Inserts act as a tapped hole in both open and blind locations. They provide a strong, wear-resistant anchor for a standard screw in weak materials that do not have the shear strength to withstand required fastener loads alone. Typical applications include materials that are soft or difficult to tap, or materials where it is important not to damage the parent metal. Inserts can offer more precise threading to conventionally tapped holes, provide a thread-locking feature in hard materials, or repair tapped holes.