So you need to drive a metric screw into plastic, wood or sheet metal, but there isn’t a threaded hole where you’d normally need one? Well, if you have the right screw, there’s no need to spend valuable time setting up a tap to create female-threaded holes precisely mated to the screws you want to use. A thread-forming screw will make its own threads as you drive it into the material. Problem solved!
How do thread-forming screws work? Thread-forming screws and thread-cutting screws are two varieties of a category known as self-tapping screws — that is to say, screws that basically force the substrate to mate with their threads. But unlike thread-cutting screws, which remove bits of the material as they carve their way into the substrate, thread-forming screws deform the material, bending it into a mating position without actually removing any of it. The type of screw you require depends mainly on the type of material that will be wrapping itself around the threads. At Mr. Metric they offer metric thread-forming screws suitable for either plastic and wood substrates or for sheet metal, tubular metal and other lightweight metals.
You might be surprised at the sheer variety of manufacturing, light industrial and DIY applications that can benefit from this type of screw. Even modern surgical techniques often use thread-forming screws. Dental implants, for example, are artificial teeth mounted on titanium screws that combine thread-forming and thread-cutting properties; they act as posts, threading themselves into the jawbone for a strong lifelong fit. Assuming you won’t be drilling these screws into anyone’s head, our metric thread-forming screws should prove ideal for your manufacturing or light industrial uses. And if you need some assistance in selecting the best product for your needs, just contact Mr. Metric and they’ll be happy to help.
