This section provides an overview for set screws as well as their applications and principles. Also, please take a look at the list of 22 set screw manufacturers and their company rankings. Here are the top-ranked set screw companies as of November, 2024: 1.Barber Machine Corp., 2.Midwest Socket Screw Products, Inc, 3.PIC Design.
Table of Contents
A set screw is a type of fastener used to secure an object within or against another object, typically without the use of a nut. Unlike standard screws, set screws are fully threaded and designed to be inserted into a pre-threaded hole to adjust or secure different components.
Set screws are commonly recognized for their lack of a head, allowing them to sit flush with the surface of the object they secure. They can be tightened and loosened using various tools, such as hex wrenches for models with hexagonal sockets or flathead screwdrivers for slotted versions.
The hexagon socket set screw is also known by names like "potato screw" or "enamel set".
Set screws are widely used in mechanical applications to fix gears, pulleys, and other components onto shafts. They are particularly valuable in situations requiring precise adjustment or securement without significant force, such as positioning a pulley on a motor's output shaft. However, their use necessitates caution in high-precision assemblies due to potential misalignment caused by the screw's pressure.
Beyond fixation, set screws also serve in adjusting the force applied by components like compression springs, allowing for fine-tuning of mechanical actions.
Set screws offer a compact, non-protruding solution for component fixation, saving space and reducing cost. They come in various tip designs for different applications, including:
The most common type, featuring a concave tip that grips the mating material securely.
These have a flat end, minimizing damage to the target material, and are suitable for repeated use.
Cone-point set screws have a sharp end that offers excellent resistance against rotation.
With a cylindrical end, dog point set screws are ideal for permanent location and alignment within predefined holes.
Set screws vary by drive type, including:
Featuring a hexagonal indent, these are tightened with a hex key and are versatile for deep holes and secure fastening.
These have a single slot and are adjusted with a flathead screwdriver, suitable for precise, low-torque applications.
With a square external head, these are typically adjusted with a wrench and can be used for both securing and adjusting components.
Material choice for set screws includes steel, stainless steel, and nonferrous metals, selected based on compatibility with the components being secured. Special attention should be paid to material combinations to prevent corrosion or damage, particularly when metal meets resin. Using a locking agent can help prevent loosening in vibration-prone environments.
*Including some distributors, etc.
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Midwest Socket Screw Products Inc. is a fastener manufacturer based in Redford, Michigan, United States. Certified with ISO 9001:2008, the company produces various fasteners, including button-, square-, and low-head socket screws. It also manufactures socket head and hex head cap screws, along with custom screw machines. In addition, the company offers other types of fasteners, such as structural bolts, threaded rods and inserts, and hex keys. These products are used in various industries, including construction, metal fabrication, and electronics.
PIC Design is a manufacturer and supplier of mechanical components and precision gears, established in 1954 and headquartered in Middlebury, Connecticut. The company’s product portfolio includes washers, threaded stocks & studs, knurled thumb screws & nuts, gear assemblies/reducers, and bearing & bushings used in various applications including medical, robotics, optical systems, lab instrumentation, and industrial controls. The company has achieved various registrations and certifications including DFARS, R.E.A.C.H, RoHS, DDTC/ITAR, and ISO 9001:2015.
Kerr Lakeside Inc., founded in 1949 with headquarters in Euclid, Ohio, USA, is a manufacturer of socket screws and tools. The company's product line includes socket head cap screws, fully-threaded socket cap screws, hex socket shoulder screws, hex socket pipe plugs, and hexagon keys. The company offers the custom design, engineering, and manufacture of cold-formed specialty products using carbon and medium-carbon alloys for such products as mining tools and hex flange screws. The company serves various industries, including marine, aerospace, agriculture, automotive, and military.
Quality Socket Screw Mfg. Corp., founded in 1971 in Englewood, FL, is a manufacturer of speciality fasteners and short-run goods built to custom requirements. The items include various nuts, socket caps with button and flat heads, missile housings, round and spanner nuts, screws with head caps, socket sets, hex heads, and shoulder screws. The fasteners are slotted, painted, self-locking fasteners used in the engineering, power generating, oil & gas, tracking, and maritime industries. The items meet the specifications of ASME, ISO, SAE, blueprint, and DIN.
