The short answer is “yes.” There are dozens of different types of screws designed for a wide range of uses materials. Screws can be defined by four basic parameters: driving method, head shape, thread type, and material. Let’s briefly discuss each one: Driving method...
EFI has an updated article on this topic published in 2019; click here to read the latest article. Nylon hardware may seem like a contradiction in terms – after all, “hardware” is, well, hard ware, right? Isn’t all hardware metal? The short answer is “no” not all...
Cable ties are one of those common products that goes by a wide variety of names, including the most popular – zip ties (assumed to be called that because of the noise the nylon head teeth make on the strap teeth) – as well as cable wraps, hose ties, and others. They...
Fasteners have a long and storied history, going all the way back to the Bronze Age, when metal rivets first appeared in the archeological record. Archimedes and the ancient Greeks have been credited with inventing the screw around the 3rd century AD. A few hundred...
With over a dozen different fastener head styles to choose from, it can be difficult to determine which one is right for your electronic component or appliance product design -- that’s why you might find this fastener head style guide useful for your next product...
Specifying fasteners at first might seem pretty straightforward --- “I need sheet metal screws.” But in reality, there are several aspects to understanding and specifying fasteners that can help you get precisely the fasteners you need efficiently and...
Mention metal corrosion to just about anybody and they’ll almost always assume you’re talking about rust. But metal corrosion is a lot more than just rust. Metal corrosion is essentially the deterioration of metal. Of course, rust is a major example of metal...
Rusty nuts and bolts are a constant challenge for virtually any commercial and industrial product, component, or system assembled using various types of steel (except stainless) and iron. If you’re faced with a rusted fastener that won’t budge, resist the urge to...
Both zinc plating and galvanizing is an application of zinc plating. The big difference is thickness: zinc plating is normally 0.2 mils thick. Hot dip galvanizing might be 1.0 mil thick – you get over 5 times the protection with galvanizing. All true galvanizing is...
While some tamper proof screws have unique designs and are virtually impossible to remove without special tools, many designs are better termed tamper-resistant. The most common types of tamper-resistant screws are: one-way screws, spanner screws and a...
