Fastener + Fixing Technology #5

I ss u e 5 A p r - J un 2012

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editorial Welcome to the first European edition of Fastener + Fixing Technology, a technical publication presenting the latest fastener engineering concepts to designers, engineers and production managers in key growth industries.

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ur Cover Story for this issue focuses on the Keller & Kalmbach automatic warehouse and logistics facility, which I was very pleased to visit last year. It is truly impressive to tour – Will Lowry - Editor and even more so when one understands the thoroughness of research and design that went into creating what is unquestionably a new benchmark in fastener distribution.

There is also a special feature focused on the developments and capabilities of key fastener suppliers to the renewable energy industries. Articles focus on the benefits of anti-corrosion coatings; how adhesives can help increase productivity; and the importance of bolt measurement to improve reliability and safety.

We’ve also taken a good look at all exhibitors at the first Fastener Fair Hannover, and highlighted just some of the innovative products and services on display. If you are at the show, why not spend a few minutes browsing these pages and make sure you visit the relevant companies.

What else? There are additional articles on the benefits of tapes and adhesives, the capabilities of non-threaded technology, the latest in fastener automation - as well as many other fastening technologies. That’s really what Fastener + Fixing Technology is all about - providing a unique resource to design and production engineers seeking cost reductions and productivity improvements through better fastening technologies, which will ensure greater safety and performance throughout the product life cycle.

To get in touch tweet @fastfixtech, connect on LinkedIn or via Facebook, or simply visit www.fastfixtechnology.com. We’ll be updating all these media feeds with the latest fastener related news, so stay connected with Fastener + Fixing Technology.

www.fastfixtechnology.com Group Publishing Director Jamie Mitchell info@fastfixtechnology.com Editor Will Lowry editor@fastfixtechnology.com Executive Editor Phil Matten Senior Advertising Executive Harry Whyte sales@fastfixtechnology.com Advertising Executive Claire Lake sales@fastfixtechnology.com

Production Manager Andy Clow

Industry news Latest fastener industry news.......................................... 6-10

Disclaimer

Cover story Keller & Kalmbach - A benchmark in fastener distribution....12-13 Automation The ‘greening’ of fastener installation presses..............14-16 BeA’s new fastening technology..........................................18 New WSK-1A welding head...................................................18 Spirol engages gear...............................................................18

12-13

Fastener Fair Hannover A selection of innovative products from exhibitors..... 20-28 Features Nord-Lock takes a look at its latest acquisition - Superbolt.... 30-31 Coatings for high tensile components................................ 46 A step change in the design of threaded inserts for plastics...48-49 The universal screw locking system RIPP LOCK®.............. 50

Renewable energy On course for growth....................................................... 36-37 Measurement technology in wind energy.......................... 38 Handling the demands of wind power................................ 40 Faster rotor blade bonding................................................... 42 Real time bolt measurement................................................ 42 Solar energy solutions.......................................................... 44

Tel: +44 (0) 1727 814 400 Fax: +44 (0) 1727 831 033

Advertising Executive Emiliano Pagliaroli sales@fastfixtechnology.com

Contents

Non-threaded technology The growth of lightweight composite materials........... 32-34 Sherex launches RIV-FLOAT® -SHORT................................. 35

Part of the Mack Brooks Group Romeland House, Romeland Hill, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL3 4ET, UK

30-31

Tapes + adhesives Lohmann launches innovative adhesive film..................... 52 Tape technology for the automotive industry.................... 52 Get ahead with Snapsil......................................................... 54 All taped up............................................................................ 54 Product news Latest fastener product news.........................................56-58 Advertisers index.................................................................. 58

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36-44

The Publisher cannot be held responsible or, in any way, liable for errors or omissions, during input or printing of any material supplied or contained herein although the utmost care is taken to ensure that information contained is accurate and up to date. The Publisher also cannot be held liable for any claims made by advertisers or in contributions from individuals or companies submitted for inclusion within this publication.

The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the Editor or Fastener Fairs Limited.

Copyright Entire contents copyright © Fastener Fairs Limited 2012.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior permission of the publisher.

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Fastener industry news

Anti-dumping on China fasteners set to continue Anti-dumping tariffs of up to 85% are set to continue on a wide range of steel fasteners originating in China despite WTO criticism of EU trade defence procedures. The prospect of further anti-circumvention action by the EU also risks the application of retrospective duties on imports from other countries.

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rade defence specialists reviewing a European Commission notice issued in March, which outlines how it intends ensuring its procedures conform to WTO requirements, see little indication that stringent anti-dumping measures against fasteners from China will be eased.

The WTO criticised the EU for not providing Chinese exporters with opportunities for individual treatment, which could have given them a specific tariff level. The European Commission has now invited exporters that feel they may not have been treated fairly with the opportunity to apply for a review. Analysts, however, believe that any adjustment to tariffs will not be significant and are unlikely to bring the company specific duty below the 77.5% rate already applied to exporters that cooperated with the original investigation.

Other actions announced by the European Commission to conform to WTO requirements are also not expected

to have a significant effect on the measures against China, which are set to continue until at least 2014.

Concern also remains high that the Commission will launch circumvention investigations against other countries - designed to cut off back routes for Chinese fasteners to indirectly enter the EU without paying anti-dumping duties.

Last year a circumvention investigation applied the full 85% tariff to fasteners imported from Malaysia, except for those originating from eight factories. The EU is known to be carefully scrutinising trading patterns with at least two other Asian countries, through which significant volumes of Chinese fasteners are suspected of being channelled.

Anti-circumvention regulations are potentially very expensive for unwary importers because the Commission can apply anti-dumping tariffs retrospectively.

This means that imports en-route on the date the investigation is announced can be subjected to the full 85% tariff

unless the exporter has been able to convince EU investigators it is not linked to Chinese fastener production nor reshipping product sourced from China.

Experienced, high-volume importers say circumvention investigations are particularly dangerous because of the potential for retrospective duties and also because the burden of proof is on the exporter to demonstrate they are “clean”. One experienced purchasing director explained: “We regularly audit all factories from which we source but in practice it is impossible to be certain a factory will be exempted in the event of a circumvention investigation. We can watch our product coming off the machines but it is impossible to tell whether a proportion of what is shipped, to us or other customers, is being sourced from China. It comes down to close, long-term relationships with factory ownership and making an assessment of the potential risks having audited as thoroughly as possible.”

Spirol answers the call A military ground assault vehicle manufacturer recently approached Spirol Industries to provide quick delivery of adjustable shim packs for spacing of armoured vehicle door hinges.

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he spacing is critical providing proper sealing and locking engagement of the door systems. Spirol worked with the customer to determine the required adjustment and developed three Edge Bonded Shim Set proposals.

The customer selected the Spirol solution as it offered safe and quick adjustment, a 70% cost reduction and a short manufacturing lead-time.

Spirol points out that its Edge Bonded Shim Sets have all the performance and cost advantages of solid and loose shims, but instead of having to stack a number of individual shims, a single shim set can be quickly adjusted to the desired thickness and slipped into position. In this way, variable close tolerances can be achieved, saving considerably on the time required to pick various different thicknesses of loose shims.

“The Spirol solution has also provided cost savings by reducing assembly time and minimising related inventory storage space. It also provides cost saving advantages

6 Fastener + Fixing Te chnology • Is sue 5 Apr - Jun 2012

over surface-bonded shims because the materials are less expensive. Edge Bonded Shim packs offer safe adjustment in seconds rather than using time consuming and difficult to peel surface bonded laminates. Safety improvement is realised because no knife is needed to remove the edge-bonded layers.

Cost savings can also be realised because the removed layers are reusable functional parts.” www.spirol.com

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Fastener industry news

TR Fastenings goes for the double with second ‘Supplier of the Year’ award

Hall: 21 Stand: A41 (L to R): Eric Schwarz - vice president purchasing (seating), The Lear Corporation; Jennifer Moceri - vice president purchasing (electrical power management systems), The Lear Corporation; Glenda Roberts - group sales director, TR Fastenings; Jim Barker - chief executive, TR Fastenings and Matt Simoncini - president and chief executive officer, The Lear Corporation

TR Fastenings is stacking up the silverware having won yet another award for supplier excellence. The global fastenings supplier, which has its headquarters in Uckfield, UK, was awarded the Lear Corporation’s ‘Supplier of the Year Award’ which was presented to 10 companies for outstanding performance during 2011.

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R Fastenings was presented with the award at seating and electrical power management systems manufacturer Lear’s headquarters in Southfield, Michigan in the United States. The award comes hot on the heels of another accolade for TR. Last month, the fastenings firm was awarded the Philips Hamilton Supplier of the Year award for outstanding service.

The 10 winning firms honoured by the Lear awards were selected from more than 2,000 companies worldwide. TR Fastenings was recognised for consistently meeting the Lear Corporation’s demands in customer service, quality and delivery and increasingly participating in Lear’s standardisation process for fasteners. TR Fastenings has been named as the preferred global supplier of fasteners to the Lear Corporation, securing new programmes to be supplied by the TR Group with new business opportunities from the US manufacturer over the next five years.

Matt Simoncini, Lear’s president and chief executive officer said: “Lear is proud to recognise our best suppliers. While we value the contributions of all of our suppliers, inclusion on this select list signifies truly superior overall performance. Our ‘Supplier of the Year’ winners have shown an unwavering commitment to excellence in quality, innovation, cost efficiency and a willingness to go above and beyond in assisting Lear in serving our customers in today’s highly competitive global market.” www.trfastenings.com

TaTrim enhances wheel nut security Ferodom s.r.o and security of bolted joints have long been synonymous and a symbol of progress in fastener technology.

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wards at Fastener Fair Stuttgart and in Fastener Technology International, as well as in professional journals in Europe, USA, Turkey, Russia and in Taiwan confirm it.

Ferodom has now brought to market the new FEM optimalised locking system TaTrim. This is not only a clear indicator of nut location but also an effective, simple and inexpensive resister of spontaneous self-loosening of bolted joints. It is inserted manually, without special tools, on the tightened nut or bolt head, then pushed to the support or face to face to finish. TaTrim minimises the risk of dangerous selfloosening of bolted joints.

TaTrim’s locking effect was tested on the axial pulsator EDYZ (M20, frequency 4.6Hz, amplitude 0.4mm, variable axial force 1.5kN – 11kN) and compared with DIN 934 nuts. Ferodom highlights that while the bolted joints with the normal nut had

8 Fastener + Fixing Te chnology • Is sue 5 Apr - Jun 2012

already relaxed with 2 million cycles, the nuts fitted with TaTrim showed no evidence of loosening even after 10 million cycles.

Testing for radial vibration using Junkers equipment also gave excellent results.

Typical applications for TaTrim are Renault or Iveco trucks with M22 x 1.5 wheel nuts but the system is applicable to other trucks and trailers. The product can also be used in in a wide range of other applications, including buses, tractors, rail transportation, machinery, and cranes.

“TaTrim’s contrasting colour is highly visible making for easy control and is, therefore, appreciated by truck drivers. It is recognised that the first 100Km after reinstallation of a wheel are critical and statistics demonstrate there have been many cases of wheels loosening during driving, often with tragic results. Fitting TaTrim ensures greater attention is paid to wheel security.”

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Fastener industry news

NORMA Group composes engine sound On behalf of a sports car manufacturer NORMA Group AG, a global market and technology leader for engineered joining technology, has developed its first pipe system designed to transmit engine sounds.

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rivers of a new upgrade edition of a sports car due to be launched on the German market in the spring will actually be able to hear the high engine power although modern technology and insulation typically shield passengers from engine noises even with high performance. The sound tube will meet a sports car driver’s desire to listen to the engine working, thus enjoying the added muscle of the car whenever they like.

The specifically designed NORMAFLUID sound system is an acoustic application that amplifies the sounds of an eightcylinder engine via a so-called Sound Symposer. Plastic tubes serve as acoustic channels of the exhaust system transmitting

Hall: 21 Stand: D52

the sound from the engine into the cabin. These pipe systems contain membranes and controllable valves that can be activated or deactivated to experience the engine sound by the push of a button located on the centre unit.

