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Metalworking (rec.crafts.metalworking) Discuss various aspects of working with metal, such as machining, welding, metal joining, screwing, casting, hardening/tempering, blacksmithing/forging, spinning and hammer work, sheet metal work. |
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#1
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Making screws from soft metal
What would be my best bet for getting a relatively small quantity
(current requirement is 100 pieces) of machine screws (a couple of sizes, like 6-32) made from 0.25" dia. metal rod. The material (Nb) is soft like copper and generally nasty to machine. I'd like a Torx or similar head so it's not as easy to screw up as a slot. Ideas? Real screw-making machines - heading and thread forming- look like a bit much for the purpose (thousands of pounds and many HP). |
#2
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Making screws from soft metal
On Mon, 17 Aug 2009 12:17:03 -0400, Spehro Pefhany wrote:
What would be my best bet for getting a relatively small quantity (current requirement is 100 pieces) of machine screws (a couple of sizes, like 6-32) made from 0.25" dia. metal rod. The material (Nb) is soft like copper and generally nasty to machine. I'd like a Torx or similar head so it's not as easy to screw up as a slot. Ideas? Real screw-making machines - heading and thread forming- look like a bit much for the purpose (thousands of pounds and many HP). AFAIK, anything but a slot means a forming or broaching operation, and may push you into a screw machine. Other than that, for 100ea it could probably be done on an NC lathe by any competent prototype/small-run machine shop, if they were willing to mess with the material. For a genuine 100, with soft material, you may be able to form the top with a hand-made die and a mallet, but you'd probably spend a lot of time dinking with the process before it worked. Off the wall -- could they be cast with a simple die, as nylon screws are? Why are you having screws made from depleted uranium, anyway? (:-) -- www.wescottdesign.com |
#3
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Making screws from soft metal
On Mon, 17 Aug 2009 11:21:32 -0500, Tim Wescott
wrote: On Mon, 17 Aug 2009 12:17:03 -0400, Spehro Pefhany wrote: What would be my best bet for getting a relatively small quantity (current requirement is 100 pieces) of machine screws (a couple of sizes, like 6-32) made from 0.25" dia. metal rod. The material (Nb) is soft like copper and generally nasty to machine. I'd like a Torx or similar head so it's not as easy to screw up as a slot. Ideas? Real screw-making machines - heading and thread forming- look like a bit much for the purpose (thousands of pounds and many HP). AFAIK, anything but a slot means a forming or broaching operation, and may push you into a screw machine. EDM might be another possibility, but it would be expensive, of course. Other than that, for 100ea it could probably be done on an NC lathe by any competent prototype/small-run machine shop, if they were willing to mess with the material. For a genuine 100, with soft material, you may be able to form the top with a hand-made die and a mallet, but you'd probably spend a lot of time dinking with the process before it worked. Off the wall -- could they be cast with a simple die, as nylon screws are? Don't think so, the stuff melts at quite a high temperature. Why are you having screws made from depleted uranium, anyway? (:-) It has to be a superconductor, and reasonably closely matched CTE to other "stuff" in the physics package. ;-) |
#4
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Making screws from soft metal
On Aug 17, 9:17*am, Spehro Pefhany
wrote: What would be my best bet for getting a relatively small quantity (current requirement is 100 pieces) of machine screws (a couple of sizes, like 6-32) made from 0.25" dia. metal rod. The material (Nb) is soft like copper and generally nasty to machine. I'd like a Torx or similar head so it's not as easy to screw up as a slot. Ideas? Real screw-making machines - heading and thread forming- look like a bit much for the purpose (thousands of pounds and many HP). * Main idea: convert to rivets. Lesser ideas: heads of the 12-point style are easily driven and formed, might give better strength than an internal socket. You can probably roll threads easily enough, the first size down from 0.25" rod is 1/4-28. The table says yield strength is closer to stainless than to copper. |
#5
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Making screws from soft metal
On Mon, 17 Aug 2009 13:47:49 -0400, Spehro Pefhany
