When working with screws you might have come across the term ‘screw threads’, but perhaps you don’t really grasp the meaning of the term in itself.
A screw’s thread is the helical shape that runs across the body of the screw, and it allows the rotation of the screw to turn into linear force. In short, the thread of a screw is essential for its performance.
Types of threads
There are different types of threads depending on the shape, angle, height and pitch. The pitch of the thread, the space between every loop thread, is an important feature that will help define each distinct application use.
Below we go through 2 of the most popular kinds of screw threads that you may encounter.
Metric Threads
Being one of the first types to be set as an international standard, the metric thread is one of the most common and well-known types available. Depending on their pitch they can be coarse or fine. Coarse metric threads are considered the default option and will have a low number of threads along the screw. While fine threaded screws will have a higher number of threads.
Self-tapping threads
This type of thread is designed to create a tapped nut in the material that the screw is screwed into; this allows the screw to fit the hole seamlessly. There are two types of self-tapping threads: self-tapping cutting threads and self-tapping forming threads.
Self-tapping threaded screws are used in materials such as plastic, metal and brick –a combination of two of these being a viable possibility.
Uses of threads
The above described threads can be used in many different ways:
- Fastening two or more types of material: threads can be used to fasten different combinations of materials together in a fast and effective way.
Connecting parts: other than joining materials together, threads are used to connect pieces of a system and keep them in place in a secure manner.