Werner Deggim, CEO of NORMA Group, says: “Developing engine-sound pipe systems for sports cars has been an exciting challenge. This is the first time we are using our joining technology for transporting sounds - instead of fluids and gases. We look forward to developing this product further going forward as we have already received requests for additional models.” www.normagroup.com

Lesjöfors develops tool for Ericsson invention A whole new way of producing so-called ‘honeycombs’ that improves the ventilation of electronic modules has been developed by Ericsson. In close cooperation, Lesjöfors has developed a unique tool for bending of the steel strip material used.

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n order to improve the ventilation of electronic modules where electromagnetic shielding is required, so-called ‘honeycombs’ are often used. Honeycombs are a lightweight structure made of steel material, shaped hexagonal, which provides superior ventilation properties.

Air permeability is 95% compared to 55% - 60% for traditional perforated sheet. Ericsson has recently developed a new method for bending the material, which ultimately streamlines the manufacturing process.

Design and manufacturing of prototype tools For many years Ericsson has established working relations with Lesjöfors in various development projects. It was therefore natural for Ericsson to use Lesjöfors as a development partner for the tool concept for the new honeycomb manufacturing method. The cooperation is unusual, because Ericsson owns the patent and Lesjöfors knowledge and capacity for the

bending technology.

“In March 2009 the first contact was taken, so the process has been long and we have been a speaking partner from the beginning. We started out with a pre-study in which opportunities and problem areas were analysed. Then we developed two prototype tools, one small-scale tool and one for production of full-scale prototypes,” says Marcus Hartvigsson, project manager at Lesjöfors in Värnamo, Sweden.

Attractive solution for other industries The new manufacturing method has already attracted considerable interest. “We see great business potential in this.

There are many industries where honeycombs are already used for the phenomenal ventilation and shielding properties. The problem is that manufacturing today is relatively expensive. We are now working towards a competitive production concept compared to traditional methods of manufacture,” adds Marcus Hartvigsson.

bigHead fasteners solve corrosion problems bigHead has developed an innovative solution for a key contractor to major offshore oil & gas installations.

Secure and versatile, the bigHead fasteners are installed on downward facing steel surfaces to hold safety critical insulation materials in position over long periods of time without corroding.

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critical objective for the client was to move away from welded pins which suffer from corrosion in severe offshore climates. When securing insulation and fire protection systems in place such corrosion jeopardises safety and necessitates costly repairs and maintenance.

The bigHead butterfly bracket utilises bigHead’s unique design to avoid welding and allow simple surface bonding with adhesive. In this particular example the bigHeads were surface bonded into position with a new structural adhesive from 3M. Once installed, the bigHead fastener provides a secure fixing

10 Fastener + Fixing Te chnology • Is sue 5 Apr - Jun 2012

for the application of a wet applied insulation material. bigHead highlights that it was able to come up with design prototypes within days of the enquiry coming in from the oil & gas contractor. Due to its unique process bigHead was also able to provide multiple designs in a short space of time and also test the strength of those designs for the client.

“Made with 316 stainless steel the bigHead butterfly bracket is resistant to the most severe marine climates. This type of application specific design for technical clients is something that we at bigHead have been specialising in for over 40 years.” www.bighead.co.uk

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cover story

A benchmark in fastener distribution These days there are quite a few large-scale, automatic warehousing and logistics facilities across the European fastener industry. The Keller & Kalmbach facility at Hilpolstein (Germany), though, sets a new bar for future fastener logistic centres and possesses all the qualities to pass the test of time.

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he overall site extends across 44,000 square metres; of which 10,000 square metres is currently occupied by buildings, designed and built to ensure future expansion can be seamlessly integrated. The automatic pallet warehouse is 40 metres high and 120 metres long, providing 35,000 spaces serviced by five picking machines. At a distance from it but in the same plane is an automatic small box warehouse, providing 164,000 carton box spaces plus a dedicated area for storing up to 8,000 empty KLT boxes. Within the warehouses the primary location logic is security – stock of core lines is held in different aisles within the same warehouse and in both warehouses, obviating the risk of delay if there is a mechanical failure. The speed of the warehouse mechanisation makes location by relative speed of demand less significant.

Between the two buildings is space to effectively double the pallet warehouse. Similarly there is space to expand the small box warehouse.

12 Fastener + Fixing Te chnology • Is sue 5 Apr - Jun 2012

At right angles and in front of the two warehouses is the building housing the picking zone as well as goods receival, quality inspection, assembly, packaging and despatch. Ten identical picking stations are each able to handle pallet, carton box and KLTs. Pickers operate from touch screens and each station has a vertical sorter, which sequences the carton boxes extracted from the small box warehouse into the correct order for the picker. Although a greater short term investment it delivers longer term advantages in both efficiency and speed. Incidentally and perhaps surprisingly, cardboard boxes are preferred – for lower fire risk, lower cost and greater environmental responsibility. Similar boxes are also used for customer deliveries.

Speed these days is of the essence, which makes a time frame of less than one hour to pick an order from the small box warehouse both impressive and invaluable to a business that really values flexibility and responsiveness. Currently the facility

Hall: 21 Stand: K10

A small box warehouse provides 164,000 carton box spaces

handles between seven and eight thousand orders line a day on a two-shift system that employs 30 people.

Accuracy is also a prerequisite in meeting the needs of customers of the calibre Keller & Kalmbach services. Of course, a sophisticated warehouse management integrates a series of checks and balances but there is also clear evidence of simple, straightforward thinking. For example, empty KLTs are stored in the small box warehouse. When the customer order is entered the system selects not just the product but also the empty bin to take it, ensuring a one to one relationship that minimises potential error. Easy in hindsight, but someone has to see the need in the beginning. Something that is true of many facets of this impressive operation.

History of Keller & Kalmbach Keller & Kalmbach was founded in 1878 and, as an early catalogue attests, even then was a distributor of screws as well as blacksmith supplies. At the time the products were manufactured in the north of Germany, with Keller & Kalmbach providing distribution for Bavaria and some parts of Austria.

The company was successful but continuity became an issue as neither of the two founders, who gave their names to the business, had children. Hence, since 1908, the company has been owned and managed by the Seidl family. Horse gave way to internal combustion engine and pre-war Keller & Kalmbach was slow to adapt. It wasn’t until after the Second World War that the company emphatically changed direction to target the industrial market.

Keller & Kalmbach became the market leading distributor to Bavarian industry and in 1960 began to supply the automotive manufacturing sector, starting with Audi and Glas (the latter absorbed by BMW in the 1960s). Agricultural equipment manufacturers also provided an important customer base.

Growth and the difficulty of expanding in a central Munich location led to the relocation of Keller & Kalmbach to its current head office location, west of the city at Unterschleissheim.

Looking forward Today Keller & Kalmbach focuses on three market sectors.

The industrial business remains the largest. The requirements of the automotive business continue to be serviced from Unterschleissheim, which is home to a special parts warehouse as well as automotive quality control and sales. It is also the head office, housing central departments, including purchasing, finance and systems. Keller & Kalmbach is also the market leader in Germany to the rail and train industry and has a smaller but good MRO business.

Five years ago Keller & Kalmbach started to develop more internationally. In the east of Europe it now has branches in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Romania and Austria. It also now has an operation that supports customers in China. In Germany there are eight ‘shops’ servicing MRO with both fasteners and tools. Goods can be collected from the branch but customer deliveries are always despatched direct from the central warehouse in Hilpostein.

More than half of Keller & Kalmbach’s turnover today is in logistic systems, with customers being offered a variety of solutions. While the mainstay remains relatively conventional kanban systems, Keller & Kalmbach offers systems featuring load sensors to detect bin presence and sophisticated solutions using RFID technology.

Behind the scenes Keller & Kalmbach is always looking at standardising the processes to make itself as flexible and efficient as possible. It is an approach that fits the company motto of being fit, fair and friendly – Its processes are lean, it’s fair to its customers and suppliers, and believes everybody should be friendly.

With an operation supplying more than 50,000 stock lines, which support approaching 1,000 logistics installations and a total of around 20,000 customers; with an annual turnover exceeding 200 million euros, sustaining some 600 employees; there can be no question that the philosophy works. www.keller-kalmbach.com

www.fastfixtechnology.com

13

automation

The ‘greening’ of fastener installation presses Roger Patton, engineering manager for PEMSERTER® products, PennEngineering Among the processes performed by sheet metal fabricators, the efficient installation of fasteners can be one of the most challenging. The work typically can be labour intensive, often requires time consuming tooling changeovers to install different types of fasteners, may be handled with equipment for which energy efficiency was an afterthought, and can jeopardise goals for ‘green’ and sustainable operations.

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he growth in applications for self-clinching fasteners over the years has helped to mitigate labour concerns by reducing the amount of required hardware to handle and install in thin metal assemblies. Along the way, advances in automated fastener installation press technology have contributed significantly toward resolving traditional equipment related issues and promoting both ‘green’ and cost effective operations.

Installing self-clinching fasteners Self-clinching fasteners offer reliable attachment solutions for thin metal assemblies by providing permanent and reusable load bearing threads. Generally, they will be specified for applications where good pullout and torque loads are required in sheet metal too thin to provide secure fastening by any other method. More often than not, they are installed during fabrication.

These types of fasteners (in dozens of types and thousands of variations) often will dramatically reduce or eliminate the amount of attachment hardware (such as loose washers, lock washers, and nuts) and usually require only a single mating piece to

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complete final component attachment. Fewer parts to install enable quicker assembly and lower production costs and, when installed properly, the fasteners will not loosen or fall out and never have to be handled again.

Fabricators install self-clinching fasteners permanently in thin ductile metal sheets by pressing them into place in a properly sized mounting hole and applying sufficient squeezing force. This causes displaced sheet material to cold flow into a specially designed annular recess in the shank or pilot of the fastener, permanently locking the fastener in place. A serrated clinching ring, knurl, ribs, or hex head prevents the fastener from rotating in the metal when tightening torque is applied to mating hardware.

While all presses to install self-clinching fasteners will provide necessary squeezing force to allow the fastener to become an integral part of an assembly, press similarities end there. Some of the considerations in deciding which type of press to utilise include overall job volume, fastener sizes and how many different types of fasteners will be installed, and work piece size and configuration.

For high volume applications, press options in the marketplace historically have been limited to hydraulic, air over oil, oil over oil, air over air, or mechanical versions to deliver the necessary force generation. All have comparative advantages, depending on the job, but all tend to fall short in the areas of efficiency, energy costs, and potentially adverse environmental impact.

The engineering behind the world’s first automated electromechanical press to install multiple types of self-clinching fasteners has introduced a practical and cost-effective alternative to competing technologies, especially for high volume and multiple fastener installations.

A ‘green machine’ The heart of the unique PEMSERTER® Series 3000™ press system (pictured left) is a custom built, full servo controlled dual axis electro-mechanical actuator integrating advanced technologies and optimised for efficiency. The system operates without hydraulic oil and is sealed and lubricated for life, which eliminates environmental issues and the maintenance costs associated with oil leaks, spills, changes, and disposal fees.

In addition, the system has recently undergone independent testing for energy efficiency and earned unprecedented flying colours compared with conventional hydraulic presses.

Overall, the Series 3000 stands as a one of a kind ‘green machine’. Key innovations offer distinct benefits for fabricators, particularly in energy efficiencies and improved productivity on the shop floor.

Hall: 21 Stand: D52

10-1I-6-120124-SE

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automation Among the system’s highlights: • Dual axis actuator - Promotes fast ram travel and high pressing forces using minimal energy.

• Proprietary clutch system - Utilising optimal acceleration and deceleration profiles enables a smooth, energy efficient transition between servo axes.