Bryce Fastener, Inc., founded in 1972 and headquartered in Gilbert, Arizona, is a manufacturer of custom security bolts, nuts, and screws. Its product offerings include custom nuts, high-security nuts, a wellhead nut, a design to deter tampering, and a patented screw with precise bit-screw tolerance. These products are used across diverse sectors, such as electronics, solar, retail, military, and more, providing robust security solutions. The company produces security fasteners in a wide range of sizes, from small to large.
Arlington Fastener Company was founded in 1969 and is located in Barrington, Illinois near Chicago. The company is a supplier of quality fasteners and through its subsidiary Tuttle Manufacturing, is also a manufacturer of custom fasteners. The company’s offerings include machine screws, sheet metal screws, threaded rods, and thread-forming screws. The company offers over 40,000 unique items in stock including domestic and import fasteners, standard and special. Designs not held in stock can generally be custom manufactured.
Fairchild Auto-Mated Parts, based in Winsted, Connecticut, has been a manufacturer of precision-machined parts for North American firms since 1944. The firm manufacturesparts such as regulator shafts, missile latch bolt assemblies, aluminum expansion couplers, down-hole nose guide parts, eyeglass repair tools, Banjo tuning components, missile latch bolt assemblies, fluid & air control systems, medical, and oil & gas industries. Services the company provides include Swiss turning, screw machining, turning, milling, and mechanical assembly services.
Chicago Nut & Bolt is based in East Dundee, Illinois, and is a manufacturer of standard and custom fastener products for industries such as agriculture equipment, military, marine, railroad, and construction equipment. Chicago Nut & Bolt’s custom services include fastener engineering & prototyping, warehousing, rush work, and custom fasteners and bolts. Examples of custom fasteners and bolts in action are the Las Vegas City Center, Golden Gate Bridge refurbishing, Biosphere 2, and the “Son of Beast” roller coaster at King’s Island in Mason, Ohio.
Radax Industries Inc., founded in Webster, NY in 1967 is a of Threaded & Non-Threaded Fasteners and a Provider of Custom Machining & Fabrication Services. The company's product portfolio includes Dowel Pins, set screws and Custom Machined Products. The company serves markets including Medical and Healthcare, Aerospace and Defense, Consumer Goods, Industrial Manufacturing and Construction and Building. The company provides services such as Product Selection Guidance, warehousing and distribution, Engineering and Customer Support and Custom Manufacturing.
American Pride Fasteners, founded in 2004 and based in Bay Shore, New York, is a manufacturer and supplier of fasteners and machine screws. The company performs Swiss Screw machining and precision CNC manufacturing under one roof. Its product range includes Swiss Screw Machined Components, Threaded Fasteners, Precision Custom components and more. American Pride Fasteners supplies ISO 9001-2015 certified products and services to domestic and global customers in the Automotive, Military, Medical, Aerospace, and Electrical industries.
KD Fasteners, Inc. was founded in 1987 and headquartered in Addison, Illinois. The company is a fastener manufacturer and distributor, specializing in custom fasteners from such materials as steel, brass, silicon bronze, and other non-ferrous metals, supplying over 100,000 different fastener components. The company has 3 product segments: standard fasteners, standard metric fasteners, and custom fasteners. Custom fastener varieties include studs, washers, machine screws, flange bolts, and many other varieties. The company also offers many plating varieties including zinc, black oxide, waxing, and Magni 565 and 560.
Associated Fastening Products, Inc. (AFP) was established in the early 1990s in Itasca, Illinois. AFP is a manufacturer and distributor of both standard and special fasteners for all uses, with many customers in the agriculture and gun manufacturing industries. Some of AFP’s product and service offerings include automatic screw machining, CNC services, brass fittings, standard fasteners, CNC machining, laser and waterjet cutting services, custom cold headed fasteners, metal stamping services, standard and special washers, cable ties, hardware kits and bagging, Swiss screw machining, inventory management, large diameter bolts, security fasteners, and wire form products.
