When shopping for nutplates, you may come across capped nutplates. Also known as anchor plates, nutplates serve as anchor points for threaded fasteners. You can rivet or otherwise secure a nutplate in place, after which you can connect the end of a threaded fastener to it. Capped nutplates are used in similar anchoring applications for threaded fasteners, but they feature a unique design.
Overview of Capped Nutplates
Capped nutplates live up to their namesake by featuring a capped design. Like all nutplates, they have a body that supports a threaded fastener. The body has interior threading, which accommodates the external threading of a fastener like a bolt. Capped nutplates are simply capped. The body has a cap on it.
Capped vs Open Nutplates
Nutplates can be categorized as capped or open depending on their style. Capped nutplates have a cap on the body, whereas open nutplates have an open body without a cap.
You can see an example of open nutplates in the photo above. The photo depicts a pair of open nutplates. Capped nutplates use a similar design but with one key difference: the body has a cap on it.
Capped nutplates and open nutplates are both used to create anchor points for threaded fasteners. Once in place, you can twist a bolt into the body of a capped or open nutplate. But only capped nutplates have a closed body, meaning you won’t be able to push a bolt all the way through it. The bolt will eventually stop at the cap.
When to Use Capped Nutplates
You may want to use capped nutplates when installing bolts around delicate parts. Bolts are installed by driving them through workpieces. If you accidentally drive a bolt too far, though, you may damage an adjacent part. The bolt may go all the way through the workpieces and into a delicate part behind the workpieces. By using capped nutplates, you can prevent this from happening.
Bolts can’t run all the way through a capped nutplate. Even if a bolt is longer than the body, it will stop at the cap. Therefore, you can use capped nutplates to protect parts from damage when installing bolts. As long as you secure a bolt to a capped nutplate, it won’t be able to damage any adjacent parts. The capped nutplate will anchor the bolt while simultaneously protecting all nearby parts from damage.
