Cage nuts provide a threaded connection point for bolts when rear access is limited. The square sheet metal frame grips and holds a specific thickness of material. The correct hole size and material thickness ensure the nut sits firmly. Bolt size determines the size of the hex nut and cage surrounding it.
Cage nuts provide a threaded connection point for a bolt when access to the rear of the connection is limited or non-existent. The threaded portion of the cage nut is housed in a square sheet metal frame adapted to grip and hold a particular thickness of material. When the cage nut is installed in a part, the frame holds the cage nut in place while a bolt is threaded into the center hex nut. A nut, bolt, and part must be matched to ensure that the threaded connection has the strength to properly hold multiple parts together without tearing away from the parent material.
At the top of the dice frames are two opposing tabs that are a predetermined distance apart. The space in the ears determines the thickness of the material that will hold the nut in place without allowing the nut to pull from the base material. A set ear gap allows you to vary the thickness of the material as long as the material is thinner than the ear slot. Materials thicker than the ear gap will allow the cage nut frame to open the material, but the material will not seat in the ears. This causes the cage nut frame to pull forward when pressure is applied with a threaded fastener, and the parts secured in the connection will come off easily.
Even with the proper material thickness, cage nuts will still pull away from the base material if a square hole is too large for the cage nut frame. The square hole cut required to install a caged nut requires specific dimensions and must remain perfectly square to hold the nut in place after bonding. The tools needed to make the square hole include a drill bit that matches the size of the cage nut frame and a coarse square or triangular file. Proper use of tools provides an adequate hole for installing the cage nut.
The correct combination of hole size and material thickness ensures that the frame of the nut sits firmly in the connection material. Another factor, bolt size, determines the size of the hex nut that resides in the center of the cage nut and which determines the size of the cage surrounding the center nut. Determining the size of bolt required is the first step in properly selecting a nut that will provide sufficient support for a threaded connection.
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