wrote: On Mon, 17 Aug 2009 11:21:32 -0500, Tim Wescott wrote: On Mon, 17 Aug 2009 12:17:03 -0400, Spehro Pefhany wrote: What would be my best bet for getting a relatively small quantity (current requirement is 100 pieces) of machine screws (a couple of sizes, like 6-32) made from 0.25" dia. metal rod. The material (Nb) is soft like copper and generally nasty to machine. I'd like a Torx or similar head so it's not as easy to screw up as a slot. Assuming that it's sufficiently unpleasant to machine. If you can manage to find a way to cold form the heads, then roll forming the threads would be relatively simple. Mark Rand RTFM |
#6
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Making screws from soft metal
On Aug 17, 12:17*pm, Spehro Pefhany
wrote: What would be my best bet for getting a relatively small quantity (current requirement is 100 pieces) of machine screws (a couple of sizes, like 6-32) made from 0.25" dia. metal rod. The material (Nb) is soft like copper and generally nasty to machine. I'd like a Torx or similar head so it's not as easy to screw up as a slot. Ideas? Real screw-making machines - heading and thread forming- look like a bit much for the purpose (thousands of pounds and many HP). * Possible change in design: a threaded rod, a washer and a nut on top. |
#7
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Making screws from soft metal
On Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:17:03 -0700 (PDT), the renowned brakadabras
wrote: On Aug 17, 12:17*pm, Spehro Pefhany wrote: What would be my best bet for getting a relatively small quantity (current requirement is 100 pieces) of machine screws (a couple of sizes, like 6-32) made from 0.25" dia. metal rod. The material (Nb) is soft like copper and generally nasty to machine. I'd like a Torx or similar head so it's not as easy to screw up as a slot. Ideas? Real screw-making machines - heading and thread forming- look like a bit much for the purpose (thousands of pounds and many HP). * Possible change in design: a threaded rod, a washer and a nut on top. Great, now I have to figure out how to make/get made special Nb nuts and Nb washers, as well as Nb threaded rod. ;-) ;-) Best regards, Spehro Pefhany -- "it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward" Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com Embedded software/hardware/analog Info for designers: http://www.speff.com |
#8
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Making screws from soft metal
On Mon, 17 Aug 2009 23:09:52 +0100, the renowned Mark Rand
wrote: On Mon, 17 Aug 2009 13:47:49 -0400, Spehro Pefhany wrote: On Mon, 17 Aug 2009 11:21:32 -0500, Tim Wescott wrote: On Mon, 17 Aug 2009 12:17:03 -0400, Spehro Pefhany wrote: What would be my best bet for getting a relatively small quantity (current requirement is 100 pieces) of machine screws (a couple of sizes, like 6-32) made from 0.25" dia. metal rod. The material (Nb) is soft like copper and generally nasty to machine. I'd like a Torx or similar head so it's not as easy to screw up as a slot. Assuming that it's sufficiently unpleasant to machine. If you can manage to find a way to cold form the heads, then roll forming the threads would be relatively simple. Mark Rand RTFM Thanks, Mark. That definitely sounds like a possibility. I see tooling available for CNC thread rolling and rotary broaching of the hex/Torx. Best regards, Spehro Pefhany -- "it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward" Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com Embedded software/hardware/analog Info for designers: http://www.speff.com |
#9
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Making screws from soft metal
On Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:07:49 -0700 (PDT), the renowned whit3rd
wrote: On Aug 17, 9:17*am, Spehro Pefhany wrote: What would be my best bet for getting a relatively small quantity (current requirement is 100 pieces) of machine screws (a couple of sizes, like 6-32) made from 0.25" dia. metal rod. The material (Nb) is soft like copper and generally nasty to machine. I'd like a Torx or similar head so it's not as easy to screw up as a slot. Ideas? Real screw-making machines - heading and thread forming- look like a bit much for the purpose (thousands of pounds and many HP). * Main idea: convert to rivets. Lesser ideas: heads of the 12-point style are easily driven and formed, might give better strength than an internal socket. Have a design problem where the driver (but not the head) has to fit through a relatively small hole in some cases (imagine putting the screw into the internal side wall of a pocket, driven through a smallish access hole), but it's certainly worth considering. Maybe a two piece driver. You can probably roll threads easily enough, the first size down from 0.25" rod is 1/4-28. The table says yield strength is closer to stainless than to copper. I'm told this stuff is very, very pure and annealed, and is softer and gummier than copper. I see yields in the mid-fifties MPa on the net. I'll try to get a chunk of rod and actually play with it. Best regards, Spehro Pefhany -- "it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward" Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com Embedded software/hardware/analog Info for designers: http://www.speff.com |
