How to specify automatic screwdriving: torque, joint and duty cycle

Before talking about heads, drives or feeders, a screwdriving application is defined by three values: the screw being fastened, the joint it forms and the rate it must produce at. Without those numbers, any equipment selection is a guess.

Torque: how tight and with what tolerance

The target torque depends on the screw — diameter, pitch, material — and on what the joint must withstand in service. Under-tightening loosens the product; over-tightening strips the thread or cracks the part. Every screwdriving specification starts with a torque and its tolerance.

The joint: rigid or soft

A rigid joint — metal on metal, hard washers — reaches torque in a few degrees of rotation and demands precise control. A soft joint — plastics, gaskets, wood — absorbs rotation and tolerates more variation. The same tool does not behave the same on both: the joint type defines the fastening strategy.

Duty cycle and rate

Parts per minute, joints per part, hours per shift: the duty cycle separates a manual station from an automatic one. A manual screwdriver with torque control covers low volume; a head with an automatic screw feeder covers continuous production. The rate defines the expected service life of the equipment and the return on investment.

Screw feeding

At medium and high volume, handling the screw by hand is the bottleneck. A screw feeder orients and delivers each screw to the head; its specification depends on the screw dimensions — diameter, length, head type — and on the distance to the fastening point.

The next step

With screw, joint, torque, rate and feeding documented, selection stops being guesswork. At Moventech we start from those values to identify the right equipment — screwdriving units, feeders — and validate it against your application. Tell us what you need to assemble.