Accu Launches New Captive Washers
Accu has developed a new range of Captive Washers, specifically designed for use in assembly work within the industrial, aerospace, military and automotive markets to offer a highly reliable retaining solution.
What Is A Captive Washer?
A Captive Washer is a type of Retaining Washer commonly used to securely fasten screws within an assembly, affording a permanent hold.
Unlike a conventional washer, which is designed to aid in fastening a bolted component or a screw to a female threaded part, the captive washer acts as a retainer to ensure there is no risk of parts dropping free, causing foreign object contamination or fastener loss.
What Makes Accu’s Captive Washers Unique?
Accu’s Captive Washer is manufactured to a new UK/ EU registered design, with clear advantages over the standard push on style, or flat threaded disc.
The new washers are designed to be as easy-to-install as standard threaded washers, but with the permanence of a Push-On Retaining Washer.
Accu’s Captive Washers simplify assembly by a thread-on capacity and, unlike Push-On Washers, they can even be installed upside down with no loss of function.
How To Install Accu Captive Washers
A Captive Screw or Captive Bolt is inserted through a clearance hole in the panel, with the Captive Washer being screwed onto the end of the thread and over to the waisted shank, also commonly known as the captive shank.
This action holds the screw or bolt in place temporarily, allowing for removal if required, while still retaining all parts to be fastened into one assembly.
When the panel is tightened into place, the washer deforms and becomes permanently attached to the screw.
The Captive Washer retains the fasteners in the panel, ensuring that they cannot fall out when the panel is removed from the assembly.
This video shows the installation process, with the graphic below representing the installation before the Captive Washer has been flattened and after, when the screw can be safely uninstalled from the assembly, without falling out of the panel.
Recommended Tightening Torque
This table presents the recommended tightening torque for Accu’s Captive Washers.
Please note: the contents of this table are intended to provide guidance only. Different fasteners have different attributes which may impact the values provided. These values are taken from a controlled environment and are not specific to any particular screw type.
Using Captive Washers With Captive Screws
Accu’s Captive Washers are suitable for use with a range of different types of Captive Screws, offering a versatile retaining solution, depending on the preferred head or drive type.
To learn more about how our new range of threaded Captive Washers can be used in conjunction with Captive Screws to create a secure, self-locking fastening, please read our Captive Fasteners Guide.