Ordliste
Threaded insert — definition
A steel element fitted into the part to provide a thread that survives many disassembly cycles and higher torque.
Aluminium and zinc are softer than the steel screw that goes into them. If the joint is taken apart many times, or tightened to a high torque, the thread in the soft metal wears out.
A threaded insert solves this by placing a steel thread inside the part. The insert can be pressed, heat set, ultrasonically installed or screwed in, depending on the type.
The cost is one extra operation and a bought-in component. In return the joint survives far more cycles.
The decision criterion is simple: how many times does the screw come out again, and at what torque? Send us both figures and you get a concrete answer.