A Screwdriver is a manual, electrical or pneumatic-powered tool for tightening and untightening the screws. This article covers various types of screwdrivers according to powering mechanism, screw drive type, and size available in the market. We suggest you also read this article on various types of screws.
Types of Screwdrivers
- According Powering Mechanism
- Manual screwdrivers
- Pneumatic screwdrivers
- Electrical screwdrivers
- Torque screwdrivers
- According to Screw Drive Type or Screw Head
- Phillips Head
- Slotted Head
- Pozidrive screwdrivers
- Squarehead screwdrivers
- Torx screwdriver
- Socket Screw Driver
- Security Head
- According to the size of the screwdriver
1. Types of Screwdriver according to Powering Mechanism
Following types of screwdrivers are available in the market according to how a screwdriver tightens and untightens a screw.
1.1) Manual Screw Driver
A manual screwdriver has a handle, shaft, and a tip/bit (as per the type of screw drive) at the end of the shaft. A user applies a Torque at the handle to tighten and untighten the screw. Manual screw drivers come with a replicable or non-replicable tip.
1.2) Pneumatic Screwdriver
Pneumatic Screwdriver utilizes compressed air to rotate the screw bit and tighten the screw. Most pneumatic screwdrivers are torque-controlled and come with a replicable screw bit. Pneumatic screwdrivers have applications on the product assembly line.
1.3) Electrical Screw Driver
An electrical screwdriver gets power either from mains or has a rechargeable battery and comes with or without a torque adjusting option.
Compared to a pneumatic screw driver, an electrical screw-driver does not require a compressed air system. Therefore, electrical screwdrivers have applications on the product assembly line and at home.
1.4) Torque Screwdriver
Torque screwdrivers can tight a screw at the specified torque. Users can also adjust the tightening torque. A torque screwdriver slips After specified torque and does not allow the user to tighten the screw. Manual, electrical, and pneumatic torque screwdriver types are available in the market.
2. Types of Screwdrivers according to Screw Drive Type
Different types of screw heads are available in the market. Therefore we also need to select the screwdriver according to the screw head.
2.1) Phillip Head
The Phillip head screw drives are one of the widely used screw drives. Engineers recommend Phillip’s head screws on the production line due to the following advantages.
- In Phillip’s head screw drives, the operator does not need to align the screwdriver position. Therefore overall productivity increases.
- Phillip Screwdriver slips from the screw head when excessive torque is applied.
2.2) Slotted Head
Slotted screwdrivers are widely available in the market. Therefore they are recommended for the following applications.
- DIY kits
- Users need to tighten or lose the screws very frequently.
For example, slotted head types of screws have applications in wall mounts, kitchenware products, toys, etc.
2.3) Robertson or Square Drive
Square drive is also known as Robertson drive and has applications in the wooden and construction industry., electrical products, terminals, and connectors.
2.4) Torx Screw Driver
Torx drive has 6 points star shape and can transmit high torques without damaging the screw head. They also provide a level of security to a product as well because Torx drives are not readily available as slotted or Phillip drives.
Torx screws have applications in the automobile industry, bicycles, and miniature products (such as watches, smart-phone, or laptops).
2.5) Hex Socket Allen Screw Driver
Hex Socket or Allen head screws can also transmit high torques and have applications where a screw is not accessible from the top. We can tighten Allen screws using Allen keys even without having direct access to the screw.
3. Types of Screwdrivers according to Screw Size
Screw drivers have different sizes according to the size of the screw. For example, the #1 Phillips head screwdriver can tight the M2.5 and M3 screws, Whereas the #2 screwdrivers can tight M3.5, M4, and M5 screws.
Therefore engineers always recommend considering the screw size during the selection of a screwdriver.
We will keep adding more information on different types of screwdrivers. Please add your suggestions, comments, or questions on different types of screwdrivers in the comment box. We suggest you also read this article on bolt vs screw.
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