MICRO SCREWS.... :o)

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Southernboy
Joined: Thu 07 Oct, 2010 12:39
Posts: 6436

  Z3 roadster 3.0i
Location: Johannesburg

MICRO SCREWS.... :o)

Post by Southernboy »

I have just discovered this company and placed an order for 100 "micro screws"...They are "trilobular plastic thread forming steel screws"....I placed an order for 100 of them...cost including shipping from the USA...$2.85.!!!!!! :D
http://www.microfasteners.com/lpp0205-2 ... astic.html

I have been visiting several "micro screw" websites, and if anyone is interested, these items are seriously hot property. They are used in a multitude of industries, and if anyone here is interested, these screws are available as "self tapping" as well as threaded "machine" screws. The remarkable thing about them is the minute sizes available....there are screws which are probably almost invisible to the naked eye !! Including some manufacturers that make them out of Polycarbonate so they are clear like glass!!
Anyhow, it's an interesting subject for anyone who cares to read up on it...Just google " Micro screws"... :wink:
"Normal is overrated"
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deni2s
Joined: Mon 25 Mar, 2013 22:02
Posts: 761

  Z3 roadster 2.8

Re: MICRO SCREWS.... :o)

Post by deni2s »

why do you need these? any particular area on z3?
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Southernboy
Joined: Thu 07 Oct, 2010 12:39
Posts: 6436

  Z3 roadster 3.0i
Location: Johannesburg

Re: MICRO SCREWS.... :o)

Post by Southernboy »

Not actually needed as part of the OEM Z3 requirements, however, I have come across these being used to mount the electric motors inside the door / wing mirrors and also used inside the electronics components to hold the PC boards on their mounts. I want to use them to fit the "Z" seatbelt guide brackets. These screws are the exact correct length as well as specifically designed for thread forming in plastics. Essentially they are "self tapping" screws with the added benefit of having a trilobular thread and the angle of the screw threads allows for the screw to be easily fitted and removed from a plastic substrate such as the seatbelt guide. Standard self tappers have a uniform threaded diameter with a fairly "tight" thread. This has a tendency to stick in plastics making them troublesome to remove. The threaded shaft of these screws being trilobular means that if you look at the tip of the threaded shaft, the shaft is slightly triangular vs round. This means that plastic material waste has somewhere to go when these screws are fitted thus avoiding "swelling" of the plastic by the screw as well as reducing the compression of the plastic on the threads.
These micro screws are made in a wide variety of designs with massive applications in electronics, aeronautics and military industries, and more recently in the super-miniturisation of all sorts of equipment. They are also used in the micro electric motor manufacturing process as bolts complete with micro nuts, washers etc to hold the casings of minute motors together. If you consider the minute screws which are used at the hinge points of a pair of sunglasses, you can appreciate the size and accuracy of such a fastener. Some of these are specified to .00 accuracy and are made of hardened stainless steel, tungsten steel, titanium etc etc. If you're ever considering building a really neat hinged pop-up cover for satnav in your car, you may want to use some really small fastners and hardware to do the job and have a professional result when you're done. In fact, if you have a look at what's on offer in the range available, it makes the standard Phillips drive self tappers used to hold the plastic trim in your Z look cheap... they have self tapper which would be more attractive without the little screw head covers used in the car interior. Some of the screws have torx drive heads and C torx drive heads. There are heads which are torx driven with the thickness of the head at under 1mm thick...this would provide an attractive central * headed screw which would also finish practically flush with the trim...They are available in sizes up to M8 and either silver or black
Image

As per the pic, you can see how flat / thin the head is compared to the relatively barbarian Phillips drive self tappers used as OEM fasteners in the car interior trim... :wink:
"Normal is overrated"
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Southernboy
Joined: Thu 07 Oct, 2010 12:39
Posts: 6436

  Z3 roadster 3.0i
Location: Johannesburg

Re: MICRO SCREWS.... :o)

Post by Southernboy »

...... it's all about practical aesthetics... :wink:
"Normal is overrated"
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Julie Z3
Joined: Mon 22 Nov, 2010 09:47
Posts: 218

  Z3 roadster 2.8
Location: Bristol

Re: MICRO SCREWS.... :o)

Post by Julie Z3 »

You need to get out more.................................. :D
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Southernboy
Joined: Thu 07 Oct, 2010 12:39
Posts: 6436

  Z3 roadster 3.0i
Location: Johannesburg

Re: MICRO SCREWS.... :o)

Post by Southernboy »

....... I'm not really into midgets >>> :D
And besides, " practical aesthetics" is a must...I know having just sold my 1997 2.8 roadster with 211000kms on the clock for over £10,000... making it the most expensive z3 roadster in South Africa. You can appreciate.. a woman with and without her make-up...the one is marketable, the other....well not as marketable let's say.... :wink:
"Normal is overrated"
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Z3 Upgrades and Additions
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