• High torque (high force) axis - Has a 10:1 gear ratio to achieve high pressing forces with minimal energy consumption.

• Roller screw technology - Carries larger loads and higher speeds more efficiently.

• Optimised coil construction - Allows for high-density coil packs without extraneous magnetic field generation to reduce the physical size of the actuator and increase motor efficiency.

• Regenerative/dynamic braking - Captures inertial energy and applies it to deceleration for substantial reduction in the system’s external energy requirements.

• PC control - Utilises only the hard drive for machine setup.

During a run, all logic is maintained by solid-state memory in the system’s servo controllers. This is inherently energy efficient, because the PC moves into idle, or ‘sleep’ mode after setup.

Typical press cycle Here’s a step-by-step look at how the press system works in practice to conserve energy during the fastener installation process: The operator sets up the press via the PC, which passes the setup instructions to solid-state servo drive memory modules and then reverts to a ‘standby,’ totally idle condition (consuming less energy).

The operator next initiates the press cycle using a foot pedal and the ram begins to travel down. Because of low internal friction, low initial load, and the effects of gravity, very little energy is required to accelerate the downward movement of the ram.

As the ram approaches the pressing position, it begins to decelerate and the high torque motor (high force pressing motor) begins to accelerate.

Due to the design and function of the unique clutching system, the high torque motor seamlessly takes control of the ram travel and presses with high force.

Very little energy is required for the pressing, given the 10:1 gear ratio and short pressing distance.

When the preset force is achieved, the high torque motor is reversed and the high speed motor begins to accelerate.

The high speed motor takes control and the ram begins upward movement. The low inertial load minimises energy required to move the ram up.

As the ram approaches the top home position, the regenerative/dynamic brake is applied, which halts travel of the ram. No external energy is required to stop the ram, because the regenerative braking creates its own energy from the motion of the high-speed motor.

16 Fastener + Fixing Te chnology • Is sue 5 Apr - Jun 2012

Numbers tell the story The inherent efficiencies of this servo-driven system deliver a cost-effective solution for sheet metal fabricators striving to ‘go green’. An added benefit is that multiple types of selfclinching fasteners can be installed automatically without any need for tooling changeovers.

In an effort to decisively quantify energy savings compared with ‘non-green’ hydraulic press equipment, a reputable testing house was recently selected to conduct an independent study of the Series 3000 press. The study reported the following statistics: Running at 40 strokes per minute, the Series 3000 press system was documented to consume less than £25 (30 euros) of energy annually in producing 4.9 million fastener insertions.

In contrast, a typical 8 tonne hydraulic press running at only 15 strokes per minute uses more than £540 (648 euros) of energy to produce 1.4 million fastener insertions.

These numbers tell a compelling story. The electromechanical press effectively was shown to consume 20 times less energy while producing 3.5 times the insertions, compared with hydraulic systems. In short, the conclusion is that it would cost more than £1,930 (2,318 euros) annually for energy alone to run a conventional 8 tonne hydraulic press and produce the same amount of strokes delivered by the more efficient Series 3000 system, according to the study.

Footnote: The energy usage reported here was based on straight-line calculations from the independent study and grounded in a relatively low energy cost of £0.06 per kW/hour.

Even better news: Higher electricity costs would bolster the outcome by equating to even greater energy cost savings for fabricators seeking to relieve headaches and advance ‘green’ objectives on the shop floor.

automation

BeA’s new fastening technology Joh. Friedrich Behrens AG (BeA) says that its new 246/130-944E and 246/160-964E pneumatic staple guns, for BeA type 246 wide-crown staples (up to 160mm), offer the right fastening solution for ever increasing insulation layer thicknesses in house building.

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xternal thermal insulation composite systems (ETICS) can be found everywhere in the field of house building. Ever increasing insulation layer thicknesses also mean increased requirements for fastening technology. The BeA devices 246/130-944E and 246/160-964E reliably and quickly drive the wide-crown staples with a leg length of up to 130mm or 160mm into the materials to be joined with maximum precision.

BeA highlights that both its pneumatic staple guns have impressed professionals with their height adjustment, quick release for the fastest troubleshooting possible, a hand grip which can be used from both sides, effective noise suppression, as well as re-optimised ergonomics concerning its centre of gravity, hand grip and low weight. These features aid the user’s

Hall: 21 Stand: L17

work while increasing productivity.

BeA produces wide-crown staples available both in strong galvanised steel and stainless steel – in lengths from 75mm to 160mm and is certified in accordance with DIN 1052 (up to 130mm).

“The name BeA has stood for maximum reliability for many years,” says Tobias Fischer-Zernin, executive director of Joh. Friedrich Behrens AG. “Our two new wide-crown staple guns are naturally suited for construction of timber frame buildings.”

He adds: “The BeA wide-crown stapling guns are powerful, precise and versatile. Interested visitors are also welcome to see them in person at our stand at Fastener Fair Hannover, stand L17.” www.bea-group.com

Spirol engages gear When a manufacturer of hydraulic pumps required a method to permanently affix various sized bronze gears to 400 series stainless steel shafts, a solution was found using a heavy duty Spirol Coiled Spring Pin.

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fter press fitting the gears into position, the hydraulic pump manufacturer drills a hole partially through the assembly, installs a heavy duty Spirol Coiled Spring Pin and stakes the entrance point for maximum security.

Prior to Spirol’s involvement this was a manual three stage process. Spirol has consolidated all the operations into one complete installation machine. As the manufacturer offered its customers many different gear/shaft assembly sizes, the machine needed to be versatile enough to accommodate the eleven existing assembly types and also had to be able to handle new variations as designed. Tooling changeover had to be quick and simple, with little to no machine adjustment.

The cycle time had to be less than a minute and drill bits were expected to last at least 500 cycles.

The Spirol Model DP machine consists of a standard Model CR Pin Insertion machine, an automatic, production quality,

high-precision drilling unit and a precision air-powered linear slide unit to move the assemblies between the drill unit and installation/staking station. The machine features recirculating flood coolant in the drilling operation for temperature control and chip removal; an automatic clamping/part holding fixture unit; easily interchangeable tooling to accommodate eleven different assemblies; a common drilling and pin insertion elevation between all assemblies; pin presence sensing to verify a pin has been installed in the assembly; and a machine interface for programming and control of all functions.

“Spirol’s solution provides a machine cycle time of 45 seconds, drill bits yield 600 plus parts and tooling change over takes less than 15 minutes between assemblies. This machine doubled the previous production output and provided a payback of less than 12 months. The solution has also increased the rate of assembly by 400%, eliminated screw walk-out, and improved the product’s appearance and function.” www.spirol.com

New WSK-1A welding head Heinz Soyer Bolzenschweißtechnik GmbH says that its WSK-1A automatic welding head is ideal for applications where other welding heads cannot be used due to spatial requirements.

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Hall: 21 Stand: L33

he new WSK-1A cross-welding head allows studs Other features of the WSK-1A include: to be fed semi and fully automatically, making Dimensions 45mm x 190mm x 125 mm (w x h x d, it ideal for use in narrow locations and areas of height includes the stud chuck) difficult access, especially when welding on Compressed-air supply 5 - 7 bar bevelled edges and housing components.

Type of cooling Automatic air cooling of stud chuck The WSK-1A can weld up to 20 studs per minute, Weight 800g (without slide) depending on the respective stud diameter and type of feed, and has a welding range for studs and pins from M3 – Travel path of cantilever arm 30mm – standard (larger stroke possible depending on the respective requirements) M8 or 2mm – 8mm diameter and 6mm – 40mm in length.

The WSK-1A welding head can also be easily connected Welding material Steel, stainless steel, aluminium and brass to stationary machining centres, CNC stud welding machines, robots and handling systems. www.soyer.com

18 Fastener + Fixing Te chnology • Is sue 5 Apr - Jun 2012

Your Stud Welding Specialist

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www.soyer.com

F a s t e n e r F a i r H a n n ov e r, G e r m a n y

24th - 26th April 2012, Hall 21, Booth L33

Come & see us!

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23.02.2012 13:15:26

BeA Autotec Solutions for high volume industrial applications

BeA Autotec change over magazine

● Fully customized ● High Speed ● High Load Designed specifically for industrial applications that require stationary fastening. The innovative BeA Autotec system offers solutions for high volume applications.

BeA Autotec jumbo coil magazine

From automated packaging to singleunit fabrication – BeA Autotec delivers customized solutions. Timber framed houses, furniture, automotive, appliances and packaging are some of the industries that are taking advantage of the benefits.

BeA Autotec tools in a wall-panel application BeA Autotec top loader magazine

Available for staples, strip and coil nails, pins and brads.

BeA Automated Fastening Technology – reaching beyond standard solutions!

For more information about Autotec tools or any other fastener applications, please contact us.

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Jahre

Autotecanzeige_2012.indd 1

BeA. The Power of Fastening

Joh. Friedrich Behrens AG Bogenstrasse 43-45, 22926 Ahrensburg, Germany Tel: ++49(0) 4102 / 78 444, Fax ++49(0) 4102 / 78 270 eMail: info@bea-group.com, www.bea-group.com

23.02.12 11:43

fastener fair hannover

Don’t miss out

In the following pages there is a selection of innovations and new products which are being displayed by exhibitors at Fastener Fair Hannover. For more information on the products and services described make sure you visit the relevant company’s stand during the show.

New fastener generation Hall: 21 Avdel® is one of the leading global product brands from Infastech®, Stand: G02 and has been a technology leader for more than 75 years with a wide range of blind fasteners and tooling available.

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vdel recently introduced a new fastener generation that it says takes Speed Fastening ® technology to the next level. NeoSpeed ® delivers a manufacturing throughput up to four times greater than traditional threaded or breakstem fasteners. NeoSpeed ® has a bigger grip range and wider hole tolerances than traditional rivets.

Other new products include Avibulb ® XT and Avinox ® XT -

two new patented structural breakstem fasteners that, according to Avdel, create the widest grip range of any bulbing rivets in the market. Both series are available with 6.4mm diameter.

Another new product is Aptino ® a thread-forming fastener for thermoplastic materials which is the latest new product from Infastech’s iForm™ brand. Reduced radial stress in the application enables a reduction of boss wall thicknesses and thermoplastic material usage and further lowers manufacturing costs.

Innovative threaded fasteners of the Infastech brands Elco® and iForm™ are also available for various applications in construction, electronics, automotive and industrial, and commercial.

Expertise in special Precision quality 1980 Defremm S.p.A has connection elements Since specialised in cold forming production Albert Pasvahl offers visitors its experience and expertise in special connection elements and accessories resulting from over 75 years in business. During the course of this time, it has become a leading Hall: 21 stockist of special standard screws.

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Stand: B16

lbert Pasvahl’s product range includes: brass bolts & screws DIN 84/85/933/963/964; heavy duty hexagon head screw plugs DIN 910; hexagon socket head shoulder screws 7379; hexagon fit bolts DIN 609/610; hexagon set screws with small hexagon DIN 561/564; hexagon socket pipe plugs DIN 906; hexagon socket screw plugs DIN 908; knurled thumb screws and nuts DIN 464/653/466/467; locking screws with collar and vent DIN 5586; square head bolts DIN 478/479/480; slotted pan head screws DIN 920/921/923; slotted set screws DIN 417/438/551/553 and other ISO/DIN products on request. www.pasvahl.de

20 Fastener + Fixing Te chnology • Is sue 5 Apr - Jun 2012

Hall: 21 Stand: H10

from wire made of carbon steel, aluminium alloy, copper, brass and stainless steel.

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efremm, located in the north of Italy, manufactures special parts to customer drawings for different applications. These include the automotive industry, household appliances, fittings for plumbing, and sports equipment. Defremm also produces fasteners, as well as standard parts such as rivet nuts and blind rivets.

The company has a wide range of horizontal heading machines with from 2 to 6 stations. With a view to meeting increasingly complex customer requirements Defremm continually invest in advanced machinery for recovery, threading, punching, turning, assembly and optical control selection.

