We just received a shipment of custom-made screws for the new AirGradient Go. Sounds like a tiny detail - but it’s one of those “hardware realities” that decides whether a product feels solid, serviceable, and long-lasting… or not.
Why we went custom
- Quality: we wanted a countersunk head, torx drive, and stainless steel (we’re using 410), with a finish that holds up over time.
- The exact length: we needed M1.8 x 15mm - not something you can reliably source in the consistency we want at scale.
- Magnetic: 410 stainless is magnetic, which makes assembly with tiny screws a lot less annoying.
How these screws are made
- It starts with stainless steel wire.
- The head is formed via cold heading using hardened dies and punches (that’s also how the Torx recess is formed).
- Threads are typically rolled, not cut, for strength and consistency.
- Then comes heat treatment (ours are vacuum hardened), QC, and packing.
And here’s the part that surprised a lot of people the first time: Once you’re ordering real volume (like 10,000 pcs), custom fasteners can be surprisingly affordable. The “custom” part is mostly the tooling and setup - spread that across a bigger batch and the per-screw cost becomes very reasonable.
We’ve been saying it publicly: we’re developing AirGradient Go in public. And it’s funny - even something as small as a screw can have a story behind it.
