Socket Screws :
Socket screws are one of the most popular types of fasteners, thanks to their versatility and strength. Today, they are used for all kinds of applications, from holding together pieces of wood to securing metal parts in machinery.
Here are some key features and applications of socket screws:
Head Design: Socket screws have a cylindrical head with a flat or slightly rounded top and a recessed hexagonal socket on the underside.
Hexagonal Drive: The hexagonal drive allows for a more secure and efficient tightening using a hex key or Allen wrench. It also provides a cleaner and more streamlined appearance compared to other types of screws.
High Strength: Socket screws are known for their high tensile strength, making them suitable for applications where strong and reliable fastening is crucial.
Thread Types: Socket screws can have different thread types, such as coarse or fine threads, depending on the application.
Applications
Machinery and Equipment: Socket screws are commonly used in machinery and equipment assembly, providing strong and secure fastening for components.
Sports Equipment: Socket screws can be found in the assembly of sports equipment, ensuring secure connections in items like bicycles and exercise machines.
Socket Screws also known as socket head cap screws, are a type of fastener with a cylindrical head and an internal hexagonal drive (hex socket) for tightening with an Allen wrench or hex key. These screws are widely used in various applications due to their advantages in terms of strength, precision, and appearance. Socket screws are a type of screw designed and manufactured with a hexagonal (hex) internal drive built into the head. This is the key feature that sets a socket screw apart from other screw head drive styles such as the Phillips head screw, slotted and flathead screws, and Pozidriv screws, to name just a few.
Socket Screws
What is a Socket Screw?
Unlike other screws, socket screws have a hexagonal recess in the head that can be driven with an Allen key, hex wrench, or socket. This makes socket screws ideal for applications requiring extra torque, such as in machinery or furniture, or where space is limited, and traditional tightening and loosening would be impossible.
Another common distinction is that socket screws are often squared off at the tip. These are generally referred to as flat point socket screws and they tend to be the most widely used type found in many common applications. However, it's worth noting that various other designs are also available.
In short, socket screws combine some of the increased performance features of other common hex fasteners - nut and bolt systems being the obvious point of reference - with the convenience and ease of use of a standard format screw set. This middle ground can be a useful compromise in many situations, particularly when working in confined spaces or areas without easy access to secure externally wrenched hex fasteners.
Advantages of Socket Screws
The potentially higher torque and clamping force that can be achieved with a socket screw over a regular screw makes them a preferable option in some applications. When compared to regular screws and bolts in a like for like test, socket screws can often deliver some or all of the following advantages in relevant scenarios:
Since socket screws typically offer greater clamping force than standard screws and many other small-format fastener types, fewer socket screws can be used in a given application to achieve the same overall clamping force on the joint or workpiece. Using fewer screws means:
- Reduced hardware costs
- Fewer holes to drill and tap into mounting surfaces, saving time and reducing potential damage to components
- Lower overall weight of the finished piece
What is a Socket Head Cap Screw?
The name 'cap screw' was traditionally used as an umbrella term, meaning any one of the various screw types chosen for fastening applications where the use of a nut and bolt installation was deemed unsuitable. However, today, it tends to refer specifically to a particular style of screw head.
Socket head cap screws are widely used in industrial production and assembly lines, including in the automotive sector, furniture manufacture, machine tooling applications and steel fabrication. This is chiefly due to the fact that they are easy to install and tighten or loosen, as well as providing impressive clamping strengths while retaining a discreet and tidy finished look.
Socket Screw Sizes
The average socket cap screw head is around 1.5 times the diameter of the screw shank, and about as high as the shank is wide. However, alternative head designs for socket head cap screws include low head, button head and flat head varieties, intended for driving into countersunk holes and other application-specific mounting positions.
Extra-long socket screws are often found in electrical plug sockets. Common electrical socket screw sizes include 40mm, 50mm, 60mm, 75mm and 100mm.
Different sizes of socket screw
Socket Screw Materials
There are many different materials used in the manufacture of socket screws. The most common materials are steel and stainless steel but alternatives include brass, aluminium, black nickel, zinc-plated and chrome socket screws. The ideal material to choose will depend on the specific application where the socket screw will be used.
Some of the most common socket screw materials are detailed below.
Aluminium Socket Screws
Aluminium socket cap screws are often preferred for applications in which weight is a key consideration. This might include applications ranging from the automotive industry through to uses such as installing hardware and trim on moveable furniture, cabinets, doors and windows.
Zinc or Nickel Plated Steel Socket Screws
The primary reason why so many steel socket cap screw sets are available with zinc or nickel plating options is for the superior corrosion (rust) resistance this simple manufacturing process can offer screws of all types.
Combined zinc-nickel plating is generally considered to be a tougher coating (up to twice the hardness) when compared to standard zinc plating, and it can also deliver up to four times the corrosion resistance of other metallic coating processes.
Brass Socket Screws
Brass socket cap screws might often be preferred for their aesthetic value, but as an alloy of copper and zinc, brass or brass-tipped socket screws may offer further advantages in certain situations. Brass is stronger than copper alone, although it will still be considerably less rigid than most varieties of steel or stainless steel socket screws.
However, it's also worth noting that brass plating will be less resistant to corrosion than solid brass socket screws. If the product will be used in an exposed location or outdoor application, solid brass socket screws are the preferable option.
Types of Socket Screws
As well as different materials, socket screws are also available in different types:
Button Head Socket Screws
Button head socket cap screws are also known as round head or dome head socket screws. They are manufactured with a smooth, slightly rounded dome at the head, which tends to be somewhat larger and more bulbous than standard cap screw varieties.
Countersunk Socket Screws
Hex socket countersunk screws, also known as flat or flat head socket screws, are used in applications where it is vital that the installed screw sits flush with or just below the surface of the workpiece.
Countersunk socket screws feature a sloping shoulder design - usually at a standard angle of around 82 degrees - that allows the screw to bed down into the surface via a pre-drilled countersunk hole. Again, they are available in numerous lengths and widths and are widely available under both imperial and metric socket screw sizing charts.