#10
Posted to rec.crafts.metalworking
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Making screws from soft metal
On Aug 17, 6:17*am, Spehro Pefhany
wrote: What would be my best bet for getting a relatively small quantity (current requirement is 100 pieces) of machine screws (a couple of sizes, like 6-32) made from 0.25" dia. metal rod. The material (Nb) is soft like copper and generally nasty to machine. I'd like a Torx or similar head so it's not as easy to screw up as a slot. Ideas? Real screw-making machines - heading and thread forming- look like a bit much for the purpose (thousands of pounds and many HP). * Is this for jewelry? Niobium jewelry is becoming popular. I'd check the finding suppliers to see if there's anything being made you can use. Karl |
#11
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Making screws from soft metal
On Tue, 18 Aug 2009 04:22:33 -0700 (PDT), kfvorwerk
wrote: On Aug 17, 6:17*am, Spehro Pefhany wrote: What would be my best bet for getting a relatively small quantity (current requirement is 100 pieces) of machine screws (a couple of sizes, like 6-32) made from 0.25" dia. metal rod. The material (Nb) is soft like copper and generally nasty to machine. I'd like a Torx or similar head so it's not as easy to screw up as a slot. Ideas? Real screw-making machines - heading and thread forming- look like a bit much for the purpose (thousands of pounds and many HP). * Is this for jewelry? Only indirectly. Among other things, it helps find certain kinds of very hard glittery objects under the ground that typically get made into jewellery. Niobium jewelry is becoming popular. I'd check the finding suppliers to see if there's anything being made you can use. Karl Thanks, Karl, I've asked for a piece of the real stuff. They say the really pure annealed stuff is gummy, soft *and* abrasive and requires large rake angles to turn. With the right tooling it should be feasible to do this on a CNC lathe, but I think it might cost a couple thousand for the tools (not a problem, if it works). |
#12
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Making screws from soft metal
In article ,
Spehro Pefhany wrote: On Tue, 18 Aug 2009 04:22:33 -0700 (PDT), kfvorwerk wrote: On Aug 17, 6:17*am, Spehro Pefhany wrote: What would be my best bet for getting a relatively small quantity (current requirement is 100 pieces) of machine screws (a couple of sizes, like 6-32) made from 0.25" dia. metal rod. The material (Nb) is soft like copper and generally nasty to machine. I'd like a Torx or similar head so it's not as easy to screw up as a slot. Ideas? Real screw-making machines - heading and thread forming- look like a bit much for the purpose (thousands of pounds and many HP). * Is this for jewelry? Only indirectly. Among other things, it helps find certain kinds of very hard glittery objects under the ground that typically get made into jewellery. Niobium jewelry is becoming popular. I'd check the finding suppliers to see if there's anything being made you can use. Karl Thanks, Karl, I've asked for a piece of the real stuff. They say the really pure annealed stuff is gummy, soft *and* abrasive and requires large rake angles to turn. With the right tooling it should be feasible to do this on a CNC lathe, but I think it might cost a couple thousand for the tools (not a problem, if it works). Does it need to be solid niobium? I've been reading articles from CERN about their success in using niobium plated components in accelerators. Joe Gwinn |
#13
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Making screws from soft metal
On Tue, 18 Aug 2009 22:38:37 -0400, the renowned Joseph Gwinn
