Custom fasteners are in growing demand. This is due to technological advancements and necessity. Screws and other fastening technology are absolutely integral to the continued existence of the civilized world. This is no exaggeration, as the need to join two products together will never go away, and much of our infrastructure would collapse without screws.
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One issue that everyone who has used a screwdriver has faced at one point is stripping a screw. This is incredibly frustrating, especially when the screw is still stuck in place. So, what is a stripped screw and why do screws get stripped? To understand why that happens, we need to take a look at a few terms.
Axial Load: Imagine you walk with a cane. Your hand, when you use the cane, pushes straight down on the handle. This is more or less in line with the axis of the length of the cane. The force that you apply to the cane is its axial load. Columns or pillars in architecture are under axial load, as are screws when you fasten them by pushing down with a screwdriver.
Seating Torque: How hard you push down on the screw is the value (measured in pounds per square inch) of its seating torque.
Preload: The total combined value of the seating torque and axial load. This is about 80-85% of the yield strength of a fastener.
Breakaway Torque: The total amount of torque required to overcome the static friction of the tightened screw.
When you tighten a screw too much, it will have an incredibly high breakaway torque number. When you go to unscrew, the metal on the fastener head might be weaker than the amount of force you would need to apply to overcome the breakaway torque. The screwdriver will slip and begin to chip or grind away at the screw head. Soon, you’ll have to try and remove a screw with a stripped head.
Custom manufactured micro screws can come with any screw head you desire. What you need to remember is to not to apply too much seating torque to the screw head. This will prevent you from having a breakaway torque too high to overcome. If you need custom fasteners for your project, call today and we’ll walk you through your first fastener design.