Not all plungers have a threaded shaft. Some of them are designed with a smooth shaft that’s devoid of any external threading. Known as press fit plungers, they are used for indexing and positioning. Press fit plungers feature a ball or nose at the top. When exposed to pressure, the ball or nose will retract. Some of the top benefits of press fit plungers include the following.
Easy to Install
Since they don’t have any external threading, press fit plungers are particularly easy to install. You don’t have to use any special tools. After creating a hole in the workpiece, you can push or “press” a press fit plunger into it.
Supports Soft Materials
You can use press fit plungers with soft materials. Traditional threaded plungers may or may not support soft materials. You can typically use them with hard materials, but due to their external threading, they may not support soft materials.
Wood and certain types of soft plastic, for instance, may not work with threaded plungers. Threaded plungers require the use of a threaded hole, and soft materials such as these may not accommodate the necessary internal threading. Press fit plungers offer a solution. You can use them with hard materials as well as soft materials.
Available in Light and Heavy Pressure Styles
Press fit plungers are available in light and heavy pressure styles. Light pressure styles, as the name suggests, are designed for light pressure applications, whereas heavy pressure styles are designed for heavy pressure applications.
All press fit plungers are exposed to pressure during use. You’ll need to choose a press fit plunger that will accommodate the amount of pressure to which it will be exposed. Light pressure styles may accommodate 1 to 5 pounds of pressure. Heavy pressure styles, on the other hand, may accommodate 5 to 18 pounds of pressure.
Exceptionally Strong
To say press fit plungers are strong would be an understatement. They are designed with some of the strongest materials on the market. Even when used daily, they won’t break or otherwise fail. Thanks to their superior strength, press fit plungers will last a long time.
You can find press fit plungers made of carbon steel. They typically feature a smooth shaft that’s made of high-carbon steel. In addition to a carbon shaft, they may feature a stainless steel ball. The ball is the top part of a press fit plunger that, when exposed to pressure, retracts inside of the shaft.