A rivnut, also called a rivet nut, threaded insert or nutsert, is a threaded sleeve you set into a hole from the front, so you get a proper machine thread in sheet or tube that is too thin to tap and where you cannot reach the back. This one is aluminium with an M3 thread. Its flat head sits low on the front face, and the knurled body grips the hole so it does not spin when you tighten the screw.
Use it to add M3 threads to an aluminium or steel project box, mount a PCB or module on a thin panel, fix covers and brackets to box section, extrusion and 3D printer frames, or replace a stripped thread in thin sheet. It is set with a hand rivnut tool with an M3 mandrel. If you only have a few to fit, you can set them with an M3 screw, a nut and a washer instead, as shown in the steps.
Specifications
Setting a rivnut
- Drill a clean hole
Drill a round hole that the knurled body just slides into, then deburr both sides so the head sits flat.
- Thread it on
Wind the rivnut fully onto the M3 mandrel of the tool until the head touches the nose. Without a tool, run a nut and then a washer onto an M3 screw and thread the screw into the rivnut until it stops.
- Insert and set
Push it into the hole until the head sits flat on the panel. Squeeze the tool until it stops, or hold the screw still with a screwdriver and turn the nut with a spanner until it goes tight. The body folds up behind the panel and locks in.
- Check it holds
Unwind the mandrel or screw, then fit your own M3 screw. It should tighten without the rivnut turning in the hole. If the rivnut spins, the hole was too big or it was not set fully, so drill it out and set a new one in a snug hole. An M3 flat washer under the screw head spreads the load on soft or slotted parts.