Drop-In Anchor Setting Tool

What a drop-in anchor setting tool does

A drop-in anchor is an internally threaded sleeve with an expansion wedge (Mungo calls it a cone or plug) inside. Once the anchor is in its hole, you put the setting tool into it and hit the tool with a hammer, or drive it with an SDS-plus rotary hammer for the MEA-SDS tools. That drives the wedge down to the bottom of the anchor and expands the sleeve against the hole; the friction from those expansion forces holds the anchor in the concrete, and the bolt or threaded rod then screws into it.

Each range has its own check that the anchor is set. Hobson's drop-in data sheets say the setting tool provides a visual check for correct installation. For Drop-In PRO, Hobson lists the visual check for correct setting as applying when the anchor is used with the Hobson Drop-In PRO setting tool, and its installation pictures show the tool driven until its shoulder sits on the anchor rim. Mungo's European Technical Assessments (ETAs) for the MEA say the anchor is properly set once the wedge is fully dropped in, and that installation must use the appropriate tools. So the right tool is part of setting the anchor properly, not an optional extra.

Each tool is made for one anchor range and one anchor size, and most for one length too, and Hobson labels them that way: MATMSZM100177 is for the M10 x 30 only and MATMSZM100185 for the M10 x 40 only. Same thread size does not mean same tool: match the range, the thread size and the length of the anchor you are setting.

Which setting tool for which drop-in anchor

Start with the anchor range. Select a row to show that range's tools in the selector above.

Setting tools for Hobson's standard drop-ins

Hobson's zinc yellow, 316 stainless and lipped drop-in data sheets each list the setting tool to use. The MATMSZM tools are zinc plated, 175 to 212mm long, longer for the bigger anchors, each for one anchor only, shown on its label. The MATR10 has a red plastic handle, and Hobson says it is designed specifically for setting the M10 x 30 lipped drop-in; one comes in the lipped M10 x 30 bucket with 500 anchors and two 12mm SDS bits.

How to set a standard drop-in anchor

1. Drill the hole at the anchor's drill size (for example 12mm for an M10 drop-in) to the hole depth for that anchor, which for the standard drop-ins equals the anchor length.
2. Clean the hole by blowing the dust out.
3. Drop the anchor into the hole.
4. Put the setting tool for that anchor into it and hit the tool with a hammer until the anchor is set. Check it against the tool's visual check.
5. Fit the fixture and the bolt or threaded rod. Hobson recommends a torque wrench to install the bolt to specification, and its drop-in sheets give a guide torque and the maximum thread engagement for each size.

Drop-In PRO setting tools

Drop-In PRO anchors are zinc plated steel drop-ins with European Technical Assessments (Option 7, ETA-19/0673, and Part 6, ETA-19/0703) in plain (EDIMSZ) and lipped (EDLMSZ) styles. Hobson's Did You Know sheet explains that the wedge is pushed towards the bottom end of the anchor, which produces expansion forces, and the friction they create holds the anchor in the concrete. Each EDTMSZM tool is labelled for one anchor only (for example "M10X40 ONLY") and "use with EDIMSZ & EDLMSZ". Hobson labels its standard MATMSZM tools for its standard drop-ins, so use the EDTMSZM tool on Drop-In PRO.

Drop-In PRO tool and anchor dimensions from the ETAs

Both Drop-In PRO ETAs draw the setting tool as a round bar (diameter D1) with a narrower end (diameter D2, length Ls) that goes into the anchor. The tool diameter rises with the anchor size, which is why one tool cannot set every size.

Drop-In PRO installation values (ETA Table C1)

The tool sets the anchor; it does not change what the anchor can hold. Both ETAs give the same installation table, and every value in it belongs to the conditions of the approval: Option 7 (ETA-19/0673) covers non-cracked concrete C20/25 to C50/60; Part 6 (ETA-19/0703) covers multiple use in non-structural applications in cracked or non-cracked concrete C12/15 to C50/60, where the slip or failure of one anchor will not significantly affect the fixture. Both are for dry internal conditions, and both say anchorages are designed by an engineer experienced in anchorages and concrete. Never install closer than the minimum spacing or edge distance, or in a member thinner than the minimum thickness: the ETAs do not cover it. At or near these minimums the anchor's resistance is reduced, and the engineer works that out from the ETA; it is not in this table.

How to set a Drop-In PRO anchor

From the installation steps and conditions in both Drop-In PRO ETAs. The ETAs say installation is carried out by appropriately qualified people under the supervision of the person responsible for technical matters on site.