Defremm’s experienced team carry out technical and feasibility studies to co-design products together with clients.

It then designs and builds the necessary tools in its workshop to manufacture initial samples and standardise production.

“We will continue with this focus on research and development in order to guarantee our clients the innovative solutions they have come to expect.”

Global Manufacturer & Distributor of Industrial Fastenings Market leading range of branded fastenings

Self-Clinch Fasteners

• • • • • • • •

An extensive, fully interchangeable product range Market leading technical performance Huge European stocks Full ISO 14001/ 9001 accreditation Superior technical and customer service Highly competitive European production and specialist design capability Europe’s fastest growing distributor program

TR Fastenings introduces the new K Series Nut and the Euro Rivet Bush.

K-Series offer a permanent female thread in sheet steel and in some plastic applications that are too thin to be tapped by conventional methods.

Rivet Bushes

The new Euro rivet bush is easily installed and is a direct drop-in dimensional replacement to any number of other rivet bush products currently on the market. Extensive in-house product testing has proven this rivet bush product to be ‘best of breed’ and is designed to offer a permanent female thread in thin sheet metal.

Screws & Inserts for Plastic

Micro Screws Binx® Nuts

TR Fastenings are exhibiting at Fastener Fair Hannover.

24th - 26th April 2012: Stand A41 For further enquiries contact our team:

Micro Diameter and Security Fasteners

Tel: 00 44 1825 747306 sales@trfastenings.com www.trfastenings.com http://twitter.com/trfastenings http://www.facebook.com/trfastenings

fastener fair hannover

Dörken showcases silica-based seal

Hall: 21 Stand: F22

Keller & Kalmbach - the right partner

Hall: 21 Stand: K10

Dörken MKS-Systeme GmbH & Co KG, based in Herdecke, Germany, is showing an enhancement of the company’s silica-based seal with integrated lubricant at Fastener Fair Hannover.

In 1878, Keller & Kalmbach was founded in Munich and is now among the leading wholesalers for joining elements and fasteners, tools, hoists, personal protection equipment and works equipment.

n particularly difficult applications the Delta-Protekt ® VH 301.1 GZ topcoat prevents stick/slip effects when fitting chromium (VI) -free surfaces against e-coated parts. It can also be assembled against aluminium without any problem and fulfils the specifications of VW’s new norm 1131-1/2.

Combined with the Delta-Protekt ® KL 100 zinc flake basecoat the system features corrosion resistance times of over 720 hours in salt spray testing and provides greater resistance to brake fluid, oils and cleaning agents. It improves mechanical properties, withstands temperatures of up to 180°C for 96 hours, achieves better grip results, and ensures that coefficients of friction are kept constant. www.doerken-mks.com

ith a broad range of products and innovative logistics concepts, the company offers customised solutions for the efficient management of C-parts. These concepts are used in the manufacturing industry, the railway supply industry, the automotive sector, and for handcraft.

Keller & Kalmbach has recently introduced a new RFID kanban system called turnLOG ®. turnLOG ® uses wireless RFID technology which, K&K says, will enable customers to revolutionise their procurement of screws, nuts and other C-parts.

“Rotate the two-part bin or press a button to satisfy your requirement. Costly procurement procedures are now a thing of the past. High process reliability makes this a winning solution.” www.keller-kalmbach.com

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SOYER HZ-1 universal weld stud Heinz Soyer Bolzenschweißtechnik GmbH has more than 40 years of expertise in the field of high-speed fastening technology.

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Hall: 21 oyer’s products are comprehensively certified for quality, safety, Stand: L33 environmental protection and occupational health and safety. Besides portable stud welders for mobile use and high-tech CNC stud welding machines giving the fastest and most accurate results, Soyer also produces all types of weld fasteners.

Particularly noteworthy is the new SOYER HZ-1 universal weld stud. This all purpose weld stud is ideal for stud welding using all known stud welding systems such as capacitor discharge, drawn arc and short cycle drawn arc. Together with the corresponding welding equipment, this new type of weld stud can now replace the virtually innumerable variety of weld studs offered in the market.

“The innovative HZ-1 weld stud allows first class, leakproof and non-detachable weld joints to be produced featuring a very decorative appearance. The ratio between stud diameter and sheet thickness is 10:1. Moreover there is no flange, no weld spatter and no weld fillet interference and the thread can be used right up to the base material.” www.soyer.com

Special designed locknut As an engineering based supplier of critical components to many industries, including heavy truck, construction equipment and farm machinery, Industrial Nut Corporation has designed and developed a special locknut for these industries.

I

ndustrial Nut explains that it is a very high tech product that cannot be compared with any other locknut solution.

It works very easily and for the complete supply chain it’s a great advantage to work with this product. Especially for heavy truck applications it’s a very secure solution for places that are difficult to reach for maintenance or replacement, for example the inside of an axel.

All Industrial Nut products meet the highest demands of quality and PPAP requirements.

With this product Industrial Nut highlights that it has again maintained its mission to supply the best nut for the customer’s application. While the company is most noted for its trademarked BLUE nylon insert locknuts, it continues to manufacture a wide range of special, inch and metric series nuts to customer print.

22 Fastener + Fixing Te chnology • Is sue 5 Apr - Jun 2012

Hall: 21 Stand: K53

Hall: 21 Stand: B29

fastener fair hannover

Lindapter Hollo-Bolt: Now CE marked Lindapter has announced the CE marking of the Hollo-Bolt®, giving engineers and contractors additional confidence in the popular connection for structural hollow section (SHS).

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indapter says that the Hollo-Bolt is the only CE marked steelwork ‘blind fixing’ in the world and proves that Lindapter is at the forefront of product development by achieving CE certification, significantly in advance of the Construction Products Regulation.

Structural engineers can now design HolloBolt connections using the new Eurocode 3 standard and the characteristic values of tensile

Hall: 21 Stand: F52

and shear resistance are included in the revised Lindapter catalogue. Product performance is tested and confirmed by a third party to meet a standard that is recognised by engineering and construction communities across Europe.

The accomplishment follows a thorough independent assessment of Lindapter’s factory production control system and detailed analysis of the Hollo-Bolt’s performance.

Meeting customer demands As the market continuously evolves, meeting customers’ ever-changing demands can be a daunting task. They demand a wide variety, leading brands, the best quality, cutting edge technology, and of course everyone wants a good deal.

Hall: 21 Stand: D52

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ORMA Group says it guarantees that its customers have the widest range of products to choose from. Whether customers are small or large companies, NORMA’s products will fit every customer’s connection technology needs.

NORMA Group points out that not only does it have the best quality products, but it also has the leading brands in engineered joining technology. NORMA’s brands include: ABA, NORMA, Breeze, Serflex, Serratub, Terry and Torca.

“At NORMA Group we place a great deal of emphasis on offering the most innovative products that are both technology-savvy as well as meeting international environmental criteria.” www.normagroup.com

Extra grip, extra strength from Ornit Ornit Blind Rivets has brought together lightweight, environment friendly aluminium and the double locking Orlock 7.8mm rivet to create a powerful structural fastener.

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Hall: 21 Stand: H32

luminium is one of the lightest commercial metals available, yet its high strength to weight ratio makes it ideal choice for industrial uses. Ornit uses an aluminium alloy with high strength, ideal for manufacturing structural blind rivets.

Another advantage of aluminium is the thin layer of aluminium oxide that forms on the surface when exposed to air, making it resistant to corrosion and so increasing Orlock’s overall corrosive resistant properties.

Ornit’s Orlock fasteners are well-known for their double locking system: two sets of gripping grooves locking the mandrel in the rivet body and creating a secure, vibration resistant joint. On set-up, the Orlock forms a large blind side area, spreading the clamp load over a large surface area, making it ideal also for fragile, thin and soft joint materials.

“Orlock alumimium 7.8mm is a powerful fastener with extra grip and extra strength and ideal for aluminium joints. Orlock 4.8mm and 6.4mm are also available in aluminium in a variety of head types and grip ranges.”

A trusted partner in bolt optimisation

Hall: 21 Stand: D31

Joining parts together is one of the most critical steps when delivering a product or a system.

The Nord-Lock Group is focused on solving the toughest bolting challenges.

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ord-Lock offers a unique combination of bolting expertise and a wide product range, including wedge-locking technology and Superbolt tensioners, all designed and developed in-house.

Nord-Lock points out that it holds decades of documented success in every major industry including oil & gas, energy, transportation and mining. Its production system includes rigorous internal testing and full traceability. Also, its products hold several certificates from independent institutes including AbP, ABS, DIBt, DNV and TÜV. “The tools available through Nord-Lock performance services add value throughout a project and ensure that your bolting application pays back multiple times. We can also assist you in the design phase with joint simulation and testing.

Additionally, we help you ensure successful operations over time with our on-site support and remote product training.” www.nord-lock.com

Much more than steel fasteners

Hall: 21 Stand: D16

Lederer has been a supplier of high-grade steel fasteners for more than 40 years and offers more than 20,000 different articles direct from stock.

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ederer’s range includes screws, pins, nuts, rings, washers made from high-grade steel, ordinary steel and non-ferrous materials, and includes standard and designed parts - DIN, EN, ISO and in-house.

As well as this, more and more customers are putting their faith in process-optimised procurement by means of C-parts management from Lederer.

Lederer highlights that the advantages of using it for C-parts management include a reduction in process costs by up to 50%; permanent availability and guaranteed quality; reduced capital commitment thanks to destocking; and individualised logistics.

“At Lederer we are big enough to realise even substantial and elaborate projects (we will be glad to provide references), but at the same time we are small enough to react quickly, flexibly and un-bureaucratically to market and customer requirements.” www.lederer-online.com

fastener fair hannover

Special engineered fasteners

Hall: 21 Stand: D53

PSM International considers itself to be a worldwide market leader in the design, production and distribution of special engineered fasteners.

Established in 1931, PSM has global capabilities with manufacturing and distribution operations in 23 countries around the world.

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SM International’s customers include market leaders in the automotive, consumer electronics, white goods markets and other manufacturing sectors. PSM prides itself on the ability to provide technical support, application engineering, project management and customer service to a consistently high standard.

PSM’s core products include a complete range of inserts for injection-moulded plastics, as well as multiple fastening solutions for sheet metal. PSM also provides both selfclinching fasteners and anchor rivet bushes for precision metal applications as well as proprietary Flangeform fasteners for heavy duty applications. Flangeform fasteners are available in both nuts and studs and are widely used in the automotive, white goods, consumer electronics and general sheet metal industries.

PSM also designs and manufactures specialised automatic feeding equipment for full integration into customer press lines and robotic cells providing cost saving applications.

PSM has gained significant expertise working with customers throughout the product life cycle from design conception through to product launch and into general production. www.psminternational.com

Bringing out the big guns

Hall: 21 Stand: D23

Rivit Srl invites all visitors to Fastener Fair Hannover to its stand so that they can see its range of new products, as well as experience the typical Italian warm welcome from Rivit’s staff.

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t the show Rivit is showcasing the new RIV941, a very compact tool with stroke and pressure adjustment; the RIV942, a tool with stroke and pressure adjustment which develops a force of 31,000N for heavy duty rivet nuts; and RIV916B for placing rivet nuts up to M16.

“Our people are happy to discuss our wide range of ‘guns’ for blind rivets and rivet nuts, with visitors also being able to touch and evaluate the tools. Visitors can also see the complete range of fasteners we have to offer.”

26 Fastener + Fixing Te chnology • Is sue 5 Apr - Jun 2012

Nuclear endorsed quality

Hall: 21 Stand: H59

Tachart Ltd (also know as Bolt and Nut Manufacturing (BNM)), based in Rotherham, UK, has manufactured qualified fasteners for nuclear power since the 1990s.

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t has machined components for nuclear plants from USA to China and offers full material traceability and qualification via its nuclear endorsed quality management system.

