Nitrided cut tap and production method therefor

Abstract

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 μm to 30 μm; 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 μm.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.