HECO-TOPIX®-plus: The wood screw with a technological advantage

Schramberg, February 2020 – the latest product from Schramberg-based fastening specialist HECO is the HECO-TOPIX®-plus wood screw. This screw combines the tried-and-tested selling points of the HECO fasteners in a single screw, thereby replacing four established screw families. The company’s innovation skills are clear from the new “GripFit” property of the bit which holds even stainless steel screws securely in place. From June 2020 the screws HECO-TOPIX®-plus will be launched successively.

Up to now, the screw requirements of carpenters and joiners have been met by numerous different screw families. The HECO-TOPIX®-plus replaces the previous HECO-TOPIX®, HECO-FIX-plus, HECO-UNIX-top and HECO-UNIX-plus wood screws and combines the most important properties of these four ranges in a single product. These properties have now been optimised and expanded to include new innovative features such as the HECO-Drive (HD). As a result, the new screw is suitable for an extremely wide range of applications – both for wood and façade construction and for kitchen and interior fittings. Special screws such as those used to fasten soft insulating materials in roof construction applications have also been moved to the new range.

Three HECO technologies combined in a single screw
The tried-and-tested selling points of HECO-Schrauben include countersunk heads with undercut cutting pockets, HECO-TOPIX® thread and shank ribs or the variable thread pitch and its ability to draw components together. Installers using the new screw will continue to benefit from this contraction effect property referred to as the “MagicClose” effect. With its different thread pitches and the HD drive concept with “GripFit”, the HECO-TOPIX®-plus also boasts some new beneficial properties designed to ensure more simple use.

GripFit: for the mechanical securing of the screw on the bit
The newly developed GripFit technology points to impressive innovation skills and high-precision production capability. GripFit refers to the tailor-made system consisting of the HECO-Drive bit and the HECO-Drive screw recess. The bit has a slightly conical shape, meaning that the screw is held onto the bit mechanically through friction, and can be positioned and driven in single-handed. This is a major advantage in particular when using HECO-TOPIX®-plus stainless steel screws: they are securely fixed in place on the bit despite not being magnetic. Due to the optimized matching of the bit and screws recess, irritating wobbling which usually appears is minimised. Additionally the wear on the bit is reduced significantly.

MagicClose: full-threaded screw draws components together
HECO-TOPIX®-plus full-threaded screws are able to insert quicker at the tip than at the back due to the decreasing thread pitch of the screws. This draws components together with no gaps and no pre-stressing. The MagicClose effect has been optimised and now starts to work much more quickly. This means that shorter screws can be used, making the work quicker and more efficient. The component being fastened is not only connected, but is secured in place via the thread. Another benefit of this screw is the fact that it has a higher load acceptance than comparable part-threaded screws, which helps save fastening materials.

PerfectPitch: thread pitch ensures easier working
PerfectPitch brings innovation to every single screw thread in the new HECO-TOPIX®-plus wood screw range. The thread technology is based on the adaptation of the thread to the screws length: with short screws, a low pitch prevents overtightening. At the same time, the low pitch also means that more of the thread is anchored in the wood, meaning that the component being fastened is optimally fixed in place with a low material thickness. Long screws, on the other hand, have a high pitch so that they can be driven into the wood quickly. With medium-length screws, the thread is optimised with regard to the driving speed and the amount of thread anchored in the wood.

New innovations allowing installers to focus on the essentials
The new HECO-TOPIX®-plus means simpler screw selection and clearer stocktaking, whether at the specialist dealer’s premises or the end customer’s. “One screw for everything – this approach allows us to meet the requirements of both the installers and the specialist dealers”, says Jakob Braun, Product Manager at HECO-Schrauben. “The HECO-TOPIX®-plus can impress over a very wide field of application, because it combines optimal properties and the results of our decades of innovation expertise”.

As well as the three most important properties, the new wood screw has additional features that make it particularly user-friendly: thanks to the new, uniform drive size concept, different screw types can be installed without having to change the bit. The HECO-TOPIX®-plus is available as a full or part-threaded screw in diameters ranging from 2.5 to 10 millimetres, and with the HECO-Drive, Pozi-Drive and T-Drive drives.