1. Drill with rotary hammer drilling at the anchor drill size to the hole depth in the table above (for example 12mm to 43mm for M10). If you abort a hole, the ETAs say to drill the new one at least twice the aborted hole's depth away, unless the aborted hole is filled with high strength mortar and is not in the direction of a shear or oblique tension load.
2. Clean the dust out of the hole.
3. Put the anchor in the hole so its top sits flush with the concrete surface.
4. Put the Drop-In PRO setting tool for that size into the anchor and hit it with a hammer until the shoulder of the tool sits on the rim of the anchor.
5. Check: Hobson's installation pictures show the tool's shoulder seated on the anchor rim. If it is not seated, the wedge is not fully driven and the anchor is not set. Hobson shows this check in pictures only and gives no written description.
6. Fit the fixture and a bolt or threaded rod of property class 4.6, 5.6, 5.8, 6.8 or 8.8 (ISO 898-1), long enough to reach the minimum screwing depth and no longer than the maximum. Tighten with a torque wrench to no more than the maximum installation torque.

Mungo MEA setting tools: MEA-WZ hand tool and MEA-SDS

Hobson lists the MEA-WZ as a zinc plated setting tool for MEA with a hand guard, struck with a hammer. The MEA-SDS is Mungo's mechanical setting tool: the same pin and shoulder on an alloy steel body with an SDS-plus shank, for the chuck of an SDS-plus rotary hammer. Both come in the same ten sizes, each made for one MEA anchor size and length, because the ETAs give a different tool for each anchor length. Hobson lists both for MEA anchors only: the 316 stainless MEAR uses the MEAR-WZ.

Drill, hole depth, torque and the minimum concrete thickness, edge distance and spacing below are the installation values in Mungo's ETAs, for the Part 6 approval (ETA-18/0269, multiple use for non-structural applications in cracked and non-cracked concrete) and the Option 7 approval (ETA-18/0236, non-cracked concrete). n/a: that ETA does not cover the anchor. Part 6 values for M10 x 40 and M16 x 65 are from ETA-18/0269 Table B1; Mungo's sheet omits these sizes.

M12 x 50: design it to Part 6 (ETA-18/0269), which uses the 15mm drill; we give Part 6 values only for this size. MUMMEAE01741250 is the 15mm drill version. MUMMEAE01741251 is a 16mm drill version, which the Part 6 approval does not cover (its M12 drill is 15mm), so we give no approval values for it.

Why an MEA tool must match the anchor length, not just the thread

Mungo's ETAs give the hand and the mechanical (SDS) tool identical dimensions for each anchor, so both set the anchor to the same depth. The pin length of every tool (D, from the shoulder to the tip) equals the anchor length less the cone length. For the M10 x 40 anchor that is 39.6 less 15.7, or 23.9mm, against a pin of 23.8mm. Our reading of those dimensions is that when the shoulder of the right tool meets the top of the anchor, the cone has been driven to the bottom of the sleeve; the ETAs do not state a shoulder check. Their test is that the anchor is properly set once the cone is fully driven in.

The M10 tools show why the length matters: the pin is 15.8mm on the M10 x 25 tool, 16.0mm on the M10 x 30 and 23.8mm on the M10 x 40. A tool for a shorter anchor stops before the cone is fully home, and a tool for a longer anchor bottoms out before its shoulder reaches the anchor.

How to set an MEA anchor, by hand or with the SDS tool

Mungo's ETAs require installation to the manufacturer's instructions with the appropriate tools, by qualified people, in a clear hole, and the anchorage designed by an engineer. The steps below follow the ETAs; Hobson and Mungo give no drill settings for the SDS tool, so follow your drill maker's instructions as well.

1. Mark out the holes at or beyond the minimum edge distance and spacing in the MEA table, for the approval your design uses, in concrete at least the minimum thickness. Keep clear of the reinforcement.
2. Drill to the anchor's drill diameter and at least its hole depth, with a bit no bigger than the ETA's maximum cutting diameter, and clean the hole out: the ETAs say the hole shall be clear.
3. Drop the anchor into the hole, flush with the concrete surface.
4. By hand: put the MEA-WZ tool for that anchor size and length into the anchor and hit it with a hammer until the wedge is fully driven down. With the drill: fit the MEA-SDS tool for that exact size and length in the SDS-plus chuck, put the pin into the anchor, hold the drill square to the surface and drive the cone down until it is fully driven in. As general practice for any setting tool, set the drill to hammer only (no rotation).
5. Fit the fixture and the bolt or threaded rod, and tighten to the installation torque for that anchor.
6. If a hole has to be abandoned, the ETAs set the new hole at least twice the depth of the abandoned hole away, unless the old hole is filled with high strength mortar and the load does not act towards it.

MEA edge distance, spacing and design

The tool sets the anchor; it does not change what the anchor can hold. Both MEA ETAs are for concrete of strength class C20/25 to C50/60, static and quasi-static loads, and dry internal conditions only. Edge distance, spacing and thickness are minimums with no minus tolerance, and the design (by an engineer experienced in anchorages and concrete work, to EN 1992-4 as the ETAs require) may need more. Allmat does not publish loads for these anchors.

