# Will nylon screws melt holding an XML base?



## Olympus620 (Nov 14, 2013)

I am considering using nylon screws as well as silver compound to hold the 16mm LED carriages to their base. I am using CREE XM-L U2 emmitters in a Sky Ray King light. Will the high temperatures cause the nylon screws to melt? I am overdriving my light to 6.5 amps(tail cap current) which makes the head impossible to hand hold after two minutes. I do not have any way to measure the surface temperature so I am depending on someones personal experience or engineering knowledge to help. Thank you


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## the_guy_with_no_name (Nov 16, 2013)

Olympus620 said:


> I am considering using nylon screws as well as silver compound to hold the 16mm LED carriages to their base. I am using CREE XM-L U2 emmitters in a Sky Ray King light. Will the high temperatures cause the nylon screws to melt? I am overdriving my light to 6.5 amps(tail cap current) which makes the head impossible to hand hold after two minutes. I do not have any way to measure the surface temperature so I am depending on someones personal experience or engineering knowledge to help. Thank you



Hi Olympus,

It depends on the melting point of the plastic screws.
At 6.5A depending on how good a heatsink you have under your emitter, it can get very hot.
I think the absolute minimum to plan for is 85Celsius though with extended runtimes it could easily exceed that, but its hard to calculate without knowing the specifics of the thermal path of your setup.


Any reason to not use metal screws? These would be much more durable and shock resistant.

I hope thats of some help.

Tgwnn


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## dc38 (Nov 16, 2013)

Also, keep in mind the warping factor...while they might technically not 'melt', the threads might weaken enough that they will strip. 
+1 to tgwnn. Trust him, he is the creator of the smallest brightest light, and has had to deal with many heat issues before 

Just thought about it, I think the OP might want the screws to be non-conductive for electrical reasons?


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