Ask The Expert: What Makes A Premium Socket Product

Earnest Machine Products is partnering with Unbrako to provide Premium Socket Products. This union is designed to combine Earnest's logistics and technical support with a premium brand of socket products.

What makes a "premium" socket product?

Earnest has years of experience testing and evaluating the quality and consistency of fastener manufacturers from around the world. As an Applications Engineer, my focus is on the functionality of the part. From the fastener’s ability to be properly assembled, to the reliability of the part once it is in use. Premium manufacturers are able to make parts that are made to the tightest dimensional requirements and most importantly, provide a uniformly heat-treated part that will be at the high end of the strength requirements.

Unbrako makes socket products that combine the tightest tolerances on critical dimensions with the use of alloy steels and heat treat practices that provide both toughness and high strength in the socket products they produce.

Premium fastener manufacturers are aware of the critical areas and dimensions that must be maintained to minimize the potential for a failure in an application. Unbrako manufactures their socket products with tighter tolerances and maximum control in the following areas:

• Thread transition area (where the thread transitioned into the unthreaded shoulder)
• Fillet radius under the head (where the shoulder transitions into the head)
• Rolled threads - radius root, free of laps

Unbrako's dimensional tolerances are designed to minimize the risk of failures. One of the leading causes of fastener failure is fatiguing. Fatigue failures occur when the working loads that are encountered in the application result in a combination of bending, shearing, and tensile stresses at critical areas of the fastener. The added controls that Unbrako maintains on the three areas listed above maximizes their resistance to fatigue.

Tight controls on the hex socket are also critical in ensuring that the socket does not round out during installation or removal. Premium socket screw manufacturers, like Unbrako, have tight tolerances on the size of the hex and on the depth that they form the socket to maximum the hex key engagement.

The most critical feature a premium manufacturer of socket screws must provide is a product that is made from a high quality alloy steel and one that has been uniformly heat treated to the max allowable hardness and strength. The alloy steels that are used to make the screw and the manufacturer's ability to uniformly heat treat it is essential in manufacturing a screw that has toughness and fatigue resistance. These are all areas in which Unbrako excels. When you see the U190 head marking on top of the socket, you can be assured that you are installing the best socket screws available.

What does Earnest bring to this union with Unbrako:

Manufacturers have expertise in how to make a product but don't always have the infrastructure to efficiently and cost effectively bring their product to market. These are areas in which Earnest excels. Our distribution network has been built over 70 years in business:

• Expert Salesforce
• Warehousing expertise
  • Offering multiple releases
  • Special box quantities (i.e. not having to buy the whole case)
  • Special labeling
• Technical Support

Unbrako product will be available to ship from Earnest Machine beginning August 1. If you'd like to discuss socket programs in advance of that date, please give us a call at 1-800-327-6378 or email us at [email protected]