MEAR-WZ setting tools for 316 stainless MEAR anchors

The MEAR is the 316 stainless version of the MEA (Hobson describes it as A4-50 MEAR), listed on the same Mungo MEA sheet. Hobson's Mungo product guide lists the MEAR-WZ as a setting tool for MEAR with a hand guard, zinc plated. Each tool carries the size and length of the MEAR anchor it is for, so match both. Hobson lists the MEA-WZ for the zinc plated MEA, so use the MEAR-WZ on MEAR.

MEAR approval and how to set it

Mungo's MEA sheet gives the same MEAR values in its ETAG 001 Part 6 and Option 7 columns and refers to the approval for the MEAR's Option 7 loads. The two MEA ETAs among Hobson's documents (ETA-18/0269 and ETA-18/0236) cover the galvanised MEA only, and the MEAR approval is not among our documents, so check it covers your conditions before you design to it. The MEA ETAs require the minimums to be kept without minus tolerances; we expect the same of MEAR, but its approval is not among our documents. The MEA ETAs say anchorages are designed by an engineer experienced in anchorages and concrete work.

1. Drill the hole at the anchor's drill size (12mm for the M10 x 40, 15mm for the M12 x 50) to the hole depth Mungo specifies for the MEAR (which our documents do not give), keeping to the edge distance, spacing and concrete thickness above and without damaging the reinforcement.
2. Clean the hole. The MEA ETAs require the hole to be clear; we expect the same of MEAR, but its approval is not among our documents.
3. Drop the MEAR into the hole.
4. Put the MEAR-WZ tool of the same size and length into the anchor and hit it with a hammer until the wedge is fully driven down.
5. Fit the fixture and a 316 stainless bolt or threaded rod, and tighten to the installation torque in the table.

ESA-WZ setting tools for Mungo ESA and ESA-R anchors

Hobson lists the ESA-WZ as a zinc plated setting tool "for ESA Mungo", in one size per anchor thread, M6, M8, M10, M12, M16 and M20, sold individually. In our range there is one ESA length per size, so each tool goes with the ESA anchors of the same thread size.

Hobson's documents hold no data sheet or approval for the ESA anchor or the ESA-WZ tool: the Mungo product guide and data sheets Hobson publishes cover the MEA and MEAR drop-ins and their tools, not ESA. So the pairings below come from Hobson's product descriptions, and we give no installation values (drill size, hole depth, torque, edge distance, spacing, concrete thickness) or loads for ESA.

How an ESA anchor is set, and its limits

The general steps for a drop-in anchor are below. For an ESA, the drill size, hole depth, cleaning method and tightening torque must come from Mungo's ESA instructions, which Hobson does not publish, so we give none here.

Every drop-in anchor has a minimum edge distance, anchor spacing and concrete thickness, and loads that apply only within them. For the ESA these values are not in Hobson's documents, so do not use ESA anchors for any load, overhead or safety-related fixing until you have Mungo's values or the engineer's or services designer's specification names them. The ranges with published values are Drop-In PRO (with its ETAs) and Mungo MEA (with its ETAs and data sheet).

1. Drill the hole to the drill size and depth for that anchor in solid concrete, keeping clear of reinforcement.
2. Blow or brush the drilling dust out of the hole.
3. Drop the ESA in.
4. Put the ESA-WZ tool of the same thread size into the anchor and hit it with a hammer until the anchor is fully set, as Mungo's instructions describe.
5. Fit the fixture and the bolt or threaded rod, and tighten it to the torque Mungo gives for that anchor.

Tool finishes, and the anchor finish that matters

• •The tools: MATMSZM, EDTMSZM, MEA-WZ, MEAR-WZ and ESA-WZ are zinc plated (RoHS compliant), the MATR10 has a red grip handle and the MEA-SDS is alloy steel. Hobson's finish comparison rates zinc plating as low corrosion resistance, for indoor and non-corrosive environments, so keep the tools dry between jobs. A tool only sets the anchor and comes back out, so its finish does not stay in the fixing.
• •Drop-In PRO and MEA anchors are zinc plated (Drop-In PRO at least 5 microns, per its ETAs) and their ETAs limit them to dry internal conditions. For damp, exposed or coastal fixings, ask us about a stainless drop-in or another anchor with data for that environment.
• •ESA is zinc plated (about 5 microns, low corrosion resistance in Hobson's finish comparison); ESA-R is 316 stainless (A4-50) for damp and exposed fixings (corrosion only; see the ESA limits before any load). Hobson's corrosion guide calls for stainless steel where fixings are exposed in the sea spray zone, and 316 within 2m of a pool edge. There is no ESA-R in M20.
• •MEAR is 316 stainless: use a 316 bolt or rod with it, and remember Hobson's stainless article: neither 304 nor 316 is made to sit in seawater.

Drop-in anchor setting tools in Adelaide

Allmat supplies Hobson's standard drop-ins and Drop-In PRO, Mungo MEA, MEAR and ESA anchors, the setting tools to suit, SDS drill bits and threaded rod to electricians, plumbers, services installers, ceiling fixers and builders across Adelaide and South Australia. Add one tool per anchor range, size and length to a quote with the anchors and we will price the lot.

Questions