8 Interesting Facts About Small Screws

Believe it or not, screws actually have some fascinating bits of history as well as some cool information. Here are some interesting facts pertaining to small screws and the micro fastening sector:

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• • Early screws had to be handmade and no two screws were ever alike. All that changed, however, in 1928, when the National Screw Thread Commission established a standard for screw threads for interchangeability.

• • More than 200 billion screws are used every year across the United States. A wide assortment of custom screws are used in all kinds of industries.

• • The federal government of the United States made an effort to formalize the difference between a bolt and a screw because different tariffs apply to each.

• • There are multiple kinds of screws, including wood screws, machine screws, hex cap screws, lag screws, as well as other fasteners and bolts.

• • Screws, originally, weren’t even created to fasten things. The first use of screws was for extracting oils from olives and grapes.

• • Additionally, there are various screw head shapes including pan heads, dome heads (or button), truss heads, round heads, raised heads, bugle heads, cheese heads, flanged heads, and fillister heads.

• • Hi-low screws have a reduced minor diameter and therefore displace less plastic material and minimize stress. There are custom screws that have a double lead high and low thread with the high thread having a 30 degree thread from the further minimizes material displacement while providing possible thread engagement.

• Though it’s a common misconception, screws aren’t actually in the shape of a spiral. The threading on a screw forms the shape of a helix and not a spiral.

Micro screws are essential tools but often don’t get the recognition they deserve. If you want to learn more about small screws, give US Micro Screw a call today.