Many industries face security concerns due to the threats of lost items or equipment, theft and vandalism. A significant number of these security issues are due to companies using fasteners that can be easily loosened and removed. To solve these problems, many organizations turn to tamperproof security fasteners to secure their property, equipment, devices and structures.
This article will cover the chief benefits of tamperproof security fasteners, the industries that can benefit from these security fasteners and the types of security fasteners available.
Tamperproof Security Fasteners
Standard fasteners can be tightened or loosened with commonly available tools such as screwdrivers and nut drivers. What distinguishes tamper proof fasteners from ordinary fasteners are their atypical drives. Tampering with security fasteners such as these can be significantly more difficult than with traditional fasteners, if not impossible. These tamperproof security screws, nuts and bolts can be used to secure items, equipment and important parts of building structures. There are many different styles of tamperproof security fasteners, but they all have something in common: removing them without the matching bit or driver is incredibly challenging, if not impossible.
Benefits of Tamperproof Security Fasteners
Security fasteners offer three chief benefits:
- Tamper Resistance: Security fasteners’ distinctive and non-standard drives make them tamperproof. This feature prevents these fasteners from being loosened, adjusted, or tampered with from conventional tools in the vast majority of cases.
- Anti-Theft, Anti-Vandalism: Security fasteners are extremely difficult to remove, and they are sometimes impossible to remove without the corresponding drive. These tamperproof fasteners add anti-vandalism and anti-theft features to an organization’s equipment, devices and building structures.
- Heightened Security: The result of using security fasteners is that an organization’s physical properties are far more secure than they were without them. This will mean greatly reduced risks of loss, theft or vandalism in a company’s future, greater availability of secured equipment and devices and peace of mind for the employees and management.
Industries that Use Tamperproof Security Fasteners
A wide variety of industries take advantage of the tamper-resistant features of security fasteners, including:
- Retail Companies: Retail stores use tamperproof fasteners on shelves, drawers, glass cases to protect merchandise and parts of the store that store valuable merchandise. This security step prevents thieves and vandals from stealing or damaging a retail organization’s property or goods.
- Colleges and Universities: Tamperproof security bolts, screws and nuts can safeguard valuable equipment for a college or university’s classrooms. Without security fasteners, school equipment and items can be easily removed with ordinary tools like screwdrivers. University and college tables, desks, benches, shelves, computer equipment and other devices and furnishings can all be secured with tamper-resistant fasteners.
- Governmental Organizations: Governments at all levels use security fasteners to protect equipment and devices from thefts and vandals. Governmental buildings are sometimes targeted and sensitive, governmental data or equipment can be damaged or destroyed. Tamperproof fasteners are capable of stopping would-be vandals and thieves in their tracks.
- Engineers and Manufacturers: Electronic designers and product manufacturers want to protect their proprietary products and components from those who would use them for unauthorized, unwanted purposes. These security measures protect the manufacturer’s or engineer’s company from liability and safeguard company products and equipment.
- Utility Companies: Utility companies work with security fasteners to protect proprietary equipment that is vital to their operations, such as pre-installed copper wire. These security fasteners are also used to make access points like manhole covers much more secure.
Applications of Tamperproof Security Fasteners
Here is a sample of the uses for tamperproof security fasteners:
- Hardware for automobiles (such as license plates), boats and other vehicles
- Hardware for grills, stoves and other food preparation and processing equipment
- Hardware for public bathroom partitions, stalls and other public areas
- Hardware for industrial factories, gas pipelines, jails, governmental buildings and medical centers
Security Fastener Types
Tamperproof security fasteners come in several forms:
- Tamper-Resistant Security Screws
- Tamper-Resistant Security Bolts
- Tamper-Resistant Security Nuts
Tamper-Resistant Security Screws
Tamperproof security screws have a wide range of applications and uses.
Among the fastening systems with the highest levels of efficiency are Security Torx screws. These security screws are different from ordinary screws and even from typical Torx screws. Also known as pin-in Torx or Tamper-Resistant Torx (Torx TR), Security Torx screws have posts in their centers that are crafted in the heading process. These posts prevent regular screwdrivers or even standard Torx screws from being used to loosen Security Torx screws. These tamper-resistant screws reduce end load, practically do away with tool slippage risk and transfer greater amounts of torque. Customized Torx Drive tools with tamper-resistance are necessary to remove these Torx security screws from areas such as universities, retail locations, schools, hospitals and correctional facilities.
Trident fasteners have very atypical head designs; having the incorrect security socket and tool will make insertion next to impossible. The heads of Trident security screws have conical shapes and perimeters with three notches. Trident security screws are used in many of the same facilities as Security Torx screws. These screws are inserted into products such as electrical equipment, computers, outdoor equipment, furniture and scaffolding.
Pin-In-Hex Socket Screws have metal posts in the center of the screw heads, preventing the insertion of typical hex drivers. These specialized hex head screws can come in sheet metal and machine screw styles, and are practically impossible to remove or install without the right security key or bit.
One-Way Screws are slotted screws, requiring slotted screwdrivers to efficiently install or remove them. The screws are called “one-way” because half of the slot’s sides are smoothed down during their manufacturing process. The smoothed down sides won’t allow even slotted screwdrivers to properly grip the screw, and can only be gripped with the right one-way removal tool.
Spanner Screws are also known as “snake eye” screws, and they have screw heads with two holes drilled into their tops. They are stainless steel screws, available in Flat, Oval head, Flat undercut and Pan styles. Like other security screws, Spanner screws cannot be adjusted with the corresponding driver bit.
Security Bolts
Security bolts are fasteners with industrial levels of strength and durability. Pre-Cast inserts and Break-Away Bolts (Shear Bolts) are perfect security options for when removal of the fastener is not a necessity. Penta bolts have 5-sided shaped heads, requiring special sockets to properly remove or install them.
Security Nuts
Security nuts come in Trident and Break-Away forms. They are used to secure products in many industrial, electronic, municipal, and construction applications.
