Nev's Blog

There’s a large number of various styles of fasteners available on the market nowadays. Each design of securer, or ‘anchor’ as this kind of device is sometimes called inside the engineering industry, usually is available in a variety of lengths and thicknesses to fit a variety of building materials such as timber and metal, and wall surfaces like drywall and brickwork, for example. With that in mind, why are there so many different types of fasteners? Why not merely make a standard one-size-fits-all type that everybody can make use of?

However before we try to respond to this question, we feel it is necessary to first explain what is meant by the word ‘fastener’. Fasteners are, quite simply, gizmos which are employed to keep objects together. In haberdashery, the word is normally used to refer to zips, press studs, buttons, shoelaces and possibly even Velcro which might be employed to keep the edges of clothing together. In the building industry, however, it is the umbrella term for gadgets that affix and anchor like screws, nuts and mounting bolts and nails.

When it comes to fasteners on clothing, a zip could be employed as opposed to a line of buttons, for instance, since it forms a neat, smooth closing that does not easily open accidentally. The reason for selecting the zipper is simple: it is more suitable for the purpose for which it is being used and the very same applies to nuts and bolts, and nails and anchoring screws. Having said that, the difference between construction anchors and a haberdashery securer is wide. In construction work, using the wrong type of anchor or one that isn’t strong enough to stand up to the tension it’s likely to end up exposed to can be very dangerous, whereas using the wrong type of fastener on a pair of trousers can potentially result in little more than a wardrobe malfunction. In other words, using the incorrect type of fastener on an item of clothing could lead to embarrassment for the person wearing it but it is definitely not life-threatening as in the case of construction where the wrong anchors could result in, say, a bridge or house collapsing.

On the other hand, there are many instances in sewing when buttons, Velcro, laces and zip fasteners may be utilized interchangeably. Zips are extremely practical and afford a practically undetectable closure however there are numerous instances when buttons might do the job equally well. In construction, fasteners are purpose-designed and the individual types are utilized precisely according to certain situations. In addition, there is no single securer that is able to accomplish multiple functions and suit all requirements hence there aren’t any one-size-fits-all fasteners.

This is all well and good yet why are there so many different versions of screw heads around and why is a regular slot head screw not necessarily suitable? Well, it all comes down to twisting. For instance, when a power screw-driver is used on a normal slot head screw there is the possibility of the screw-driver head slipping right out of the slot and/or stripping the top of the screw hence anchoring screws that have specially-designed heads are used so that the screw-driver won’t slide any time torque is used.

Filed by neville1way at 4:07 pm under Uncategorized
Comments Off on The Reason There Are Not Any One-Size-Fits-All Fasteners Found In Assembly