Friday, November 15, 2013

The Properties And Uses Of Copper Screws

By Bonnie Contreras


Not a lot of people know this, but copper screws are the simplest form of linear actuator, a motor, in fact. Traditional electric or gasoline motors generate rotary motion, linear actuators take that circular motion and turn it into linear, or straight motion. When you turn the head of a screw clockwise or counterclockwise, it drives the shaft of the screw forward along its linear axis.

The shaft of the screw has spiral, or helical, threads. When drilled into soft material, a helical internal groove is created. When used on a wall, say to hold a picture, a rawl plug, or plastic sleeve, is used to give it extra strength. Their main use is to hang stuff on or hold stuff together.

One use for a copper linear actuator is as a contact screw in a tattoo machine. This is another little-known fact. They are easily made in a home workshop because the metal is quite soft. The only tools you need are a die with the desired internal thread, a set of pliers, fine sandpaper (available from hobby shops) and a small amount of gun bluing solution. When used on iron or steel, the bluing agent confers a small element of protection against corrosion or rust. In this case, it just makes the tattoo screw look pretty.

Copper (chemical symbol, Cu) has the atomic number 29. It has a high electrical and thermal conductivity. That is why it is used in wires and on the bottom of kitchen pans. It is soft and very malleable, which means it is easy to work with. That is why Cu is easy to form into a contact screw for use in a tattoo machine.

In Roman times, Cu was mainly obtained from Cyprus, hence, it was called cyprium. Cyprium was eventually contracted to the word cuprum, which led to the chemical symbol, Cu. In the human body, it is necessary in small amounts. It sits in its cationic form in an enzyme called cytochrome. In molluscs and crustaceans, it forms part of the respiratory pigment, hemocyanin, which is blue. Humans use the iron-based pigment, hemoglobin.

In people, cuprum is mainly located in the liver, muscles and in bone. Because of its bacteriocidal (germ-killing) action, it is used as a wood preservative and as a fungicide. It is also used as a lining for laboratory incubators that are used for cell and tissue culture.

A copper screw is used in a tattoo machine. They are pretty little machines that are very good for screwing into wood, particularly if it is likely to be exposed to the elements, where iron or steel would turn to rust. Cuprum is also used to coat steel. Sometimes zinc, nickel, brass or cadmium is used instead.

Well, there you have it. Copper screws, tiny linear actuators that look red and pretty and kill germs. Because they are soft, you have to place them carefully. It is probably not a very good idea to use them to hold together metal panels used in passenger aircraft.




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