The answer to that is so many things. A tapping machine is a device that reportedly punches holes into a surface or substance for the purposes of industrial and commercial use. That is just a very simple description there are a myriad of uses for the tapping machine varying from the large scale industry to small scale items like jewelry pieces.
There is a huge range of Tapping Machines available from Cotswold Machinery Sales. They carry a full range of machines that are capable of doing any particular job that you want to get done in the field of tapping.
A tapping machine falls into two categories. The first we shall look at is the thread tapping. This uses a tap that creates a thread for the addition of screws later either for its construction if it is a flat pack unit or so that it can be attached to a wall. The second type is the pneumatic drill tap. This uses compressed air to make a succession of holes very quickly allowing for a multiple of holes and jobs to be done. The final type is the custom tapping machine. This is able to work on delicate materials such as glass and more robust such as wood, with a high degree of precision.
Naturally the scale of the task depends on the type of machine that you use. Small computer controlled units can simply fit on a bench with minimal set up. However there are industrial sized tappers that can be employed to punch holes in large sheets of steel and iron or aluminum.