Screws come in a breathtaking array of styles, sizes, and materials for all sorts of consumer, commercial, and industrial uses. It can be bewildering – what kind of screw is right for my particular application?
One versatile type of screw used primarily for metal-to-metal applications are pan head screws. This utilitarian screw features a broad head with rounded edges that some compare to an upside down frying pan and requires a tapped hole. Pan head screws are often used to secure metal components, such as machinery and automotive parts and accessories, such as license plates and headlights. Pan head screws typically feature a Phillips-style slotted head, but other slot types are available as well.
Pan head screws offer a number of features and benefits, including:
- A variety of thread types
- Commonly manufactured using stainless steel, carbon steel, and alloy steel for better wear and tear
- A wide range of strengths, sizes, and lengths – from fractions of inches to many inches long
- Many available coatings, such as black phosphate to fight corrosion and zinc for galvanization
Pan head screws are commonly used to hold together machinery and provide certain functionality. For example, pan head screws are used to construct electro-hydraulic servo valves used to control hydraulic fluids in a variety of industrial machines. Pan head screws are also manufactured with unique or uncommon features – for example, vented screws have a bored core through the center of the screw to expel excess gas from certain types of machinery.
To learn more about pan head screws and which screw type is best-suited for your application, contact the threaded fastener experts here at Electronic Fasteners.
