Thermal inserts are a big thing when it comes to engineering with plastic. They make it easy to use threaded fasteners with plastic parts, and they work great with 3D printing too. There’s a bit of a ...

One of the greatest advantages of designing plastic parts is the vast number of assembly options a designer can apply to his or her design. The most common among these options is the use of screws.

Sometimes, when making a 3D printed object, plastic just isn’t enough. Probably the most common addition to our prints is the ubiquitous brass threaded inset, which has proven its worth time and again ...

This article was updated May 25, 2023. It was originally published Nov. 17, 2009. To put hard, durable threaded holes in plastics, engineers often specify threaded metal inserts that will securely ...

Plastic parts and assemblies are becoming more common as engineers work to reduce costs and weight in their designs. But plastics often aren’t strong enough to support fasteners such as screws or ...

We have all done it, overtightened a bolt and blown out the threads. When a bolt starts to tighten up and then go suddenly loose, you know that the threads are toast and now you have a problem.