Pipe dies are rotary tools used to cut external threads on pipes or tubes. They are available as one-piece cassette tools or two-piece half-shell inserts. Pipe dies are used to join pipes or connect fittings, and are typically tubular in shape and designed to lock into a pipe threading machine or a specially designed handle. Cutting lubricant is required for the threading process, and care must be taken when handling threaded pipes.
A pipe die is a rotary tool used to cut external threads on various types of pipe or tube. The die is typically clamped in the spindle of a thread cutting machine or in a special handle for hand cutting. Pipe dies are usually available as one-piece cassette tools or two-piece half-shell inserts. A tube die is open in the center with a series of cutting edges or cutting inserts along its inside surface. The die cuts a slightly tapered wire away from the end of the tube; this makes cutting easier and ensures a good seal with suitable fittings.
Pipe dies are used on a variety of different types of pipe to cut threads used to join pipes or connect various fittings. Pipe formers are available for most ferrous metal and PVC pipes and most work on a similar principle. This process involves turning the tool onto the end of the pipe by hand or with a powered pipe threader. This progressively cuts the wire into the pipe surface. When the tool begins to cut, the wire will actually feed along the pipe with only the twisting motion necessary to complete the cut.
Most pipe dies are usually tubular in shape and designed to lock into the chuck of a pipe threading machine or a specially designed hand-operated handle known as a stock. This type of tube die is usually of one-piece construction, although split half-shell designs are also quite common. The inner surface of the tube die is equipped with an integrated cutting edge or separate cutting inserts. Integral cutting heads are made from hardened tool steel while the insert type is usually made from cast steel with removable tool steel cutting tips.
Half-shell varieties are usually square, tool steel dies and are used in adjustable handles for progressive cutting. This is accomplished by starting the cut with the two halves of the die set further apart than the final cut depth. Once the initial shallow cut has been achieved, the process is repeated with the mold closed to its final cut depth. Suitable PVC pipe can also be threaded using a die, although the process is slightly different. In the case of PVC pipe, a conical pin is inserted to avoid cracking of the pipe and to keep the mold centered.
A pipe die cuts a wire that tapers towards the inside of the cut. In other words, the wires away from the end of the tube are shallower than those at the far end. This is to make cutting easier and the tapered thread ensures a better seal. All types of tube dies require the addition of a cutting lubricant in the cutting area to further facilitate the threading process. Great care must also be taken when cleaning or handling threaded pipes as the threads can be extremely sharp.
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