Tapping Equipment for Pipeline Contractors and Utilities

A tapping device, or tapping machine, is equipment used to drill or cut a hole into a pressurized pipeline while it remains in service. It combines a drive unit, boring bar, cutter, and pilot drill to create a branch connection or access point without shutting down the line.

In pipeline work, the three common tapping approaches are hot tapping (cutting into a pressurized, in-service line), cold tapping (tapping a depressurized or drained line), and line stopping (temporarily isolating flow using folding or pivoting heads so a section can be serviced or replaced).

Hot tapping creates a new connection into a live, pressurized pipeline without shutting it down, while line stopping temporarily isolates flow within a section of pipe so valves, fittings, or pipe segments can be repaired or replaced. The two processes are often used together on a single job.

Schallert's tapping machines, cutters, and folding/pivoting head line stop systems cover pipelines from 3/4 inch up to 84 inches in diameter, with modular add-on kits, jackscrew actuators, and housings sized to match small utility lines through large industrial and municipal mains.

Depending on the model, tapping machines and line stop components are rated from 150 psi up to 500 psi, with pivoting head systems rated to 450 psi at 250°F for high-pressure, high-temperature applications such as those found in mills and refineries.

Yes. Cutters are available with HSS, carbide, or diamond segment tips to match steel, ductile iron, or concrete-lined pipe, and tapping adapters, jackscrews, and plug setters can be custom manufactured to fit specific bolt patterns, valve sizes, or existing tapping machines.