A lot of people take zip screws for granted, not realizing that a screw is a special kind of motor, called an actuator. An actuator is a motor that moves something. A linear actuator is an actuator that changes rotary motion into linear motion. Therefore, all types of screw are tiny, little motors. A screw has a pointed shaft with external, helical grooves and a flat head with one or two grooves.
There are loads of types of simple linear actuators. Most have a single indentation in the head and can be driven into a wall or other material using a straight screwdriver. Others have a two grooves at right angles to each other. These can be driven by either a normal screwdriver, but more effectively by a special tool called a phillips head screwdriver, named after a man named Henry F Phillips.
We really take his invention for granted and never give Henry Phillips a second thought. We came from Portland in Oregon and bought the design of the device from a man named John P. Thompson, who must surely be kicking himself now. Phillips made a few modifications to the device and patented it.
One of his very first customers was General Motors. The product found its way onto the production line of the Cadillac. Phillips sold the patent to Ford Motor Company for five million bucks in 1945. He died in 1958 at the age of 68.
Now, while a phillips head screw can be set with a straight, ordinary screwdriver, it doesn't work very well the other way around. A phillips head screwdriver is useless for screwing a single-grooved screw. This is because it can't get a grip on the single groove. Most people give up and use a small coin, like a dime or a British half penny if they have one lying around. A table knife also works in a pinch if you are desperate.
Another similar tool is a bolt. This has external grooves only part way up the shaft. It performs a similar job to the screw. A bolt is secured by a nut, which is threaded internally. A nut winds around the external threads of the bolt until the load is secured.
Screws do not require nuts to hold them into place. Imagine you want to hang up a painting on your wall. You would drill a hole, making sure you are drilling into a strut and not just plasterboard or sheetrock. In most cases, you bash in a rawl plug, a plastic sleeve that holds the screw more securely in place than if you just screwed it directly into the wall. You don't make the head of the screw flush with the wall; you leave a bit hanging out to hold the picture.
Zip screws are used for guttering and for sheet metal, the type used for heating ducts. They have a sharp tip that will easily pierce soft metal. If you are working with a harder, thicker metal, then you would opt for a TEK screw. The zip screw, also known as a self-piercing screw, earned its name because it zip in fast.
There are loads of types of simple linear actuators. Most have a single indentation in the head and can be driven into a wall or other material using a straight screwdriver. Others have a two grooves at right angles to each other. These can be driven by either a normal screwdriver, but more effectively by a special tool called a phillips head screwdriver, named after a man named Henry F Phillips.
We really take his invention for granted and never give Henry Phillips a second thought. We came from Portland in Oregon and bought the design of the device from a man named John P. Thompson, who must surely be kicking himself now. Phillips made a few modifications to the device and patented it.
One of his very first customers was General Motors. The product found its way onto the production line of the Cadillac. Phillips sold the patent to Ford Motor Company for five million bucks in 1945. He died in 1958 at the age of 68.
Now, while a phillips head screw can be set with a straight, ordinary screwdriver, it doesn't work very well the other way around. A phillips head screwdriver is useless for screwing a single-grooved screw. This is because it can't get a grip on the single groove. Most people give up and use a small coin, like a dime or a British half penny if they have one lying around. A table knife also works in a pinch if you are desperate.
Another similar tool is a bolt. This has external grooves only part way up the shaft. It performs a similar job to the screw. A bolt is secured by a nut, which is threaded internally. A nut winds around the external threads of the bolt until the load is secured.
Screws do not require nuts to hold them into place. Imagine you want to hang up a painting on your wall. You would drill a hole, making sure you are drilling into a strut and not just plasterboard or sheetrock. In most cases, you bash in a rawl plug, a plastic sleeve that holds the screw more securely in place than if you just screwed it directly into the wall. You don't make the head of the screw flush with the wall; you leave a bit hanging out to hold the picture.
Zip screws are used for guttering and for sheet metal, the type used for heating ducts. They have a sharp tip that will easily pierce soft metal. If you are working with a harder, thicker metal, then you would opt for a TEK screw. The zip screw, also known as a self-piercing screw, earned its name because it zip in fast.
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