Sunday 17 November 2013

How To Use Self Tapping Screws

By Bonnie Contreras


Self tapping screws are a type of linear actuator that can be driven straight through two or more thicknesses of metal without needing to drill holes first. It saves an incredible amount of time and is so easy. There is a YouTube video that shows a guy mounting computer screens on a metal frame and then attaching the frame to corrugated metal sheets at the rear for an attractive effect.

These gadgets are really clever. You get the job done without needing extra pairs of hands or starting any arguments. They are also used to mount security cameras and in dental and other types of surgery. Dental implants are a type of linear actuator.

Self drilling screws may have either crosshead (Phillips) heads or plain ones. Crossheads give the screw more more leverage when being driven through metal. You can see how important it is to make sure you have the correct tool for the job at hand. Such a tiny modification in form can translate to a significant change in function.

Most screws have a right-handed, or clockwise, thread. To tighten, turn clockwise; to loosen, turn counter-clockwise. The easy way to remember this is righty-tighty, lefty-loosey. The same mnemonic works for opening and closing jars as well as adjusting the radiator.

There are a wide variety of screw types. The distance between threads along the shaft, for example, is called the pitch. The metal from which they are made is also a factor; this can be steel, zinc, copper, nickel, brass or chromium. They can have flat or round heads and one or two grooves in the head. The ones with two grooves that are at right angles to each other are called Phillips head or cross head screws.

The design for the Phillips head screwdriver was purchased from its inventor, John Thompson, from a man from Portland Oregon named Henry Phillips. Phillips made a few tweaks and then had the final design patented. Among its early users was the firm that manufactured the Cadillac, General Motors. Phillips eventually sold the patent to the Ford Motor Company for a grand total of $5 million, an enormous sum now and even more enormous in 1945.

Most screws are right-handed, meaning they tighten in the clockwise direction. There are times, however, when a screw is going to encounter strong counterclockwise forces, in which case a left-handed thread is preferable. Other items with helical threads that can be rightfully called a screw include propellers and the Archimedes' screw water pump.

It is really fun to watch self tapping screws in action. You can get quite a lot of work done in very little time, a satisfying prospect. Juggling two or more pieces of material together and trying to get the screw to hold can be tricky and exasperating. In many ways, simple devices are better than more complicated ones. There are a number of varieties of screw. They have different diameters and different distances between individual threads. They are manufactured from several different types of metal, including copper, nickel, chromium, brass, zinc and steel. Another important difference is in the construction of the screw's head, whether it is flat, round, plain or Phillips headed.




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