wrote: In article , Spehro Pefhany wrote: On Tue, 18 Aug 2009 04:22:33 -0700 (PDT), kfvorwerk wrote: On Aug 17, 6:17*am, Spehro Pefhany wrote: What would be my best bet for getting a relatively small quantity (current requirement is 100 pieces) of machine screws (a couple of sizes, like 6-32) made from 0.25" dia. metal rod. The material (Nb) is soft like copper and generally nasty to machine. I'd like a Torx or similar head so it's not as easy to screw up as a slot. Ideas? Real screw-making machines - heading and thread forming- look like a bit much for the purpose (thousands of pounds and many HP). * Is this for jewelry? Only indirectly. Among other things, it helps find certain kinds of very hard glittery objects under the ground that typically get made into jewellery. Niobium jewelry is becoming popular. I'd check the finding suppliers to see if there's anything being made you can use. Karl Thanks, Karl, I've asked for a piece of the real stuff. They say the really pure annealed stuff is gummy, soft *and* abrasive and requires large rake angles to turn. With the right tooling it should be feasible to do this on a CNC lathe, but I think it might cost a couple thousand for the tools (not a problem, if it works). Does it need to be solid niobium? I've been reading articles from CERN about their success in using niobium plated components in accelerators. Joe Gwinn Hi, Joe-- You're right, it probably doesn't have to be from a superconducting pov, but there's some worry about the CTE match with almost 300°C temperature swings-- could make it fail or work loose. Best regards, Spehro Pefhany -- "it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward" Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com Embedded software/hardware/analog Info for designers: http://www.speff.com |
#14
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Making screws from soft metal
In article ,
Spehro Pefhany wrote: On Tue, 18 Aug 2009 22:38:37 -0400, the renowned Joseph Gwinn wrote: In article , Spehro Pefhany wrote: On Tue, 18 Aug 2009 04:22:33 -0700 (PDT), kfvorwerk wrote: On Aug 17, 6:17*am, Spehro Pefhany wrote: What would be my best bet for getting a relatively small quantity (current requirement is 100 pieces) of machine screws (a couple of sizes, like 6-32) made from 0.25" dia. metal rod. The material (Nb) is soft like copper and generally nasty to machine. I'd like a Torx or similar head so it's not as easy to screw up as a slot. Ideas? Real screw-making machines - heading and thread forming- look like a bit much for the purpose (thousands of pounds and many HP). * Is this for jewelry? Only indirectly. Among other things, it helps find certain kinds of very hard glittery objects under the ground that typically get made into jewellery. Niobium jewelry is becoming popular. I'd check the finding suppliers to see if there's anything being made you can use. Karl Thanks, Karl, I've asked for a piece of the real stuff. They say the really pure annealed stuff is gummy, soft *and* abrasive and requires large rake angles to turn. With the right tooling it should be feasible to do this on a CNC lathe, but I think it might cost a couple thousand for the tools (not a problem, if it works). Does it need to be solid niobium? I've been reading articles from CERN about their success in using niobium plated components in accelerators. Joe Gwinn Hi, Joe-- You're right, it probably doesn't have to be from a superconducting pov, but there's some worry about the CTE match with almost 300°C temperature swings-- could make it fail or work loose. I'd google around the CERN website. They have to have dealt with this issue too. I'm guessing that the base metal upon which the niobium is plated has about the same CTE, if only so the plating doesn't peel off. CERN did it for the money - the base metal was far easier to fabricate than niobium, and plating saved on material costs as well. Joe Gwinn |
#15
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Making screws from soft metal
On Aug 18, 5:15*am, Spehro Pefhany
wrote: On Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:07:49 -0700 (PDT), the renowned whit3rd wrote: On Aug 17, 9:17*am, Spehro Pefhany wrote: What would be my best bet for getting a relatively small quantity (current requirement is 100 pieces) of machine screws (a couple of sizes, like 6-32) made from 0.25" dia. metal rod. The material (Nb) is soft like copper and generally nasty to machine. I'd like a Torx or similar head so it's not as easy to screw up as a slot. Ideas?... Have a design problem where the driver (but not the head) has to fit through a relatively small hole in some cases (imagine putting the screw into the internal side wall of a pocket, driven through a smallish access hole), but it's certainly worth considering. Maybe a two piece driver. Try milling two crossed slots and then pounding a Phillips bit into the center to swage out a Phillips recess. jsw |
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