“No other specialist qualified fastener manufacturer can match the same level of quality and rapid delivery for this critical industry. In response to the upcoming UK nuclear new build programme, we already have plans to increase our production capacity by a further 50% to meet the increased demand expected for this sector in the decade ahead.”

Guaranteed tension

Hall: 21 Stand: J67

Tension Control Bolts Ltd says that its products are replacing conventional high strength friction grip and preloaded bolts throughout the steel construction industry simply because they are quick and easy to install.

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ension Control Bolts Ltd explains that its Tension Control Bolts (TCBs) guarantee tension and, together with visual inspection, removes the likelihood of operator error and help assure engineers that connections are tightened in accordance with European specifications.

TCBs are used extensively by the UK rail industry for new bridges, re-strengthening of existing bridges and rivet replacement. The UK highways agency also specifies TCBs for its bridges and gantries.

Tension Control Bolts Ltd has its own metal coating plant producing an environmentally friendly process called Greenkote ® which is comparable to galvanising, although it is harder wearing and readily accepts all paint systems without the need for acid etching.

As the largest manufacturer, designer and distributor of TCBs in Europe, Tension Control Bolt Ltd is able to offer ex-stock delivery of both its range of bolts and shear wrench tools, as well as providing full technical support and installation training.

Special Screws

equal force / travel

coil spring

SMALL SPACE?

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An innovative solution, to a simple problem Crest-to-Crest Wave Springs offer space saving technology call now to speak to our expert team

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Fit bolts, plugs, knurled thumb screws, square head bolts, flat headed screws, hexagon set screws, brass screws and specials.

www.thefastenercentre.com Fon + 49 (0) 40 532 852- 0 Fax + 49 (0) 40 532 852- 52

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info@pasvahl.de www.pasvahl.de

29.12.2011 18:29:01 Uhr

Hall: 21 Stand: L69

REQUIRED.

fastener fair hannover

The Perfect Lock Bolt

Hall: 21 Stand: L52

K-Series joins the TR family

Hall: 21 Stand: A41

The Perfect Lock Bolt (PLB), from French based T.H.I Sarl, is a vibration resistant, dual threaded, mechanically locked bolt and two nut combination with rolled threads.

TR Fastenings is to introduce the new K-Series nut, the first nut which can be used for sheet steel and plastic applications too thin to be tapped by conventional methods.

he PLB is designed for repeated use and, according to T.H.I Sarl, exceeds industry standards and can be built to customer specifications.

Two nuts with different pitch threads on a single bolt is the key to PLB not loosening “even under severe vibration-shock.” The Power Nut and Lock Nut travel at two different speeds on two differently pitched sets of threads on the same bolt. The Power Nut travels faster than the Lock Nut and when put under vibration the slower traveling Lock Nut prevents the Power Nut from loosening as with traditional bolt, nut and washer combinations.

The PLB can be used in a variety of applications including: steel frame buildings, bridges, steel towers, construction machinery, wind driven electricity, generators, cranes, ships, playground equipment, elevators, commercial vehicles, aviation, as well as a host of other applications.

he K-Series nut has been specially designed for use in applications with a minimum sheet thickness of 1mm.

The nut, which offers a permanent female thread, can be installed without the need for specialist tooling.

Once fixed, the product offers a permanent thread with a high prevailing torque and pullout resistance.

K-Series nuts are manufactured in a case hardened carbon steel, plated and tested to ISO898, stainless steel can be supplied to order. Sizes range from M2.5 - M16, with three different spigot lengths; the body of the product is hexagon with a serrated spigot.

The K-Series nut joins a long list of products especially designed to be used in sheet metal applications. TR Fastenings offers a wide range of sheet metal products, including; the genuine Hank rivet bush, Hank self-clinch fasteners, weld nuts, blind rivets, rivet nuts and weld nuts. www.trfastenings.com

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Ambrovit offers ‘special service’

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Ambrovit Srl is one of Europe’s largest wholesale distributors of chipboard, selftapping and self-drilling screws and bolts.

Hall: 21 Stand: D11

hanks to its new automated warehouse, Ambrovit is now able to store around 20,000 ready-to-ship pallets as well as being able to offer a ‘special service’ to guarantee quick delivery. Ambrovit’s broad product range includes: accessories for fasteners, hex lag screws/hex flange screws 4.8, chipboard screws, drywall screws, dome screws/ euro screws, machine screws 4.8 and taptite screws/nuts/washers/bolts 8.8-10.9/threaded rod. www.ambrovit.it

Fixing systems from Tecfi

Hall: 21 Stand: L04

Tecfi S.p.A invites all visitors to Fastener Fair Hannover to its stand to learn more about the design, production and distribution of its wide range of fixing systems.

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ecfi highlights that it is able to offer a variety of products including ETA CE certified concrete screws and anchors, the HANDYPLUG ® frame multi-purpose anchor, certified screws and accessories for solar systems, as well as certified chipboard screws. www.tecfi.it

28 Fastener + Fixing Te chnology • Is sue 5 Apr - Jun 2012

Acument is ttap® Master Licensee

Hall: 21 Stand: G37

Acument Global Technologies has reached an agreement with TTAPDrive AS to become a Master Licensee of ttap®. The ttap® features will combine with Acument’s TORX® and TORX PLUS® drive systems to offer premium drive systems to customers.

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he advantages of this new dual-system include authentic TORX® and TORX PLUS ® Drive Systems giving greater torque and drive tool life, and a stick-fit between driver and recess’ in the recess. This makes one-handed operation possible, eliminating the need for a magnetic bit holder, which in turn means there are no steel splinters to clog the bit.

Hall: 21 Stand: L04

Fastener + Fixing Technology

Think

big

Hall: 21 Stand: D31

Words: David Wiles Photo: Christer Ehrling, Superbolt & CERN

With Superbolt® customers can tighten even the largest bolts with hand tools. Like the Nord-Lock product range, the result is safer, faster and more accurate bolting, making them a perfect match.

Here Nord-Lock takes a closer look at it’s latest acquisition.

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olf Steinbock’s eureka moment, which came in 1974 while on a service call to one of his scrap choppers in a US steel mill, solved at a stroke two basic problems with big bolts. One is that they take a massive amount of torque to tighten. The second is that they have a nasty habit of working loose.

When told that the bolts on the gearbox of the otherwise perfectly-functioning scrap chopper required tightening a couple of times a day, Steinbock had a flash of inspiration which he hastily scribbled down on the proverbial napkin.

His solution worked perfectly, and the bolts never came loose again.

Steinbock’s solution, to split one big torque into a number of smaller torques, was commercialised as Superbolt. “He was actually surprised that nobody had thought of it before,” says his son, Allan Steinbock, who is the company’s vicepresident. Word spread to customers beyond the steel industry and, today, Superbolt’s multi-jackbolt tensioners can be found in a wide range of applications, from satellites to submarines to the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. The problem Steinbock tackled is the fact that for bolt diameters bigger than about M24, it is very difficult to create enough torque to tighten or loosen a bolt.

Simple physics shows that the torque needed to properly pre-stress a bolt increases by the third power of the bolt diameter. Therefore as the bolt diameter increases, the torque requirement for tightening it soars.

Traditionally this has required some

heavy-handed methods, but all have their drawbacks. The sledgehammer gives

30 Fastener + Fixing Te chnology • Is sue 5 Apr - Jun 2012

little control, is inconsistent and often causes injuries. Thermal tightening, crane wrenching, hydraulic wrenching and hydraulic tensioning can be expensive, inaccurate, time consuming and unsafe.

However, Superbolt tensioners, which are designed as direct replacements for standard nuts and bolts, allow for the tightening of large bolts with simple hand tools, making bolting more accurate, faster and safer. “The primary benefit of Superbolt is the reduction of torque required,” says Steinbock. “You only need a handheld torque wrench or air tool.”

Superbolt tensioners utilise a ring of hardened jackbolts threaded into a nut body. The Superbolt tensioner is first threaded by hand onto a new or existing bolt or stud. Once positioned, bolt tensioning is accomplished by tightening the circle of jackbolts. A number of different product lines are based on the same basic concept.

“Because we are able to generate the proper preload, we achieve the proper holding power and we don’t have bolts or nuts coming loose, even in high-vibration situations,” says Steve Busalacchi, engineering manager. “This reduces expensive downtime: both downtime required for maintenance to retighten loose bolts, but also downtime caused by studs breaking due to insufficient holding power.”

Because Superbolt can be installed with hand tools, there are also time savings. “We install quicker and we remove quicker,” says Busalacchi.

“People’s first impression is that it will take longer because they have several

Gold award from CERN Superbolt supplied more than 1,500 high-strength mechanical tensioners, expansion bolts and multi-jackbolt tensioners to the CERN Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland. Multi-jackbolt tensioners were used for an application requiring a very high clamping force, but with limited space for tightening the bolts. Since only hand tools were required, the need to create anchor points for heavier tightening equipment was eliminated. Superbolt won the CMS gold award for its contribution to the project. bolts to tighten instead of one. But once they see that you spin it on by hand and perform a quick tightening pattern similar to mounting a wheel on your car with hand-held tools, then they are impressed by the time savings we provide.”

The safety benefits of the Superbolt solution are highly appreciated at a time when many industries have implemented safety programmes. “Safety is a huge factor for us,” says Steinbock.

“Alternative methods require equipment which can create extremely dangerous conditions. Our products are safe to use, and this is a huge benefit to our customers.”

While Superbolt products are available off-the-shelf, about half its sales are for special non-standard items in sizes all the way from M16 to over M1450. “What makes Superbolt unique is our ability to adapt to different situations, whether this is reviewing temperatures and changing materials, or customising designs to fit customer requirements. We are very adaptable and want to make sure that the customer receives the right solution and is satisified,” says Busalacchi.

Users of Superbolt products including General Electric, Siemens and RollsRoyce appreciate the fact that that they can receive finite element analysis (FEA) carried out by independent organisations.

“These organisations can provide an independent assessment of what we are telling our customers about our calculations,” says Norbert Schneider, head of engineering at Nord-Lock AG. “It boils down to safety and customers’ peace of mind.”

A current installation of Superbolts shows just how extreme an environment they can handle. About 2,000 tensioners made from exotic nickel-based alloys have been installed at the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics in Greifswald, Germany, where research will be carried out into the principles of a fusion power plant, which, in the future, could provide safe, green energy from the same process that takes place inside the sun.

“The Max Planck Institute has chosen Superbolt because the ambient conditions under which the research is to be carried out are quite horrendous - we are talking about -270°C, radiation and an absolute vacuum, as well as extremely high loads,” says Schneider.

“Basically, we are dealing with outer space conditions found close to the sun.”

And highly compact machines mean that there is no access for heavy tools. “The forces are so immense that they require large bolts and the only way to tighten large bolts without heavy tools is the Superbolt principle,” says Schneider.

Such characteristics and performance mean that once customers have tried Superbolt, they rarely return to the troublesome methods of the past.

“The hardest part, as with any product, is to get people to try it,” says Steinbock. “But once people have tried it, our repeat order rate is phenomenal.

Customers now count on us to provide a quality product and we receive tremendous loyalty from them in return.” www.nord-lock.com

Benefits of Superbolt include: • • • • • • • • •

Only hand tools are required.

Time and labour saving.

Maximum holding power.

Increased workplace safety.

Accurate preload.

Ideal for restricted areas.

Flexing adds elasticity to the joint.

Tightens in pure tension.

Economical and reusable.

Superbolts in use: Ideal mine solution The severe environment of an underground coal mine takes a brutal toll on crusher drum bits. It is a violent application with high RPMs and constant pounding as the bits cut into coal and rock and often break off, requiring repair underground, where accessibility is limited. With Superbolt, space restrictions are of little concern because only small hand tools are required, making the process easier and faster.

