A T-slot nut is used with a threaded clamp to position and secure pieces being worked on in a workshop. The T-slot nut slides along a T-slot track, which is set in workbench or table for a router, drill press, or bandsaw. T-slot nuts are also used with T-slot structural framing to build a variety of industrial structures and machines.
A T-slot bolt is generally stronger than a T-slot nut and hex-head cap screw.[1]
A heavy-duty T-slot nut with a M12 bolt is rated to support 10000 N (about 1 imperial ton at rest).[2]
Profile 40×40 (40 mm by 40 mm, with 8 mm grooves) extruded aluminum profile and the T-slot nuts to fit into them comprised the first modular system developed for use in mechanical engineering in 1980 by item Industrietechnik.[3] The item aluminum framing system has since been expanded to include a variety of t-slot nuts that have been designed for specific applications.
The item system is very similar to the "channel-and-groove design" used in some toys.