting tap, the groove bottom diameter reliefs being set to be larger than effective diameter reliefs of the thread grooves.

Embodiments of the invention relate to methods of making articles having portions of polycrystalline diamond bonded to a surface of a substrate and polycrystalline diamond compacts made using the same. In an embodiment, a molding technique is disclosed for forming cutting tools comprising polycrystalline diamond portions bonded to the outer surface of a substrate.