Easy-out failed? Why screw extractors struggle with seized fasteners, and what to use instead
A screw has seized, so the technician reaches for an easy-out. It doesn’t work. Now, they have hardened steel inside the hole that a drill won’t be able to penetrate.
At this point, most technicians will try to drill it out anyway, or they might use a die grinder. But manual drilling risks damaging your component, and even when successful, it’s a lengthy process.
Technicians have been using easy-outs (also called EZ outs) for a job they were never designed to do – here is why screw extractors struggle with seized fasteners and why FastEDR is a much safer, and more reliable option.
Easy-outs
Easy-outs are a type of broken bolt extractor that lets you drill into a screw and create a reverse thread, so you can unscrew the broken screw. They were designed to remove fasteners that have broken off, for example when a bolt has been overtightened or worn down over time.
They’re a common, inexpensive option for quick, non-critical jobs, like getting a stripped mudguard bolt out of a bike. They work best when the fastener head has broken off but the threads aren’t seized.
FastEDR, our EDM-powered solution, removes screws very differently. The hardness of the broken extractor isn’t a problem for FastEDR, because electrical discharge machining uses spark erosion to remove material through an electrical process – rather than conventional cutting. This means that FastEDR is able to remove the broken extractor and the fastener with it.
The problem in MRO
Fasteners often seize in aerospace due to corrosion and high temperatures during flight. When the Scintam team has been demonstrating how FastEDR solves this problem at trade shows, people have told us about their experiences of using easy-outs on seized screws.
As they aren’t designed for seized threads, they aren’t the most effective option. For example, they are unlikely to work on very hard materials, such as Inconel.
The cost of a broken easy-out in aerospace MRO can be significant in terms of time and money. For instance, damage to an engine’s casing that can’t be repaired could mean a bill of over $500,000 for a replacement.
The rescue after a failed easy-out
FastEDR can serve both as a rescue method after an easy-out fails and as a more robust first choice, because it can remove seized fasteners without relying solely on unscrewing them, while virtually eliminating the risk of slipping and component damage.
Using FastEDR first or alongside an easy-out
You can use FastEDR as well as an easy-out, which is a safer option than using a drill. For example, an operator can use FastEDR to create the initial hole more safely and then attempt extraction, although a square hole and driver may provide a better connection than the easy-out.
In some applications, we drill a square hole in the head of the screw and then we can put a square screw driver on it. That’s much more likely to catch on the screw than a reverse-threaded easy-out is.
FastEDR is a more reliable solution because, if the threads are stuck, you can erode the core of the screw, leaving only the thread behind as a thin wire, which is easily removed.
The outcome: threads intact, part back in service
FastEDR removes seized fasteners without force or chemicals. It can remove the broken extractor and fastener while leaving the original threads usable, so a new fastener can go straight back in. Because the part isn’t damaged, it can return to service as it was. Whether to inspect it first is up to the operator, but there’s no repair to approve or record, which saves time and expense.
Is it worth the risk?
A broken easy-out might be solvable, but is it worth the risk on a high-value part?