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+86 13143444311
Email：sst@szsst88.com
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Address：Building 9, First Industrial Zone, Tantou Industrial City, Songgang Street, Baoan District, Shenzhen 518105, Guangdong, China
Place of Origin:Guangdong,China(Mainland)
Brand Name:Shi Shi Tong
Materials:Stainless Steel
Surface treatment:Natural colour, passivated
Head Type:Cup Head
Drive:Six-lobe star with slot
Slot:Straight slot through the star
Thread:Machine thread
Point:Plain, chamfered
Forming:Turned or headed; star cut; slot cut; thread rolled
Size:M5*20mm
We make six lobe and slot screws in stainless with a cup head, a star recess and a straight slot cut through it, quoted with both recess depths and the thread. The star drives the line and the slot opens it in the field, so the combination is about dual-tool access rather than tamper resistance.
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ISO 9001:2015 · Manufacturing since 1998 · 8,678+ customers · 89 countries and regions
Made to order – there is no stock catalogue. Each part is produced to your drawing, and production starts after drawing review and first-article approval.
A six lobe and slot screw has a star recess with a straight slot cut through it, so a Torx bit or a flat blade can turn it. This one is stainless steel with a cup head and an M5 machine thread 20 mm long, in its natural colour.
Six-lobe recess. The star drive, with six rounded lobes that take a matching bit.
Slot through it. A straight slot cut across the star, so a blade can also drive the screw.
Cup head. A cylindrical head with a flat bearing face and enough depth for both recesses.
Stainless body. No coating, so both recesses are exactly as machined.
Six lobe and slot screws are used where two different tool sets meet: a production line that fits a star bit, and a service team that carries a screwdriver in the field, often on the same panel and often years apart from the day it was assembled.
This part is often sold as an anti-theft fixing, and it is worth being precise about what that means in practice: the barrier is low and should be described that way. The recess has a star and a slot; the slot is straight through, so a flat blade of the right width will turn the screw. The screw therefore stops nobody who carries a screwdriver, which is most people.
What it does give is compatibility. A line can drive it with a star bit at speed, without the cam-out of a cross, and the same screw can be opened later with the blade in a field kit. That is a genuine benefit on equipment where the two groups never share tools.
The barrier it offers is a low one, and it should be described as such. A thief with a flat blade will open it; a thief with a pocket knife and no tools may not bother. Where the joint has to resist a determined attempt, a pinned star or a one-way form is the correct part, and the combination drive is not.
The head suits the combination because a cup head is tall enough for both recesses at full depth. On a lower head one of the two drives is sacrificed, and on this head that is usually the slot, because the star is the one the line uses.
Stainless keeps both recesses usable. A plated head that corrodes in the slot and the star cannot be opened with either tool, which on a security part turns a nuisance into a liability for the maintenance team.
So the part is specified for dual-tool access and moderate deterrence. It is the right answer when production and service use different tools; it is the wrong answer when the brief says tamper-proof.
Six lobe and slot screws are quoted by head diameter and height, star size and depth, slot width and depth, thread size and pitch, length and finish. Custom lengths up to 2,000 mm, subject to DFM review after drawing submission. The quotation carries the material, the head, both recesses, the thread and the finish.
| Item | How it is defined | What we control |
|---|---|---|
| Body | Stainless steel | Grade and mechanical properties |
| Head | Cup head | Diameter, height and bearing face |
| Star | Six-lobe recess | Size and depth |
| Slot | Straight slot through the star | Width and depth |
| Thread | Machine thread | Size, pitch and length |
| Finish | Natural colour | Surface condition and burr |
Both depths are written, because the two recesses share the head. The slot is cut after the star, so a slot that is a little deep takes the floor out from under the star and the line loses its drive.
The slot width is written as a blade width. A narrow slot accepts any blade and wears at the ends; a slot cut to the blade the service team carries lasts far longer.
The head height is written with the recesses. A cup head has enough material for both at full depth, which is why this drive is paired with it rather than with a low or countersunk form of head.
Four properties decide this part, and each carries a cost:
| Property | What it gives | What it costs |
|---|---|---|
| Star recess | A fast, cam-out-free drive | Needs the matching bit |
| Slot through it | A blade can also open it | And so can anyone with a blade |
| Cup head | Depth for both recesses | Stands proud of the surface |
| Stainless body | Both recesses stay usable | Galls in a stainless nut |
The value of the part is one fixing that two different teams can open with the tools they already carry, on a head thick enough to keep both recesses sharp through repeated use and through storage in a damp cabinet.
The cost is that the second drive is also the second way in: the part is a convenience fixing with a deterrent rather than a lock, and the drawing should describe it that way to everyone who reads it.
The recorded finish is the natural colour of the stainless, cleaned and passivated. With two recesses to keep usable, that is the right choice: no plating fills the star or narrows the slot, and the part can be opened with either tool years later.
| Option | How it protects | Effect on the recesses | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural stainless | Natural oxide | No build; both as cut | Equipment panels |
| Passivated | Clean, thickened oxide | No build; free of free iron | Food and lab equipment |
| Black oxide | Conversion layer | Thin, matte | Dark equipment |
| Nickel plated steel | Hard barrier layer | Builds; both re-checked | Cost-driven parts |
| Dry film lubricant | Low-friction film | Thin; eases the thread | Joints opened often |
A plated version must be checked with both tools after plating, because the film builds differently in a star than in a slot and the two do not wear in the same way.
Where the joint is opened on a service interval, a dry film lubricant on the thread keeps the stainless from galling, which matters more here because the drive is designed for repeated access.