OneMonroe was founded in the 1920s and is located in Rochester Hills, Michigan. OneMonroe is an ISO 9001:2015 and AS9100D certified global industrial manufacturing company serving several types of customers including manufacturers, distributors and catalog-houses across several vertical markets including aerospace/defense, automotive, medical, and transportation. Product lines include adjustable handles, bearings, casters, gaskets, hydraulic clamping, military spec hinges, molded rubber, piano hinges, pins, pull handles, quick release pins, seals, springs, toggle clamps, and various harnesses. Custom manufacturing is also available to meet specific customer needs.
Barber Machine Corp., established in 1967, is a manufacturing company serving the fastener industry located in the US. The company manufactures set screws, both hex and splines sockets from 2-56 thru 1/4-20/28. With an online inventory, it offers prices at half the cost of our competitors for quantities of 5 to 100pc. lots. Set screws are available in different point styles including; cup, cone full dog, half dog and oval point. It also offers quantities under 1,000 pcs. and production runs of 5,000 pcs. and above. For longer life, set screws are usually made of alloy steel, stainless steel or brass.
Nittoseiko Co. Ltd, established in 1938 at Kyoto, Japan is a manufacturer of screw driving components and screw fastening products. The company specializes in manufacturing advanced solutions for fastening, assembly as well as inspection technology. The products list involves loose proof screws, special cold forged parts, automatic screw driving machines, screw driving robots and measuring instrumentation systems. The products are used in applications such as automobiles, home appliances, telecommunications, electronic products and machinery. These fastening and assembly systems make it easier to assemble various components and also bond them together in a robust way.
HASM is a special material manufacturer headquartered in 2006 in South Korea but established in 2018 in Toronto, Canada. Among its goods, one can find bolts, nuts, screws, studs, anchors and washers. The company's catalogue offers multiple products that are used in, including but not limited to, the Aerospace, Petrochemical & Refining, Power Generation, Pharmaceutical, Marine, Pulp & Paper, Semiconductor, and Water Treatment markets. Additionally, the firm meets applicable NAS, AN, MS, ANSI, ASTM, ASME, SAE, API, NACE, DIN, and KS standards. It is also ISO 9001:2015 and AS9100D certified.
G-Fast has its roots back to 1989 and is based in Chicago, Illinois. G-Fast is a distributor and custom manufacturer of machine tools and equipment. Product offerings include bolts, screws, nuts, rivets, washers, pins, springs, wireforms, retaining rings, clamps, clips, pins, handles, electronic access tools, hinges, knobs, latches, panel fasteners, quick release pins, and wire management. Parts are available across several standards and materials. G-Fast’s services include custom specialized bolts, screws, and nuts, contract manufacturing, CNC machining, and cold heading.
Rabourdin SAS, established in 1926 and headquartered in Centre, France, is a distributor that specializes in the fields of mold, cutting, stamping, and special screws. The company offers a variety of products, including shoulder bolts, ejector pins, and accessories for molds. It also offers sprue bushings with dowel pin fixing, which are mechanical parts used in injection molding. Its product enhanced surface hardness to improve wear and corrosion resistance through tenifer nitriding. It serves a diverse range of industries, including mold and die, machinery, fastening, lifting, and more.
Ranking as of November 2024
Derivation MethodRank | Company | Click Share |
---|---|---|
1 | Barber Machine Corp. |
11.0%
|
2 | Midwest Socket Screw Products, Inc |
11.0%
|
3 | PIC Design |
8.8%
|
4 | Kerr Lakeside, Inc. |
8.8%
|
5 | Quality Socket Screw Mfg. Corp. |
8.8%
|
6 | Arlington Fastener Company |
5.5%
|
7 | Chicago Nut & Bolt, Inc. |
5.5%
|
8 | Radax Industries Inc. |
5.5%
|
9 | KD Fasteners, Inc. |
4.4%
|
10 | G-Fast Distribution Inc |
4.4%
|
Derivation Method
The ranking is calculated based on the click share within the set screw page as of November 2024. Click share is defined as the total number of clicks for all companies during the period divided by the number of clicks for each company.Number of Employees
Newly Established Company
Company with a History
*Including some distributors, etc.
*Including some distributors, etc.
Country | Number of Companies | Share (%) |
---|---|---|
United States of America | 16 | 80.0% |
China | 2 | 10.0% |
Japan | 1 | 5.0% |
France | 1 | 5.0% |