Specially Designed Nuts to be Welded to Base Materials
Weld Nuts are special nuts designed for being welded onto a workpiece to give it threading. This is most often done because the workpiece is too thin to be tapped. Weld nuts come in several varieties, but most weld nuts will be made of low carbon steel or stainless steel so that they can be effectively welded.
Common Places Weld Nuts Are Used:
- Gun Manufacturing
- Marine Industry
- Trailer Industry
Projection Weld Nuts
Hexagonal Weld Nuts with Multiple Projections and Different Pilot Lengths
Hex weld nuts are used for attaching a threaded hole to parts that can only be accessed from one side. These nuts are welded on to the parent material and then used with screws and bolts to join materials mechanically. They are frequently used in the automotive industry. They allow thinner materials to be used that would typically be too thin to tap. Perfect for restoration projects.
Projection weld nuts are resistant to twisting and snapping from high torque applications. The projections on weld nuts melt into the host material during welding for a quick and enduring hold. Simultaneously, the pilot helps ensure a precise installation and protects the threading from welding spatter during welding operations.
Retainer Weld Nuts
Weld Nuts with a Floating Cage Nut for Misaligned Holes
Retainer weld nuts, also known as floating cage nuts, have a floating nut held within a "cage" or retainer to allow off-center or misaligned screws to be installed. The retainer itself is welded to a workpiece while the nut can float freely and help compensate for building inconsistencies.
These types of weld nuts are well suited to projects with hole misalignment and blind assembly. Floating Retainer Weld Nuts come in plain steel.
Spot Weld Round Base T-Nuts
Weld Nuts with a Round Base For Spot Welding
Round Base Spot Weld T-Nuts feature a circular base with a threaded barrel rising from the center, giving the nut a "T" shape. The circular base is flat all round with no projections to prevent mating of the flange to the base material. The circular base also doubles as a flange for distributing the load evenly across the base material.
Spot Weld T-Nuts are ideal for through-the-hole and flush mount applications. The fully circular slim base allows the weld nut to be easily spot welded while eliminating the need for orientation during welding.
What are weld nuts used for?
Weld nuts are a special type of nut designed to be spot welded to another object. They come in many varieties, including projection weld nuts, retainer weld nuts, and round base weld nuts.
How do weld nuts work?
Weld nuts add threading to existing objects by being welded to them. While there are many kinds of weld nuts, they generally fall under two categories for how they are welded: spot welding and projection welding. In either case, weld nuts are designed to be easy to weld to the base material.
What is the difference between spot welding and projection welding?
Spot welding uses a pair of electrodes with pointed tips to heat and join pieces of metal. It is ideal for applications using carbon steel and in automation. Projection welding is very similar to spot welding, using heat generated by an electrical current to join metals. However, the electrodes used in projection welding carry more current than those used in spot welding, allowing thicker materials to be welded together. During the weld, the projections themselves absorb the heat and form the weld. It is ideal for joining metal components with embossments.
What are weld nuts made out of?
The vast bulk of weld nuts are made out of carbon steel or stainless steel due to the methods currently used to spot weld and projection weld materials together.