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60:. When the wings are released, they hold the nut in position behind the hole. Cage nuts conforming to this description were patented in 1952 and 1953. The original design requires an insertion tool to install a cage nut into a hole. Newer designs featuring squeeze-and-release tabs allow for tool-less installation.
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The nut is usually slightly loose in the cage to allow for minor adjustments in alignment. This reduces the likelihood that the threads will be stripped during equipment installation and removal. The dimensions of the spring steel clip determine thickness of the panel to which the nut may be clipped.
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The square-hole cage nut can be used wherever a square hole can be punched. An older type of captive nut uses a spring clip that holds the nut and slides on the edge of a thin sheet. While this type of cage nut can only position the nut a fixed distance from the edge of a thin plate, it works equally
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Using cage nuts provides several benefits over threaded holes. It permits a range of choice of nut and bolt size (e.g. metric vs
English) in the field, long after the equipment has been manufactured. Second, if a screw is over-tightened, the nut can be replaced, unlike a pre-threaded hole, where a
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In the case of square-hole cage nuts, the clip dimensions determine the range of hole sizes to which the clip will securely hold the nut. In the case of slide-on cage nuts, the clip dimensions determine the distance from the panel edge to the hole.
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cage which wraps around the nut. The cage has two wings that when compressed allow the cage to be inserted into the square holes, for example, in the mounting rails of
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Although some modern rack-mount equipment has bolt-free mounting compatible with square-hole racks, many rack-mount components are generally mounted with cage nuts.
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hole with stripped threads becomes unusable. Third, cage nuts are easy to use on materials too thin or soft to be threaded.
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89:(the most common type), with 0.375 inches (9.5 mm) square-hole size. There are four common sizes:
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well with square and round holes. A patent for such a nut was granted in 1946.
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Newer designs of cage nuts eliminate the need for installation tools.
176:"CPI's Clik-Nut is a tool-less alternative to traditional cage nuts"
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A common use for cage nuts is to mount equipment in square-holed
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are generally used in the United States; elsewhere,
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Sizing Table for 10/32, 12/24, M5, and M6 Cage Nuts
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105:for heavier equipment, such as servers.
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138:Combined Nut Retainer and Thread Lock
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48:nut) consists of a (usually square)
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155:William A. Bedford, Jr.,
93:and, to a lesser extent,
309:distorted thread locknut
208:, granted Feb. 12, 1946.
146:, granted Feb. 26, 1952.
136:Laurence H. Flora, Jr.,
165:, granted Feb. 3, 1953.
180:www.cablinginstall.com
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205:U.S. patent 2,394,729
198:George A. Tinnerman,
162:U.S. patent 2,627,294
143:U.S. patent 2,587,134
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20:Cage nuts and a screw
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334:internal wrenching
329:interfering thread
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183:. Retrieved
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81:Applications
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54:spring steel
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294:castellated
399:split beam
185:2018-04-25
124:References
319:frangible
95:UNC 12–24
91:UNF 10–32
38:caged nut
449:Category
304:coupling
157:Cage Nut
112:See also
34:cage nut
434:wingnut
359:locknut
354:knurled
299:clip-on
289:captive
42:captive
419:T-slot
404:square
324:insert
314:flange
279:barrel
414:T-nut
409:swage
394:split
389:speed
379:rivet
374:plate
369:nyloc
269:acorn
64:Usage
52:in a
429:well
424:weld
349:Keps
284:cage
46:clip
364:lug
344:jet
339:jam
50:nut
44:or
36:or
451::
202:,
178:.
159:,
140:,
103:M6
99:M5
32:A
250:e
243:t
236:v
188:.
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