Cheaper and faster Large ammonia reactors often require the use of large and expensive hydraulic tensioners, and tightening or untightening can take several days, working around the clock, and using cranes. At one such reactor, not only was the initial cost of the Superbolt tensioners only a fraction of the cost of the hydraulic tensioners they replaced, but the installation took two labourers only 5 hours.

www.fastfixtechnology.com

31

non-threaded Technology

The growth of lightweight composite materials Here bigHead Bonding Fasteners Ltd, based in Dorset, UK, looks at the development of lightweight composite materials and how it is contributing to the growth of bonding fasteners.

T

he development of composites and plastics and their migration into applications habitually dominated by traditional materials such as wood and metal has been significant. Lighter, stronger, versatile and more mechanically stable, modern composite materials have found a home in almost every industrial sector. The issue of reducing weight or ‘light-weighting’ has become central to innovation in the automotive sector. High oil prices and increasing regulatory pressure to reduce carbon emissions will only enhance this trend.

Initially, lightweight composite materials such as carbon fibre were only used in very high end applications such as aerospace and super cars, as costs were very high and production processes slow. Increasingly, major car makers are introducing carbon fibre into their luxury models and many are examining ways to replace structural elements traditionally made in heavier metal with lightweight carbon fibre. As the volumes of carbon fibre production increases, the costs will fall and the number of applications in premium and standard car models will increase.

The expansion of carbon fibre and other lightweight composite materials presents challenges as well as opportunities. One of the key challenges is how to securely fasten to such materials. Traditional fastening systems designed for sheet metal, such as rivets, bolts and clinched fixings are incompatible with carbon fibre. Increasingly therefore, design engineers are turning to bonding and bonding fasteners as a solution. Interestingly, this is exactly how design engineers solved the same problem in the 1970s when GRP became a popular material.

“ The

issue of reducing weight or ‘light-weighting’ has become central to innovation in the automotive sector.”

The development of the bonding fastener Bonding fasteners were invented by bigHead in 1966 to solve a fastening problem that traditional fasteners could not; how to achieve a strong mechanical fastening in a composite material, such as GRP. bigHead came up with the unique bigHead bonding fastener design; a fixing, such as a threaded

32 Fastener + Fixing Te chnology • Is sue 5 Apr - Jun 2012

stud or collar, is welded to a flat perforated head which is embedded in the composite material.

The perforated head helps spread the load directly into the composite material while the welding process means there is an almost infinite variety of fixings that can be used. Like all the best inventions it was simple and effective but also versatile in solving a problem. In its 45 year history bigHead has made over 5,000 types of bigHead bonding fasteners for specific customer applications, and customers show no sign of diminishing their need for flexible design.

The growth in performance and acceptance of adhesives has gone hand in glove with the growth of bonding fasteners.

Whereas the original bonding fasteners were embedded in the GRP when laid up or formed, most manufacturers today surface bond bigHead fasteners with adhesive. The perforated head allows the adhesive to flow through and lock the fastener in position when cured. A substrate like carbon fibre is left undamaged and the load continues to be effectively spread through the perforated head and adhesive to the substrate. The expansion and refinement of adhesives continues to broaden the scope and range of bonding fasteners across many industries.

From prototype to production The phrase “time is money” has never been truer, whether for the assembly of a car or the construction of a building.

Streamlining a production process has therefore become a critical factor for success. bigHead typically supplies Tier 1 and Tier 2 sub-assembly manufacturers who provide completed modules to their customers for final assembly. By integrating the bonding fasteners within their module, Tier 1 and 2 suppliers help their customers streamline final assembly. In this streamlined process simple product design and reliability have become even more critical.

As bonding fasteners become integral to the product they are bonded to, the strength and reliability of the welding technology that forms the bigHead is of central importance.

The bigHead welding technology also enables an enormous range of different bigHead fasteners to be made quickly and reliably, and often in small runs to support customer prototyping and testing. bigHead can test fasteners for specific applications and provide customers with critical data to help them optimise design and performance. bigHead’s automated welding technology is designed to ensure a perfect weld every

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non-threaded Technology time. By utilising multiple high energy cyclic pulses together with a high compression force for each weld they can guarantee maximum fusion occurs, all within a fully controlled environment. Each weld is very closely monitored during the production process to ensure all set parameters are met and the optimum weld is achieved, resulting in a low stress, crack-free crystalline structure to the finished weld.

A standard measure used to assess the control and consistency of the weld is the number of bigHeads per million that were shipped with a defective weld. The average PPM rate since 2009 has been 1.33ppm. To support this high level of consistency bigHead is committed to continuous improvement and Lean Manufacturing. Data is analysed to streamline operations and reduce inefficiency. This ensures the service to customers is accurate, responsive and flexible.

Automotive bigHeads are used in cabin panels, interior trim, external cladding, bumpers, moulded panels, light clusters, seating, anchor points, and many other applications. They are used in many of the world’s leading automotive companies such as Aston Martin, Bentley, Lotus, McLaren, Ford, Audi, VW, Mercedes, Jaguar Land Rover and JCB, as well as numerous kit car manufacturers and enthusiasts. bigHead is a BMW approved supplier to Rolls Royce Motors.

As the automotive market is investing particularly heavily in lightweight materials, bigHead is continuing to see an extension of demand from supercars to premium and luxury cars as lightweight materials such as carbon fibre extend their penetration.

Aston Martin is a good example of a super car application.

The carbon fibre diffusers on Aston Martins are attached with bigHead fasteners and a structural adhesive (pictured below).

Discrete and very strong, the bigHead fasteners are surface bonded on the inside of the diffuser. Completely invisible they require no rivets or drill holes. Due to the unique design of the perforated ‘head’, the glue flows through the holes and locks the fastener into position, achieving high stability and strength.

Bonded in position by the Tier 1 supplier to Aston Martin the diffuser is ready for final assembly.

carbon fibre and other composite materials in the most severe marine environments.

For many years bigHeads have been found in many of the world’s leading boats such as Sunseeker yachts, Lasers and RNLI lifeboats. bigHead has also seen an increase in the use of bonding as an alternative to welding in marine environments as welding can lead to weakness through corrosion. Offshore oil and gas platforms for example have started to implement adhesive bonding as an effective alternative to welding.

Construction bigHeads are used to secure interior panels, exterior cladding, moulded panels, light clusters, seating, anchor points, and in many other applications. bigHeads are particularly good for discretely fixing thin panels where traditional drilled fixings are incompatible. Product tests show that bigHead fasteners withstand very high loads.

Computer design and the proliferation of new materials have challenged traditional building fixing systems that relied on masonry and timber produced in large cross-section.

Some buildings such as Cloud Nine in Spain use lightweight composite materials as cladding. In the example below the curved cladding panels are held in position by bigHeads surface bonded on the inside of the panel.

Made in UK

Marine bigHeads are used to secure cabin panels, engine room insulation, interior furnishings, deck fixings, light clusters, and in many other applications. Made of 316 stainless steel, bigHeads are ideally suited to provide high load bearing fixings to GRP,

34 Fastener + Fixing Te chnology • Is sue 5 Apr - Jun 2012

bigHead fasteners are made in the UK, at the factory in Bournemouth, Dorset. This ensures total control of product and process quality and a flexible service to customers. It is many manufacturers’ experience that low cost imports and overseas copies can actually increase production costs, with inconsistent quality leading to costly re-work and dissatisfied customers. bigHead continues to invest in process improvement and Lean Manufacturing but also in innovation. bigHead is working with MAS, Bath University and UWE on several projects to ensure its product and designs solutions remain innovative and relevant. bigHead is also working with world leading partners in composites and adhesives, such as ITW Plexus and 3M, to ensure that customers receive the best guidance and ultimately the best solution to their fastening challenges. www.bighead.co.uk

Sherex launches RIV-FLOAT®-SHORT Sherex Fastening Solutions says that to ensure easy, accurate, and fast attachment of components in off centre applications, users should use the new, innovative, addition to the RIV-FLOAT® family; RIV-FLOAT®-SHORT.

T

he RIV-FLOAT® -SHORT was developed for applications requiring backside clearance similar to cage nuts and riveted nut plates. The new RIV-FLOAT® -SHORT has all the features and benefits of the original RIV-FLOAT® including knurls which increase spin out resistance in soft materials.

RIV-FLOAT® -SHORT was developed to allow manufacturers the benefit of accounting for tolerance stack up, and resolve alignment issues during product assembly. This saves costly rework of components and the expensive downtime associated with stripped or cross threaded fasteners. RIV-FLOAT® -SHORT also allows installation from the front side of the work piece which improves assembly time by allowing the fasteners to be installed post paint, powder coat or other surface treatment.

RIV-FLOAT® -SHORT can be used in a variety of applications including aircraft interiors to attach the structures of the galley, overhead bins, armrests and the lavatory; military applications

to attach handles and overhead racking; and electronic enclosures to attach door hinges. The RIV-FLOAT® SHORT can be placed in the floor, ceiling, and walls to attach other components to the enclosure.

“RIV-FLOAT® is the next generation of fastening technology that was designed for post installation in applications where cage nuts, clinch nuts, floating nut plates or weld nuts are typically used. This innovative family of rivet nuts is RoHS compliant and can provide higher thread strength than regular rivet nuts.”

These breakthrough rivet nuts are installed with the new hydro-pneumatic rivet nut tool Sherex has launched - the SFS FLEX-5 tool. Automated installation systems with process monitoring/control are also available for the RIV-FLOAT®, RIV-FLOAT® -SHORT and the full line of Sherex fasteners.

renewable energy

On course for growth

I

n the global list of the world’s biggest markets for wind power India is already ranked fifth, behind only the USA, Germany, China and Spain. As it is one of the countries with the highest rates of economic growth in Asia, this trend is going to get even stronger in the future, as the subcontinent’s energy demand is enormous. The development of wind power is supported by the Indian government, which stipulated in its latest five-year plan that the country’s energy generation should increase by a further 61GW by 2012. The government’s aim is for 14GW of this to come from forms of renewable energy. So far there have already been 13GW installed in the wind sector. In order to reach these targets, the share of wind power has, however, actually got to nearly double to as much as 20GW – in part because the other forms of regenerative energy are technically not sufficiently advanced yet. One particular feature of the wind power market in India is that 70% of the customers are industrial companies that produce energy for their own needs. In order to make their investment in wind power attractive, tax benefits for doing this will continue into the future. Furthermore, licensed operators of the power supply network are now legally obliged to cover at least 10% of their requirements from wind power.

36 Fastener + Fixing Te chnology • Is sue 5 Apr - Jun 2012

By Dr. Gerhard Reusmann, CEO, Dörken MKS-Systeme GmbH & Co. KG

Hall: 21 Stand: F22

The Indian market for wind turbines is booming and is thus an attractive environment for German companies with relevant know-how. A manufacturer of special fasteners from Hagen has therefore set up a subsidiary in the vicinity of Pune, where it is producing fasteners and connectors for wind turbines and coating them using zinc flake systems.

Closer to the market Wind turbine construction in India is dominated by local suppliers, who take as much as 70% of all business.

Predominant amongst them is Suzlon Energy with a market share of nearly 43%. In order to be closer to this and other important clients in an expanding market, RS Randack Spezialschrauben GmbH of Hagen, Germany, set up Randack Fasteners India Private Ltd as a joint venture with Klaus Union Engg Private Ltd in May 2008. The latter already has a subsidiary based near Pune and provided an area of around 10,000 square metres for the new production site. In just six months a new facility for producing solid steel fasteners was built there with an adjoining laboratory area for putting the manufactured parts through quality control checks in line with German and international standards.

The parts most used in wind turbine construction are complete fittings made up of fasteners/hexagon head fasteners, washers and (hexagon head) nuts for fastening the rotor blades and/or tower elements. However, the company’s range also includes special fasteners for the nacelle and the gearbox housing. The parts are in the M6 to M64 size range and are up to three metres in length. For rotor blade connections the company provides stud bolt sets, consisting

The complete stud bolt set for the rotor blade connection of a bolt with two threaded ends, a hexagon head nut, a barrel nut and two washers. Randack, however, did not have to look around in India to find highly efficient anti-corrosion protection for these fasteners. Just 10 kilometres north of the company’s headquarters in Westphalia, Germany, they found the ideal partner in Dörken MKS-Systeme GmbH & Co. KG of Herdecke.

