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Henry Frank Phillips (June 4, 1889 – April 13, 1958) was an American businessman from Portland, Oregon. The Phillips-head (“crosshead”) screw and screwdriver are named after him. Thompson who, in 1932, patented (#1,908,080) a recessed cruciform screw and in 1933, a screwdriver for it.
What is the meaning of Phillips screwdriver?
Definition of Phillips screwdriver : a screwdriver that is designed to be used with a type of screw (called a Phillips-head screw) that has a slot in its top that looks like a cross.
Who invented Phillips head screws?
The Phillips screw and driver, originally invented by Portlander John P. Thompson, dramatically increased the speed of manufacturing and made the Phillips screwdriver a necessity in every toolbox.
What’s the real name for a Phillips screwdriver?
Also known as cross-head screwdrivers, Phillips screwdrivers are one of the most common types. But what is a Phillips head screwdriver? These tools are designed to fit screws with Phillips heads, which have a cross-shaped recess – hence the alternative name of cross screwdriver.
What came first the Phillips head or the flat head?
Invented by Henry Phillips, a tool company owner working in the 1930s, the screwdriver and accompanying screws were intended to provide a safer alternative to the traditional flathead. Henry Phillips wanted a screwdriver that would prevent a damaging process called overtorquing.
What does a Phillips head screwdriver look like?
A Phillips screwdriver has a head with pointed edges in the shape of a cross, which fits neatly into the cross slots of a Phillips screw. Phillips screwdrivers are available in five different sizes, from zero to four. If you don’t use the right size, you can easily strip a Phillips screw, making it difficult to remove.
How do you spell Phillips head?
a screw head having two partial slots crossed at right angles, driven by a special screwdriver(Phillips screwdriver ).
What is the history of the Phillips screwdriver?
In the early 1930s, the Phillips head screw was invented by Oregon businessman Henry Phillips (1889–1958). They needed screws that could take greater torque and could provide tighter fastenings. The Phillips head screw was compatible with the automated screwdrivers used in an assembly line.
When did cross head screws come out?
To counteract these disadvantages, J. P. Thompson patented a screw with a cross recess in 1933. He sold the patent to the Phillips Screw Company. It improved the profile and introduced the screw to the market in 1936/37.
How did the Phillips screwdriver take over America?
Standardized screw heads and screwdrivers emerged later. Early screws used either a slotted head or some sort of square or octagonal drive. As screw production increased, slotted drives became standard.
Who invented the slotted screwdriver?
The first industrial process for making screws was developed in England in the 1760s but it was Cullen Whipple of Providence, RI, who invented the automated method of cutting screws in 1842. From the beginning the slotted head, driven by the flat-bladed driver, was the standard.
What is the opposite of Phillips head?
The Frearson screw drive, also known as the Reed and Prince screw drive, and specified as ANSI Type II Cross Recess, is similar to a Phillips but the Frearson has a sharp tip and larger angle in the V shape. One advantage over the Phillips drive is that one driver or bit fits all screw sizes.
What is Panhead screw?
A pan head self-drilling screw has a rounded base and a flat head that sits on top of the material it fastens. With its large diameter and high edges, the drive slot is deep, which allows for increased torque while minimizing the risk of damage to the screw.
Why are there Phillips and flat head screws?
The reason for the different styles is cost and torque. Phillips screws are self-centering, making powered screwdrivers possible. They’re somewhat more expensive to produce than slotted-head. They tend to ‘cam-out’ easily under torque, making it hard to apply much torque.
Why do we still use Phillips screws?
Originally Answered: Why do Philips screwdrivers and corresponding screws even exist? When they slip the trenches of the screws get worn out easily. the Phillips design works great with small screws because it’s relatively easy to get the tip of the screwdriver into the center of the screw.
Why are there flat head and Phillips head screws?
Flat drive screws allow more torque and are an older type but, the screw driver has a tendency to slip out the sides. Philips drive screws are self centering but are designed to skip if a high torque is applied. Torx drive can take high torque and stay in the screw but are more expensive and not very common.
What is the difference between a 1 and a 2 Phillips screwdriver?
While screw size is shrouded in mystery, there are four basic sizes of Phillips screwdriver — from #0 to #4 — #0 being the smallest. The most common sizes are #2 and #1, #2 for standard screw sizes, #1 for “miniature”. The technique of tightening or loosening a screw is pretty simple.
What are the 3 types of screwdriver?
What are the Screwdriver Types? Flat Head or Slotted Screwdriver. This screwdriver type is probably the most common form of hand tool. Phillips Screwdriver. Torx or Star Screwdriver. Hex Screwdriver. Pozidriv Screwdriver. Robertson or Square Screwdriver. Tri Wing Screwdriver.
What is the difference of Philips screw and star screw?
Phillips and posidrive screws are two types of crosshead screws, different from each other in that the Phillips screw head has four cross points and the posidrive screw head has a star with eight points.