Three products where two tool sets meet:
| Where it sits | The line drives the screw with a star bit, and the service team opens it with a screwdriver. |
| When it goes wrong | One drive rounds because the other was used beyond its torque. |
| Why it happens | A shallow recess, or a bit that is worn on one of the two drives. |
| What we control | Both recess depths agreed; sample driven with a bit and with a blade. |
| Where it sits | The cover is fitted on a line and opened by an electrician in the field. |
| When it goes wrong | The blade slots widen, or the star rounds at the station. |
| Why it happens | The slot was cut narrow for appearance, and the star too shallow for speed. |
| What we control | Slot width and star depth set for both tools; sample cycled. |
| Where it sits | The fixing has to discourage casual opening but stay openable by the contractor. |
| When it goes wrong | The screws cannot be opened after a season, or they open too easily. |
| Why it happens | The finish corroded in the recesses, or the drive is a plain cross. |
| What we control | Material and recesses agreed; sample exposed and opened with both tools. |
Four points that decide whether a combination drive works with both tools on the line and in the field:
|
Both recess depths written
The drawing carries the star depth and the slot depth, because the two share one head and one can starve the other. Basis: Both drives usable. |
Star cut, slot centred
The slot is cut through the centre of the star, so a six lobe and slot screw drives true with either tool. Basis: Recesses on one axis. |
|
Driven both ways
The first article is driven with the star bit and with the blade, at the torque each will see. Basis: Both proved. |
Same recesses every lot
Recess sizes and depths are recorded with the drawing revision, so a repeat lot takes the same tools. Basis: Same fit across lots. |
A combination head is easy to make and easy to make lopsided: one recess cut a little deep, and the other tool stops working. These four points keep both of them alive.
These screws are turned or headed in stainless, with the cup head formed, the star cut, the slot cut through it, the thread rolled and the parts cleaned and passivated. The first piece of every run is measured on head, star, slot, thread and length.
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The star is cut first and the slot second, centred on it, so the part presents the same axis to both tools. A slot that is off-centre leaves one lobe weakened and the blade pulls the screw sideways.
Stainless work-hardens at the cut, and the head has two recesses in it, so both are finished with light passes. A torn crest in either recess is what makes the part feel loose with its own tool.
Passivation follows the machining and removes free iron from both recesses. On equipment that is opened seasonally, that is what keeps the tools fitting when the service visit comes round.
What decides whether a batch of six lobe and slot screws passes is the star that takes the bit, the slot that takes the blade and the thread that clamps. The inspection agreement covers all three.
Head and recesses on the projector |
Thread checked with gauges |
Material checked |
Salt-spray testing where required |
Both recesses are measured for size and depth, and the part is driven with the star bit and with the blade. The two tests belong on the same sample, because the defect is always one recess stealing depth from the other.
The head is measured for diameter and height and checked for a flat bearing face. A cup head that is dished bears on its rim, which shows as a bright ring on the panel.
The thread is gauged and run onto its nut. On a part designed to be opened more than once, galling in the thread is a defect even when the recesses are perfect.
Every batch of six lobe and slot screws is traceable to the bar it was made from. The material certificate states the grade, the heat number, the chemistry and the mechanical properties, and the inspection record carries the head, both recesses and the thread.
ISO 9001:2015 |
RoHS test report |
Registered trademark |
Patent: security screw and driver |
With each shipment we supply the material certificate and the inspection record for the head, recesses and thread. The records carry the batch number, so a repeat order can be compared with the first on the two depths that decide the drive.
Records are kept per batch, which is what makes a repeat order comparable with the first.
More than 8,678 customers in 89 countries and regions have ordered from Shi Shi Tong; 87% of orders come from repeat customers and 56% through referrals. Most projects follow the same route: drawing review, first-article approval, then batches checked against that sample. On a combination head the first article is driven with both tools, because a part that takes one and not the other has lost its reason. Buyers visit during the process to review samples.
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8,678+
customers served
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87%
of orders from repeat customers
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56%
of orders through referrals
|
89
countries and regions shipped to
|
Buyers and quality engineers visit for sample review, process discussion and supplier audits; the visit is arranged around production so the turning cells and the passivation line can be seen on the day the parts run.
Customer group visit – sample review |
Customer group visit – process discussion |
Customer group visit – factory tour |
Customer visit – project kick-off |
Danish customer – drawing review |
Industry exhibition – meeting customers |
It is a low-level one. The slot takes a flat blade, so anyone with a screwdriver can open it.
So a line can drive it fast with a bit and a service team can still open it with a blade.
The star. It takes more torque without cam-out, and the slot is the back-up.
The two share one head. If the slot is cut deep, the star loses its floor, and vice versa.
Yes. A plating that builds in either recess makes the part hard to open with its own tools.
Head size, star size and depth, slot width and depth, thread, length and finish.
How a six lobe and slot screw project runs from drawing to repeat delivery:
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1
Send the drawing and both tools
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→ |
2
Star, slot and thread agreed
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→ |
3
First article driven both ways
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→ |
4
Batch production and repeat orders
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Each step is confirmed with you before the next one starts; the drawing revision used for the first article is what repeat orders are checked against.
For a quotation, send the drawing with the head size, star size and depth, slot width and depth, thread and length, plus the bit and blade you will use.
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Head
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Star
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Slot
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Thread
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Length
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Finish
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Sending a drawing? The form below does not take attachments. Email the PDF, DXF or STEP file to sst@szsst88.com with the part name and quantity in the subject line – the drawing is reviewed and a quotation follows.
+86 13143444311
sst@szsst88.com
