What influence does the material and surface treatment of self-locking tuning screw have on its performance?

This problem is very accurate. Material and surface treatment are the core factors that determine the upper limit of self-locking tuning screws, which directly affect their mechanical strength, environmental adaptability and functional stability. Together, the two will ultimately determine whether the screw can work reliably for a long time in precision scenes such as 5G filters.

First, the material: determines the "innate energy basis" of the screw.

The material is the core skeleton of the screw, which directly determines its mechanical strength, temperature resistance and foundation stability. Different materials are suitable for different application scenarios.

Mechanical strength:

Stainless steel (such as 304, 316) is selected: it has medium strength and excellent corrosion resistance, can withstand the tightening torque when assembling the filter, and at the same time adapt to the general environment such as indoor base stations to avoid tuning failure caused by rust.

Alloy steel (such as 45# steel and Cr-Mo steel) is selected: after heat treatment, it has higher strength and can bear greater tightening force, which is suitable for filters with high requirements on structural stability, but it needs to be matched with rust-proof surface treatment, otherwise it will be easy to oxidize.

Titanium alloy is selected: it has high strength and light weight, and its corrosion resistance is better than that of stainless steel. It is suitable for outdoor base station filters in extreme environments such as high altitude and high humidity, but its cost is high, and it is usually used in high-end scenes.

Temperature resistance:

5G filter will generate heat when it works, and the material should have certain temperature resistance. Stainless steel can work stably at-20℃~300℃, which can meet most scenarios. Titanium alloy has a wider temperature range (-50℃~400℃) and is suitable for high temperature environment. Ordinary carbon steel, however, has poor temperature resistance and is easy to deform at high temperature for a long time, which may lead to the failure of self-locking function.

Conductivity and magnetism:

Some 5G filters are sensitive to electromagnetic interference, which requires screws with low conductivity or non-magnetism. 316 stainless steel has low conductivity and no magnetism, which is suitable for this kind of scene; Carbon steel and Cr-Mo steel are magnetic and may interfere with the filter signal, so they should be carefully selected.

Second, surface treatment: improve the "environmental adaptability" of screws.

Surface treatment is the "protective layer" and "functional enhancement layer" of screws, which can make up for the deficiency of the material itself and further optimize the corrosion resistance, lubricity and wear resistance.

Enhance corrosion resistance:

Galvanizing (hot galvanizing, electro-galvanizing): A zinc layer is formed on the surface of the screw to isolate air and moisture, which is suitable for indoor dry environment. However, the zinc layer is thin, and it is easy to appear white rust in long-term outdoor humid environment, which affects the appearance and sealing.

Nickel plating (chemical nickel plating, electrolytic nickel plating): The nickel layer has high hardness, better corrosion resistance than zinc plating, and smooth surface, which is suitable for tuning scenes with high precision requirements and can reduce the friction loss between screws and filter screw holes.

Dacromet (zinc-chromium coating): The coating has uniform thickness and strong salt spray resistance (it can withstand salt spray test for more than 500 hours). It is suitable for outdoor coastal base station filters with high humidity and high salinity, and can effectively prevent the tuning position deviation caused by screw corrosion.

Optimize lubricity and prevent sticking;

Some surface treatments (such as nickel plating and Teflon coating) can reduce the friction coefficient between the screw and the screw hole, make it easier to screw in when installing, avoid thread damage or "sticking" caused by excessive friction, and ensure the smoothness of tuning.

For screws whose self-locking structure depends on elastic deformation, good lubricity can reduce wear during deformation and prolong the service life of self-locking function.

Improve wear resistance and appearance:

Hard chromium plating, nitriding and other surface processes can improve the surface hardness of screws, reduce scratches and wear during installation and tuning, and avoid the decline of self-locking force caused by thread wear.

Nickel plating, chromium plating and other treatments can also improve the appearance of screws, improve the overall texture of products, and facilitate the observation of screw state during assembly.