Dörken has been developing and producing micro-layer anticorrosion protection systems here for 30 years and in addition to numerous applications in the automotive industry these are now also widely used in the renewable energy field. Dörken has been active in the Indian market for quite some time, looking after customers from a local office. The company has also already found its first few coating partners in the Indian market.

In-house coating In 2009, Randack decided that it would also do the anticorrosion coating with protective zinc flake systems in house, thus keeping the entire manufacturing process – from cutting the raw material to size to coating and final quality control – all under their own roof. In early 2010, a further 3,000 square metres of production space were therefore added, including the company’s own coating plant, which went into operation this year and is supplied with DELTA-MKS ® systems from Herdecke. The products used are the chrome (VI) free coatings Delta ® -Tone and Delta ® -Seal, which have already been used successfully in wind turbines for over 15 years.

All threaded connections fitted in a wind turbine are to some extent exposed to extreme climatic and thus corrosive conditions, as well as dynamic strains from wind loading and the turbine’s own operation. The fasteners used there are therefore generally highly rigid. However, if the wrong form of surface protection is chosen, these have a degree of susceptibility to brittle fractures. Such brittle fracture failure is often the consequence of hydrogen penetration during the surface treatment process. This is something that needs to be taken into account when selecting the form of anti-corrosion protection to be used. The protective coating also has to have specific friction coefficients in order to enable connections to be easily screwed together on-site even when often working against the clock and under difficult conditions. Not least, however, the coating must provide highly effective and longlasting anti-corrosion protection. This, of course, applies very especially in the case of offshore locations.

For extreme exposure Zinc flake systems are in effect able to fulfil these requirements as a package. The Delta ® -Tone basecoat provides active cathodic protection and, with a layer thickness of just 10µm (depending upon geometry, system set-up and application process) achieves corrosion endurance times as per DIN EN ISO 9227 of over 1,000 hours. The coating can be applied using all standard methods of application. Which

method to choose depends on the size and shape of the parts.

Large format steel components, as used in wind turbines, are, for example, coated at Randack by spraying, while smaller elements are given their surface protection by the dip-spin method. As no hydrogen is introduced in the coating process, it is possible to rule out any danger of the rigid components suffering hydrogen embrittlement caused by the coating procedure. After application, the protective coat is annealed for approximately 30 minutes at an object temperature of on average 240°C. The low annealing temperatures prevent the rigid steel components from getting damaged in the process by unduly high heat exposure and thus have a decisive advantage over rival systems.

“ All

threaded connections fitted in a wind turbine are to some extent exposed to extreme climatic and thus corrosive conditions, as well as dynamic strains from wind loading and the turbine’s own operation.”

The subsequent application of an organic topcoat using Delta ® -Seal significantly increases the anti-corrosion protection still further. In contrast to the basecoat, this topcoat is not electrically conductive. The additional protection from corrosion is provided here by insulating the basecoat against corrosive attack. Depending on the choice of topcoat, further requirements can also be fulfilled, such as colouring, chemical-, UV-ray and extreme temperature resistance and defined friction values.

Favourable conditions Setting up an Indian subsidiary for producing solid steel bolts and fasteners not only opened up the possibility for Randack to manufacture cost efficiently in the locality and to supply the leading companies in an expanding market on a just in time basis, but also, where required, to provide on-site technical advice as well. The other general conditions were also extremely attractive. The situation with regards to the supply of raw materials in western India is very good and the Indian labour market also offers great potential in terms of qualified engineers and well trained specialists for operating production plants. This, along with the imported, highly specialised manufacturing equipment from Hagen and innovative zinc flake coating technology from Herdecke, gave the new company the necessary ‘following wind’. Now, 30% of its production is exported to Europe and to parts of the USA. Quality from Westphalia – made in India! www.doerken-mks.com

www.fastfixtechnology.com

37

Renewable Energy

Measurement technology in wind energy With manufacturers, operators and service providers looking for greater reliability and safety, less maintenance and downtime, and a reduction in operational and build costs, RotaBolt asks whether the wind energy sector could save millions of euros by simply adopting a basic engineering principle when it comes to fastener technology - accurately measure what the operator is doing.

W

ind turbine assemblies are complex structures.

A typical 2.3MW turbine will have nine major bolted joints in its construction with approximately 1,000 bolts in the complete assembly. The most obvious and visible bolted joints are the main turbine blades connecting to the blade flange and the blade flange to the main hub, but other critical joints include the bearing housing, base frame, gear stays, the main yaw bearing, as well as tower flanges and foundations.

Many of these joints are subject to complex loads and forces with fatigue and vibration cited as the most common factors in failures. Understandably, maintenance regimes are both intensive and costly. It will take 140 man hours to carry out a complete bolt check on the same 2.3MW turbine. In offshore locations these costs become multiplied.

Three basic factors will assure the reliability of a bolted joint – the right design, the right component quality and the correct tension across the joint.

Design and quality are factors that are both measured, but the tension across the joint rarely is. What is measured in traditional practice is the force being applied to tighten; the tension or clamping force that is being achieved remains completely unmeasured and unknown.

As a result, it’s hardly surprising that approximately 90% of all bolted joint failures are caused by insufficient tension at installation. One simple solution is to employ fasteners with measurement technology built in. This way the correct design tension can be achieved and simply maintained throughout the life of the bolted joint.

Currently there are four operators in wind energy using RotaBolt ® measurement technology in the construction of their turbine assemblies, but there is ‘parallel learning’ from another sector altogether which adds weight to the argument in favour of using measurement technology.

The slew bearing of a pedestal crane is a bolted joint which almost directly parallels the dynamics of key joints in a wind turbine. It is the single most important connection in the entire crane assembly and the performance of the crane depends on

38 Fastener + Fixing Te chnology • Is sue 5 Apr - Jun 2012

the critical load path through this bearing.

After many years of learning, every pedestal crane that’s on an offshore platform in the British section of the North Sea is now using RotaBolt measurement technology in the main slew bearing, and quite often on the boom assembly as well.

Robert de Rijcke from Kenz cranes is just one of the beneficiaries: “We can accurately determine pre-tension at installation and with RotaBolts we don’t have to loosen and re-tighten in our annual checks.” Because each RotaBolt can be instantly finger-tip checked for correct tension, it has been estimated that the maintenance savings alone on each crane range between £10,000 (12,000 euros) and £15,000 (18,000 euros) every year.

In addition, the assurance and increased performance provided by the technology also means that Kenz has in special circumstances been able to increase the load bearing performance provided by their slew bearings.

Back in wind energy, if the same technology were employed on a typical 2.3MW turbine, the maintenance checking of 1,000 bolts would reduce from 140 hours down to 2 hours. In addition, because of the increased performance in bolted joint integrity delivered by the technology, the number of bolts being used in the design could be substantially reduced with further major savings in build and maintenance costs.

Two of the four turbine manufacturers currently using RotaBolt technology are Suzlon and Vergnet.

Suzlon Energy fits the fasteners on all its 1.25MW and 2.1MW wind turbines. The tension fasteners are standard fit on the wind turbine blade connections. Vergnet is now using them on the main structural joint of its unique GEV HP wind turbines, where the two halves of the turbine nacelle are joined.

Vergnet’s design allows the main turbine to be quickly disassembled into two halves so that the upwind nacelle section, complete with rotors, can be lowered to the ground and easily secured. This can be either as a protective measure in extreme weather conditions, or for much quicker service and maintenance. Each turbine uses thirty M90 RotaBolts on the main nacelle structural joint.

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Renewable Energy

Handling the demands of wind power

T

NOF METAL COATINGS EUROPE has developed thin layer anti-corrosion coatings that it says provide worldwide wind power companies with an alternative for protecting fasteners.

he zinc flake anti-corrosion technology that NOF METAL COATINGS Group has been developing for over 30 years is used across a wide variety of industries, but is especially significant for the wind power sector.

Michel Almosnino, chemical engineer in charge of the wind power market at NOF METAL COATINGS EUROPE in France explains: “The wind power market is one of the most dynamic industries for which our water-borne zinc flake anticorrosion technology is recognised as being particularly efficient

by European and international professionals of the sector. It is a fast growing market with an installed capacity increasing from 25% to 30% yearly worldwide.”

The anti-corrosion performance of coatings is essential in big mechanical structures such as wind turbines, with the fastening of the different elements providing the installation with safety and integrity. “On a 1MW wind turbine, there is about 5 tonnes of bolts,” mentions Michel Almosnino.

The key to innovation The structural element of a wind turbine, the nacelle mounted on top of the mast, connected to the rotor by the hub, is home to mechanical and pneumatic components as well as some electrical and electronic components necessary for its running. The corresponding fastenings, with diameters between 24mm and 64mm, are subjected to mechanical stress, physical/ chemical and climatic constraints, and have to be protected.

NOF METAL COATINGS points out that the anti-corrosion protection principles (barrier effect, sacrificial protection and passivation) already demonstrated in the fields of automotive, trucks, railway and construction equipment, means that its GEOMET® zinc flake coatings are able to meet these requirements.

Regarding the control of coefficients of friction, NOF METAL COATINGS GROUP has developed, with several wind turbine manufacturers, an alternative system for lubricating agents used generally when tightening and untightening bolts.

NOF METAL COATINGS’ says that its PLUS ® XL lubricated topcoat ensures the tribological functions needed for the screw-bolt assembly, which when associated with GEOMET® 500, provides an anti-corrosion protection of at least 1,000 hours when salt spray tested according to ISO 9227 standard.

Two laboratories, one French the other Spanish, have tested and validated the anti-corrosion and tribological properties. This process involved five assemblies and dis-assemblies being simulated without altering the properties. The result was a reduction of the assembly costs.

Michel Almosnino provides details: “Owing to this system,

40 Fastener + Fixing Te chnology • Is sue 5 Apr - Jun 2012

the coefficient of friction is very low, ranging between 0.06 and 0.09. The tightening torque is therefore lower, thus making the assembly and disassembly easier, particularly during maintenance operations. The coefficient of friction is an essential parameter to control the integrity of the bolted joints.”

Michael Almosnino also highlights that the geographical situation of wind farms is part of the factors that have to be taken into account, meaning that specific tests have to be implemented. In France, the Institute of Corrosion in Brest French subsidiary of the Sweden Institute of Corrosion, has certified the NOF METAL COATINGS GROUP coatings.

Application process Fasteners for wind turbines are generally large-sized, can weigh up to ten kilograms and have often complex geometries.

That is why it is important to have appropriate industrial technology for application. There are several application processes among which the spraying of parts on racks is the most used owing to its easy implementation on big-sized screws. Another common technology is the dip-spin process on racks. This enables covering hollow spaces and thus avoiding the ‘Faraday cage’ effect linked to the electrostatic spraying application.

NOF METAL COATINGS points out that prior to being coated, the parts are degreased and shotblasted (and not pickled in order to avoid hydrogen embrittlement).

The GEOMET® 500 + PLUS ® XL anti-corrosion system is a coating formed from aqueous solutions. It is composed of zinc and aluminium flakes in an inorganic matrix, without chromium.

The application of PLUS ® XL topcoat after the already selflubricated GEOMET® 500 coat reduces substantially the coefficient of friction to values that are appropriate for the wind sector.

The PLUS ® XL topcoat enables, on the one hand to ensure the required tribologic functions for the screw/bolt assembly and on the other hand to avoid the additional stage of further lubrication which is used frequently and costly. According to specifications parts are coated with a very thin film, with a thickness of between 8µm and 10µm. The last application process step consists of a drying and curing of the coating.

