Intro to Millwright Practice Exam 2025 - Free Millwright Skills Practice Questions and Study Guide

The self-tapping screw is designed to create its own internal threads as it is driven into the material. This type of screw has a sharp tip and often features a tapering body that helps to cut into the substrate, making it able to create a threaded hole without requiring a pre-drilled pilot hole. This property makes self-tapping screws particularly useful in applications where efficiency is critical, as they can simplify assembly and reduce the need for additional tools or processes.

In contrast, other types of screws, such as wood screws or screw bolts, either rely on pre-existing threads or require a separate tapping operation to create internal threads. Hex screws, typically used with nut-and-bolt assemblies, do not cut threads into material but instead tighten against a nut that provides the necessary threading. Therefore, the self-tapping screw stands out for its capability to generate threads while being inserted, streamlining the fastening process.