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What is the point of using screws with a Phillips head, flathead, allen, hex, etc. instead of just having one universal screw type? (lemmy.ca)

submitted 1 year ago by frankyboi@lemmy.ca to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

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[–] PointlessGiraffe@beehaw.org 3 points 1 year ago

Building on this, screw designs have evolved with technology.

Pozidrive looks like Phillips, but was designed so that the driver slips out without damaging the head if too much torque is applied. It was useful for early car assembly robots, which couldn't control the amount of torque they applied. They'd just apply as much torque as possible and the head would slip at the right point.

As the technology improved, it became possible to control the torque the robot applied. That lead to Torx head screws. They're designed to maximise the torque that can be applied without slipping. In modern car assembly, the robot tightens the screw to the designed torque automatically.