Metal screws and plastic have never really been a good marriage in my opinion. Eventually, the plastic does wear some and the screws will not tighten as they should. This can create all sorts of unintended consequences.
When I was repairing my Aristo-Craft Dash 9, I noticed that the screws were getting a little to loose for my comfort. I suspect, this is true with all metal screws to plastic materials.
Oh dear! There is an easy solution to the “problem”. Since the metal screw basically cut the thread in the plastic one carefully,slowly turns the screw counter clockwise until it gets to the start of the thread. Then carefully tighten the screw. This will eliminate any chance of cross-threading the plastic.
Hans is correct. Hard to remember to go CCW until you feel the drop or a small click.
If you do strip out the threads, you can take some strands of wire from an AC cord and drop 2-4 strands in the hole spaced around the hole then put the screw in the hole and let the strands form new threads.
It works most of the time and not as good as the original threads.
Dennis, I explained the same procedure in my post. I repair copiers for a living, and find that I put all screws in that way. It also prevents me from cross-threading machine screws.
Another thing I see other technicians do, is they give screws an “extra” quarter turn after they are tight. This is a big no no when putting screws into plastic. The plastic threads can become damaged by doing that, and they may not strip when that is done, but the next time the screw is taken out, the plastic threads just may come out with the screw.
These ideas seem okay, but realistically they will eventually cause the plastic to wear more regardless of how careful one is in placing the screws in. Of course, if one is not removing those screws constantly, then this issue is likely not to be a bother.
Stacy, several fax machines I used to repair were held together that way. I had to replace rollers in them every few months. By doing that procedure, I was able to unscrew the cover, replace the rollers, and reattach the cover many many times without stripping the screws.