Skip to content
Fasteners are commonly used to keep items together. However, there are times when they can be used for other purposes, including ensuring the security of the item that you are fastening. A good example of this is when you manufacture electronics where you don’t want easy access to the innards of the device. In such […]

tamper proof screws
Fasteners are commonly used to keep items together. However, there are times when they can be used for other purposes, including ensuring the security of the item that you are fastening. A good example of this is when you manufacture electronics where you don’t want easy access to the innards of the device. In such cases, using a tamper proof fastener design would be ideal since it would help you achieve this goal. The only way to do it, however, would be to understand the various technical aspects of tamper proof screws.

The basic premise behind such screws

In a nutshell, the tamper proof screws are designed in such a manner that they need special equipment to have them removed. Others have structural features that enable them to only be used once, after which it may be difficult for one to remove them from where they have been fixed.
If you are creative enough, you can also design them according to your own specifications. For instance, you could get Inconel carriage bolts or nitronic 50 hex lag bolts that have a head design that you have come up with yourself. This way, none of the tools in the market may be used to open the fasteners when they are in place.

 

The common types of tamper resistant screws

One of the most common types of tamper resistant screws is the one way screw. This is a screw that has been designed with a head that has a cogwheel assembly. It’s possible to use a screwdriver to put the screw in place in a material, but doing the reverse will not be possible. The head is designed in such a manner that any anticlockwise movement will simply make the head rotate, and the rest of the body will stay put. If you intend to use this type of fastener, it would be wise to insist on a high quality one. Most of the rest tend to be easy to force open.
One other common type of screw is the spanner screw. These are usually designed with two small holes drilled in the head of the fastener. In such cases, the screw can only be installed and removed using a special type of tool known as a spanner screw. One of the advantages of this fastener is that it’s very difficult to tamper with it without leaving any evidence, which is usually in the form of disfiguring of some of the holes in the screw head.
You could also decide to use a tamper resistant Allen screw head. In order to fasten or remove one of these, you will need to use a special modified wrench.

Which should you pick?

These are just a few of the typical fastener types you could use if you wanted to improve the security of the item you are fixing. The best way to get it right would be to consult a firm that has a lot of experience in the field. This allows you to discuss about your needs and what type of fastener can fulfill them.

About the Author

Larry Melone
By Larry Melone
President

Started my career in the fastener world in 1969 at, Parker Kalon Corp. a NJ based screw manufacturer located in Clifton, NJ working in inventory control, scheduling secondary production and concluding there in purchasing. In 1971 I accepted a sales position at Star Stainless Screw Co., Totowa, NJ working in inside sales and later as an outside salesman, having a successful career at Star I had the desire with a friend to start our own fastener distribution company in 1980 named: Divspec, Kenilworth, NJ. This was a successful adventure but ended in 1985 with me starting Melfast in August 1985 and have stayed competitive and successful to date. Melfast serves the OEM market with approximately 400 accounts nationally.

Related Posts

See All