Alloy Steel Cone Point Socket Set Screws
Every other set screw point holds by pressing against the shaft. The cone point is at its best when there's a hole waiting for it. Standard practice pairs this screw with a shallow drilled dimple or spotting hole in the mating part: drive the sharply tapered point into that recess and the connection stops depending on friction altogether — it becomes a mechanical interlock, steel seated in steel. Used that way, a cone point delivers the highest holding power of any standard point style, both against rotation and against axial sliding, which is why it's the choice for permanent locating, indexing assemblies, and connections that must never creep: collars, hubs, gears, sprockets, and shaft-mounted components in machinery, automation equipment, conveyors, tooling, and fixtures.
The sharp taper earns its keep in two other places. In softer mating materials, the point penetrates and seats deeply on its own, no dimple required. And because the tip is a precise, hardened point, cone point set screws also serve as adjustable pivots and locators — a screw whose end is the working surface, not just the clamp. The rest of the format is standard: headless, sitting flush or below the surrounding surface, driven by an internal hex socket in confined spaces.
The honest boundaries follow directly from the geometry. On a hard, unprepared shaft, all that concentrated force lands on a tiny tip that can blunt or skate rather than grip — for plain-shaft holding without a dimple, a cup point is the better tool, and for vibration service the knurled cup exists. The cone also leaves the deepest witness mark in the family; it's chosen precisely because its engagement is permanent, so it doesn't belong on finished shafts or in assemblies that reposition. Point geometries aren't substitutes for one another — each creates a different contact condition, and the cone's is the most deliberate of them all: it asks you to prepare the shaft, and pays you back with a connection that behaves like a machined feature.
Cold Headers supplies alloy steel cone point socket set screws in a wide range of inch thread sizes and lengths, including the uncommon and difficult-to-source configurations that pointed set screws are notorious for. Individual product pages list exact thread size, length, hex socket size, and point dimensions. If the size you need isn't shown, there's a good chance we can quote or supply it.
Call 773-775-7900 or email Sales@coldheaders.com for pricing, availability, or a quote.
