With self-tapping screws, you can drill a hole into the material as you screw. They are useful for screwing into a range of materials, including plastic, metal and wood, in an efficient manner. Simply take a drill and hold the tip of one of our OSC self-tapping screws to the material and start drilling to create an accurate threaded screw-hole that needs no pilot drilling, and is resistant to vibrations.
Essentially, the self-drilling screw has been designed to penetrate or cut directly into the material. This allows users to cut out the pre-drilling step in the process and create an unbeatably tight thread. At OSC, there is a range of self-drilling screws available for all manner of jobs and materials.
Particularly, the self-tapping screw is the go-to solution for connecting two unique materials, offering flexible use where other types of screws will fail. Additionally, in areas that can only be accessed from one side, a self-tapping screw is ideal for these kinds of limited situations.
The usefulness of self-drilling screws is also apparent when you need to unscrew a product for regular maintenance, such as in an air conditioning system. A self-tapping screw will re-screw accurately along the same thread with ease.
Types of Self-Tapping Screws
There are two kinds of self-tapping screw used for a range of purposes. The first is the thread-forming screw, which is designed for screwing into plastic materials and creating a secure fit. This type of screw is commonly trilobed with a tapered point.
When drilling into a material, the screw will displace or deform the material while maintaining the material’s grain structure. What you’re left with is a strong fitting and no chips left over in the hole.
The second type of self-tapping screw is the thread-cutting screw. While the thread-forming screw puts some strain on the material while drilling, the thread-cutting screw avoids this issue. As the name suggests, this type of screw will cut the material out of the way, disrupting the material’s grain structure and creating chips at the bottom of the thread.
Thread-cutting screws are used for creating threads in metal and wood. One drawback with this type of self-tapping screw is that it can strip the thread during disassembly, so it’s sensible to recreate the thread when reassembling by using a larger screw.
Length and Head-Shape of Self-Drilling Screws
Like all types of screws, the self-drilling screws at OSC are available in a range of specifications such as length and head-shape. The length is important for matching the thickness of the material you want to fasten, and you should leave enough space to accommodate the drill tip of the screw for creating a secure thread.
OSC provides the correct drive tool in every box of screws to save time. It is also important to consider the type of screw. They can be flat, dome-shaped or counter-sunk, amongst other head types. Take a look at the range of products at OSC to find the ideal self-tapping screw for your project.