Types of screwdrivers
Due to the variety of screws used to make adjustments in different areas of industry, there is also a wide variety of screwdrivers, which have been specially designed to facilitate the fixing of parts during the assembly of furniture, appliances and other objects of use. frequent.
The manual screwdriver is one of the most used tools in different workshops, but it is also common in homes around the world, since it allows you to adjust screws in different DIY projects. For this reason, it is important to know the types of screwdrivers that we can use according to each need.
Main types of screwdrivers
We can say that the small screwdriver for manual use has maintained its usefulness over time, however, the creation of new screws with different heads has also led to the emergence of different screwdrivers. Let’s look at some of the most used
- Screwdriver
This is the oldest type of screwdriver, since the first screws had a flat head slot, however, at the beginning of the 20th century, the automotive industry created different heads that are more practical and therefore speed up processes, for For this reason, today’s flathead screwdrivers are easier to center and stay in position. Currently, these screwdrivers are still the most used in carpentry, but it is also true that the flat screwdriver slips easily, so these screwdrivers are considered less safe than the other types, therefore they are no longer used in some industrial work.
- Phillips screwdriver
The cross-shaped screw is named after American engineer Henry Frank Phillips, who purchased the patent rights to a screw originally designed in 1933 by inventor John P. Thompson. This is how the Phillips screwdriver arises, its main advantage being automatic centering for faster screw placement. In addition, the star screwdriver offers a greater grip with the screw to prevent slippage, allowing it to enter completely straight into the work material. However, it is important to mention that in some cases this type of tool can deform the cross slot of the screw, especially if more torque than necessary is applied.
- pozidriv screwdriver
This is an improved Phillips screwdriver, since in addition to the cross-shaped tip, it incorporates 4 additional guides at 45°. This allows for less risk of slippage, increasing precision when inserting the screw. The pozidriv screwdriver has this name as an abbreviation for positive drive, which means positive transmission. It was patented in Great Britain by the GKN automotive company and is used especially in Europe, so in the rest of the world it is part of the special screwdriver bits.
- torx screwdriver
Although the pozidriv reduces slippage, in some cases it is necessary to apply a higher torque force, this is where the torx screwdriver has a great advantage. In this case, the screw head has a parallel profile, so it does not have angles, but instead has a six-pointed star with a rounded shape, which considerably increases the contact area between the tip of the screwdriver and the head of the screw., thus offering a high level of torque.
- allen screwdriver
The name of this tool has to do with the hexagonal allen key, patented in the 20th century by William G. That is where the so-called allen-type screw comes from, and this is the reason why the hexagonal screwdriver exists. This can be a T-shaped handle or completely straight. It is a very useful screwdriver when assembling furniture.
- Robertson screwdriver
Mass production by the Ford Motor Company forced its engineers to replace slotted screws with an invention patented in 1908 by inventor PL Robertson. It was a screw with a square head, which allowed a very simple centering of the screwdriver. However, this type of tool is rarely used manually, being more common in electrical devices.
other screwdrivers
We could list many other types, such as precision screwdrivers, which are used in watchmaking and other work with very small screws. Also, there is the 3-point screwdriver, used in electronic devices such as video game consoles, mobile phones, digital cameras, among others.
For its part, the spanner screwdriver is rare, but very useful to prevent unauthorized access to the functions of certain devices, such as elevators, public bathrooms, train cars, etc. In addition, we must mention the triangular tip screwdriver, which comes in different sizes although it has very specific applications.
Know the parts that make up the screwdriver
Although it is a very simple device, for proper use it is important to know the parts of a screwdriver. First of all, we must point out the handle, which is the tool’s clamping area, where we must exert force to tighten or loosen screws. This part of the screwdriver can be made of PVC, plastic resins or wood, but in some cases it is covered with another non-slip material that allows greater control and at the same time provides comfort. In addition, for electrical work, screwdrivers with insulating handles are used to increase safety.
Another important part is the core, which corresponds to a small joining area between the handle and the body of the screwdriver , which is why it is usually very resistant to mechanical stress. As for the body or rod of the tool, it is generally a steel alloy bar, which contains molybdenum, vanadium and chrome, which guarantees hardness for greater strength and durability. Both the thickness and the length of the body depend on the use that is going to be given to the screwdriver. A short and thick one can be more resistant, while a long and thin one allows you to reach tight and difficult places.
On the other hand, within the body of the screwdriver we can distinguish two areas; the blade and the tip. The first is the blade or mouth of the tool, which gets thinner until it reaches the tip, which is also called the head. In the latter case, we refer exclusively to the final part of the structure, which is definitely the most important, since it must make direct contact with the screw and allows it to be adjusted. Of course, the shape of the tip will depend on the type of screw. In some cases, this tip is magnetic , which allows the part to be adjusted more easily.
