Making Sense of Tanged vs Tangless vs Free Running: Get the Basics in Simple Terms

Alright, let’s talk about something I messed around with recently – tanged, tangless, and free-running inserts. Sounds boring, right? But trust me, it got pretty interesting.

So, I was working on this project where I needed some seriously strong threads in a soft material. Regular tapped holes? Yeah, they weren’t gonna cut it. That’s when I remembered these little things called threaded inserts. They’re basically like coiled springs that you screw into a hole, and boom, you’ve got yourself some solid threads.

Making Sense of Tanged vs Tangless vs Free Running: Get the Basics in Simple Terms

Now, when I first looked into it, I found out there are different types. The main ones are tanged, tangless, and free-running. I was like, “What the heck’s the difference?” So, I did some digging and decided to try them all out.

Tanged Inserts

First up, tanged inserts. These guys have a little tang, a small bent piece of wire at the bottom, that helps with installation. You use a special tool to grab onto that tang, twist the insert into the hole, and then break off the tang.

  • I started by drilling a hole, a bit bigger than the insert’s size.
  • Then, I grabbed my tanged insert tool, put the insert on it, and started screwing it into the hole. The tang kept the insert from just spinning freely.
  • Once it was in, I used a tang break-off tool to snap that little tang right off. Seemed a bit clunky, but hey, it worked.
  • These tanged inserts, especially the free-running ones, made for some really smooth threads.

Tangless Inserts

Next, I tried the tangless ones. These are a bit more modern. Instead of a tang, they have a little notch inside.

  • Installation was kinda similar, but I needed a different tool – a tangless insert tool. This one grabs onto that inner notch.
  • I screwed the insert in, and honestly, it felt a bit smoother than the tanged ones.
  • No tang to break off! That’s a plus. It felt quicker and cleaner.
  • These tangless inserts are supposed to be good if you’re worried about things like loose bits of metal, which is pretty important in some projects.

Free-Running vs. Screw-Locking

Then I learned that both tanged and tangless inserts can be either “free-running” or “screw-locking.”

  • Free-running is what it sounds like – the bolt screws in and out smoothly.
  • Screw-locking inserts have some coils that are shaped differently, so they grip onto the bolt and keep it from vibrating loose. I used a tanged screw-locking insert and tightened a bolt into it. It definitely held tight.

After playing around with all these, I gotta say, I’m leaning towards the tangless ones. They just seem more efficient. But, the tanged ones, especially the free-running style, are still great for a lot of applications. And those screw-locking ones? Super useful when you need that extra grip.

Making Sense of Tanged vs Tangless vs Free Running: Get the Basics in Simple Terms

So, that was my little adventure with threaded inserts. It’s amazing how much there is to know about these little things. Hope you found this little rundown helpful! I know I learned a ton just by trying them out myself.

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