Threaded fasteners are, by far, the most common method of assembling parts. According to ASSEMBLY magazine’s annual Capital Equipment Spending Survey, screwdriving is performed at 58 percent of U.S. assembly plants, making it more popular than welding, pressing, adhesive bonding or riveting.
One reason for this popularity may be that the process can be automated relatively easily. A variety of technologies are available today, ranging from handheld autofeed screwdrivers to desktop Cartesian robots to six-axis collaborative robots.