Latest Insights in the Evolving Digital World

The Other Fastener

Stainless steel pins are cylindrical fasteners and fixtures made from a variety of steel alloys. In the previous post I focused on the split pin fixture, which adds a measure of extra safety to bolts and fasteners. Spring pins have a completely different function. They are used to mechanically link two items together. The split pin had one alternative name, but the spring pin has many, including slotted spring pin, spring tension pin, roll pin and sellock pin. The spring pin is extremely effective, durable and strong. Once in place, it is intensely difficult to remove because it can bear extreme pressure.

The traditional spring pin is tube-shaped with a split down the middle. It reminds me of a miniature steel bracelet. The diameter of the pin is a little bit larger than the hole it will slide into. The purpose of this is so the pin pushes against the perimeter, creating a mixtures of pressure and friction that locks the pin securely in place. Some pins actually come with springs, but this is typically only used for technological purposes. Applications for these spring-loaded pins include internal battery connection and cable termination.

The process of how a spring pin works reminds me of my childhood days playing with Playmobil. I had a toy castle overflowing with plastic knights. To connect the wall pieces of the castle together little yellow fasteners, similar to spring spins, were inserted into empty slots. When building a new castle, i had to exert a lot of strength to disconnect linked pieces. Much like my Playmobil walls, the downside of spring pins is the difficulty with handling. Since they are small have a unique design, spring pins can be a challenge to work with. However, a special tool has been invented to make the inserting of the pins much easier.