111 Years of VÖLKEL: The HexDrive Form B Set as a Limited Edition

In 2026, we are celebrating 111 years of VÖLKEL. To mark the occasion, selected products are being released in a limited anniversary edition. One of them is our HexDrive machine tap set M3 to M12 in Form B.

The Limited Edition combines a current VÖLKEL tool concept with the anniversary year and a piece of our motorsport history. Below, we show exactly what makes this special edition unique and why this particular set was selected for it.

What is in the VÖLKEL HexDrive Limited Edition?

At the heart of the anniversary edition is the HexDrive set 47977. It contains HexDrive machine taps and the matching HexDrive tap drills for seven common metric thread sizes from M3 to M12, all with the same 1/4" hex drive (HexDrive). The tools are already matched to each other:

The machine taps are made of HSSE and are designed as Form B with spiral point for through holes. The matching twist drills are also made of HSSE. This means the set covers two directly consecutive work steps with the same drive system: first drilling the tap hole, then cutting the thread.

For the Limited Edition, the set is supplied in a specially designed “111 Years of VÖLKEL” gift box. The high-quality packaging features the anniversary logo with the years 1915 to 2026. It also includes a model of the VÖLKEL Dakar Truck.

The choice of the truck is no coincidence. Through our motorsport involvement, the VÖLKEL Truck has become one of the most striking vehicles associated with Team VÖLKEL in recent years and has developed into a real recognition feature within our motorsport activities. For the anniversary edition, it therefore connects the company’s 111-year history with a part of today’s VÖLKEL story.

In total, three selected VÖLKEL best-sellers are being released for the anniversary as “111 Years” special editions with their own anniversary design and additional exclusive extras.

Why the HexDrive set 47977?

For our anniversary edition, we wanted to select a product that represents the current VÖLKEL range particularly well. With the HexDrive set 47977, we therefore chose a set that is currently especially popular with our customers and offers a very flexible solution for producing common metric threads.

The combination of machine taps and the matching tap drills covers sizes M3 to M12. For the Limited Edition, the Form B design for through holes is used. The set therefore focuses on one of the most common applications in tapping and provides a suitable tool selection for many typical jobs in workshops, assembly and production.

One drive for tap hole and thread

The key advantage of the HexDrive system lies in the shared drive: both the tap drills and the machine taps have the same 1/4" hex drive.

This allows you to switch directly from the tap drill to the machine tap within the same holding system. The hex drive provides secure, play-free power transmission and enables quick tool changes. Especially for mobile use, but also for recurring work in workshops and production, this can significantly simplify the workflow.

That is the practical appeal of the system: tap drill out, machine tap in, and keep working. Especially when several threads are produced one after another, tool changes remain straightforward and the entire process stays fast.

M3 to M12 for through holes

The Limited Edition 99WM44 contains the HexDrive set in Form B with spiral point and is therefore designed for tapping through holes.

During cutting, the chips produced are pushed forward in the cutting direction and out of the tap drill hole ahead of the tool. This makes the geometry particularly suitable for holes that are open on the opposite side.

The set covers sizes M3, M4, M5, M6, M8, M10 and M12.

For blind holes, we also offer the HexDrive system in a corresponding Form C design with a right-hand helix. However, this version is not part of the 111 Years Limited Edition 99WM44.

If you would like to know in more detail why Form B and Form C behave differently and which design is suitable for which hole, you can find the technical background in our article “Form B or Form C: Which tap is right for which hole?”

The right tap hole belongs to the thread

A good thread does not begin with the tap. The tap hole is already decisive.

If the diameter is not selected correctly or the tap hole is not produced cleanly, this has a direct effect on the subsequent tapping process. That is why the set does not simply contain a selection of different twist drills, but the correct tap drill for every thread size included.

For M6, for example, this means: 5.0 mm tap drill followed by the M6 HexDrive machine tap. For M10, 8.5 mm belongs with the M10 thread; for M12, it is 10.2 mm.

With the HexDrive set, the tap hole and thread are therefore not treated as two separate tool topics, but as a coordinated process. Tap drill and tap are available directly as a matching tool pair and use the same drive system.

We explain in detail how to determine the correct tap drill diameter and what to pay attention to when producing the tap hole in our article on tap drilling. It also includes an interactive tap drill calculator that lets you determine the correct tap drill diameter for the required thread size directly.

111 years of threading technology

The Limited Edition carries the years 1915 to 2026 as more than just a design element. Behind them are two company histories that have been connected with threading tools for decades.

In 1915, Thomas Benjamin Carrington and Thomas Carrington founded Tom Carrington & Co. Ltd. in the United Kingdom and began manufacturing threading tools. In Germany, Doris and Peter Völkel, together with two partners, founded Völkel KG in 1980 with a focus on holding tools for threading tools.

In 1990, the two lines came together in VÖLKEL GmbH. Experience in manufacturing taps met expertise in their application and holding. Today, the next generation of the Carrington and Völkel families is already active in the company.

111 years later, the technology has evolved, but the basic idea behind it has not: the tool and the application have to match. The HexDrive set carries this approach forward in a very practical way. Tap drills and machine taps are matched to one another and use the same drive system. Individual tools become a continuous workflow.

The 2026 anniversary is therefore not only a look back at 111 years, but also an opportunity to bring together some current VÖLKEL products in a special edition.

The VÖLKEL HexDrive Limited Edition at a glance