“Land or sea-based wind farms are booming, particularly in the United states, China, India and in Europe - especially in Spain, Germany and United Kingdom with the offshore wind power. Thanks to its global organisation, NOF METAL COATINGS GROUP is able to accompany these changes by bringing its expertise in the thin layer anti-corrosion field.” www.nofmetalcoatings.com

?

You specify the corrosion protective coating GEOMET® on your components, do you realise you are contributing to environmental benefits?

GEOMET® offers the best performance/ thickness ratio for corrosion protection of metal components. The required quantity of zinc and other metals is reduced as much as possible.

In addition, low thickness does facilitate the assembly of threaded parts.

www.nofmetalcoatings.com NOF METAL COATINGS EUROPE S.A. 120, rue Galilée 60315 CREIL Cedex / France Tel.: + 33 ( 0 ) 3 44 64 63 62 Fax: + 33 ( 0 ) 3 44 64 63 40 E-mail: infofr@nofmetalcoatings.com

is a registered trademark of NOF CORPORATION

Save resources

renewable energy

Faster rotor blade bonding thanks to new technology The energy turnaround and the push to expand renewable energy generation is posing major challenges for manufacturers of wind energy plants. To ensure economic viability, efforts are focusing first on improving the availability and productivity of existing production facilities.

H

enkel says that the use of new material technologies is making an important contribution to this, especially in rotor blade production.

Traditionally, blade shells and spars have been bonded using two-component epoxy resins. While these materials reliably meet the extremely high mechanical specifications, they are rapidly reaching their limits when it comes to the automation of manufacturing processes.

Henkel’s newly developed polyurethane adhesive - Macroplast UK 1340, is a PUR adhesive that satisfies the specific mechanical requirements for use in the wind power industry and, on top of this, makes rotor blade production more efficient.

Higher capacity utilisation through faster curing Henkel highlights that one of the major benefits offered by Macroplast UK 1340 is its accelerated cure speed. Since it is not only highly reactive but also produces less reaction heat, this two component adhesive considerably reduces both the duration and the temperature of the cure phase. Extensive tests have shown that substantial reductions can be achieved in bonding and tempering times. The lower cure temperature also has a positive impact on energy consumption in addition to reducing the risk of stress cracking due to excessive thermal loading. Heat sensitive foam inserts also remain unaffected.

Macroplast UK 1340 also satisfies the high mechanical demands for this application, as confirmed in a variety of tests.

The key criterion for achieving the technology shift is described

by Nicole Schlingloff, product developer at Henkel: “One absolute essential for wind energy plants is that they have to

be in technically perfect condition. Rotor blades are among the most highly stressed components one can imagine. Even the tiniest flaws can have disastrous consequences, and that can result in high costs for repairs, downtime, or even replacement of complete rotor blades. For all of those reasons, we had to make sure that Macroplast UK 1340 would entirely satisfy the market’s high demands.”

GL approved and IWES tested Macroplast UK 1340 fulfils all the key parameters specified

by Germanischer Lloyd (GL) and Henkel says it is the first PUR adhesive in the world to have obtained GL approval.

GL’s requirements for the adhesive primarily relate to its tensile shear strength, resistance to aging, creep behaviour and glass transition.

Further evidence of the functional capabilities and fatigue strength of the processed adhesive was recently furnished when it successfully passed load tests performed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy and Energy System Technology (IWES). In a long term test lasting some four months, an ENERCON rotor blade bonded with Macroplast UK 1340 was subjected in Bremerhaven to stresses and strains that would normally occur over a period of 20 years. The bonded joints of the 40 meter long blade passed the static and dynamic tests specified in the IEC 61400-23 standard to determine the rated load and fatigue behaviour of the blade. The test criteria specified for approval of wind energy plants were met without any problems. ENERCON’s own specifications were also satisfied in this blade test.

Real time bolt measurement An experiment on a wind farm in Texas, USA, has demonstrated new applications for Norbar’s USM-3 ultrasonic bolt meter, which provides precise measurements for the elongation (resolution to 0.0001mm) and load in threaded fasteners from 25mm to over 15m long.

T

he experiment showed how Norbar’s USM-3 ultrasonic bolt meter can provide precise real time measurements of forces affecting a bolted joint, in this case a 2m long foundation bolt on a wind turbine tower.

The initial length of the bolt was recorded using the USM-3 meter and a magnetic transducer placed onto the bolt end. After a while, it could be noted that the elongation measurement seemed to be unstable and the value was constantly drifting. This was because, as the wind increased, it was pushing the tower in the direction of the foundation bolt, so that the joint was compressed slightly and the elongation decreased. The opposite occurred when the wind decreased.

Norbar’s ultrasonic specialist Gregory Young explained: “This ability to read minute fluctuations in the bolt tension, real time, can be of value to many companies dealing with bolted joint issues. Many sectors such as the automotive industry will also be interested, since real time changes in bolt tension are highly important in automotive engineering.”

Ultrasonic measurement performed by the USM-3 works on a ‘time-of-flight’ principle, similar to sonar, with a small transducer placed on the head or stud end of the fastener sending an ultrasonic sound wave through the length of the bolt and back again, with easy to read data displayed on an LCD screen. The USM-3 incorporates digital signal processing and graphic displays of signal analysis and waveforms, which Norbar says makes it a truly user friendly instrument.

Norbar Torque Tools is a specialist in the design, development and production of torque tightening and measuring equipment. With its UK manufacturing base in Banbury, Oxfordshire, Norbar companies are located in Australia, China, India, New Zealand, Singapore and the USA.

42 Fastener + Fixing Te chnology • Is sue 5 Apr - Jun 2012

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renewable energy

Solar energy solutions Kee Safety Group explains how its extensive range of BeamClamp® and BoxBolt® solutions, launched in 2005, have gone from strength to strength with growth all across the world.

K

ee Safety Group is widely known for its renowned Kee Klamp ® structural fittings use to make handrail, guardrail and other tubular structures. Alongside this, Kee Safety offers an ever growing product range of roof top fall protection systems for collective and personal protection.

The company was started in the UK in 1934 and ever since has been producing extremely high quality complex products. Kee Safety now has facilities across the world, with offices in the UK (5 offices), France, Germany, Poland, Dubai, and 5 offices in the USA. It also has its own export department operating out of the UK, which develops partnerships in areas of the world where Kee Safety doesn’t have its own presence.

BeamClamp®

BeamClamp ® The BeamClamp ® range of steel to steel connection clamps is used in various renewable energy applications including the connection of solar panel frames used in large commercial applications and solar fields. Kee Safety’s floor fixing connections are used to secure open steel or chequer plate flooring which provides access to solar panels and within wind turbines.

Kee Safety also provides retro fit solutions for existing structures that require the connection of solar panels to create bespoke power generation systems. The BeamClamp ® range is a series of clamps to be used in conjunction with structural bolts to provide a solution for securing steel together without the need for traditional on-site methods such as welding or drilling.

“When all the costs that are required to make a connection are calculated, the clamping system, in the majority of situations, is the most economical as the installation speed and labour costs are vastly reduced. There are many other benefits such as a guaranteed load, adjustability, no damage to existing steel or coatings, no hot work permits and no debris created from drilling.

These benefits are becoming very important in situations where drilling and welding can create hazards.”

BoxBolt ® The BoxBolt ® is utilised within the renewable energy market when connection into a tube or hollow section is required. For example, BoxBolt ® is an alternative to rivets when a solar panel needs to be connected to a frame on-site.

The BoxBolt ® range provides an economical solution for making blind connections when compared with traditional methods such as welding or bolting through. The BoxBolt ® eliminates complicated fabrications such as welding internal nuts or providing internal stiffeners to reduce crushing from tightening.

BoxBolt ® is approved by Lloyds Register and also DIBt (Deutsches Institut für Bautechnik) and complies with the design requirements to Euro code 3 and DIN 18800.

Quality/new product development Kee Safety prides itself on providing quality products compliant to all relevant approvals and legislation specific for the market they will be used in. The BeamClamp ® and BoxBolt ® products go through regular external audits from both Lloyds Register and DIBt approval bodies.

Kee Safety aims to lead the market in new product development and has the facilities in-house to perform prototyping and product testing to make sure that the right product gets to the market as quickly as possible. It has a dedicated area within its 40,000sq/ft facility in the UK for this type of work alongside the day to day quality testing.

Technical support

BoxBolt®

The products can be used in an almost infinite number of configurations and in a variety of market sectors so it is essential that expertise is on hand for support. Kee Safety offers this support for its products across the globe and has facilities such as 3D CAD design, finite element analysis, in-house bespoke testing, project support and project design. This facility is provided free of charge by Kee Safety’s engineers to ensure that the most economical and technically correct solution is provided. www.keesafetygroup.com

44 Fastener + Fixing Te chnology • Is sue 5 Apr - Jun 2012

Safe Construction of Solar Arrays

Kee Klamp®

components provide the perfect tool for constructing completely flexible supporting frames using cost effective lightweight circular tubular steel.

Structures simply require a hexagon key to facilitate the installation.

Kee Klamp

BeamClamp® steelwork

connections simplify the connection of structural steel without welding or drilling or the need for an on-site power supply.

All connections can be completed using only simple hand tools.

BoxBolt® provides structural A KEE SAFETY PRODUCT

connections with hollow sections or blind connections without the need of expensive field welding.

All connections can be completed using only simple hand tools.

Kee Safety Group Limited Cradley Business Park • Overend Road • Cradley Heath • B64 7DW • United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0) 1384 632 398 • Fax: +44 (0)1384 632 399 • Email: exportenquiries@keesafety.com Website: www.keesafetygroup.com

Fastener + Fixing Technology

Coatings for high tensile components

By Alan Gardner, global marketing manager, MacDermid Industrial Solutions When coating performance is considered, hours to white or red rust are the normal criteria. However with high tensile fasteners, threaded or unthreaded, being free of hydrogen embrittlement is an equally important factor. For this reason components such as rivets and safety critical fasteners are zinc coated using a mechanically applied process rather than traditional electroplate. This process also offers advantages in bulk application against organic dip spin that even the smallest fastener can be treated without head/recess fill or parts sticking together.

Mechanical plating In the mechanical plating process the zinc is present as fine dust. It is deposited by a cold welding process. Impact energy is transferred from a rotating open ended barrel through glass beads to the zinc dust. This impacts the zinc against the steel substrate.

The resulting deposit provides corrosion protection to the articles without introducing hydrogen embrittlement into the part.

The main features of the mechanical zinc process: • No risk of hydrogen embrittlement.

• Excellent corrosion protection.

• Choice of zinc, zinc aluminium or zinc tin alloys.

• Automated bulk process.

• Room temperature, cold welding batch by batch capability.

• Non-electrolytic process.

• Thicknesses can range from 8µm to over 75µm.

The benefits to the specifier are reliability, security and value.

Reliability The consistency of mechanical plating can be demonstrated by the replication in processing and the resultant coating. Additionally mechanical plating is specified by automotive manufacturers within the ZinKlad approved applicator programme.

Plating process The plating process is defined by process steps which are always the same. The only change, batch to batch, is the amount of material added (i.e. zinc dust). These quantities are correlated to the surface area being coated and the thickness required. These factors mean that the results are reproducible time and time again.

Coating performance This reproducibility means a predictable coating is produced.

Mechanical zinc plating, specified for over 30 years now by many major automotive manufacturers, delivers corrosion resistance similar to electroplated zinc for the same given zinc thickness. This means that an 8µm coating will resist more than 250 hours to red rust. Therefore exceeding requirements for non-threaded fasteners, such as rivets for joining metal, and threaded fasteners used in safety critical assemblies such as seat belt mountings.

Applicator programme Automotive companies often specify their surface finishing within an applicator programme. This programme aids coating reliability through a common audited standard. This helps to ensure the same coating performance throughout the applicator base, regardless of geographical applicator location.

Security A common feature of the two component types mentioned above is that both are constructed from high tensile steel.

46 Fastener + Fixing Te chnology • Is sue 5 Apr - Jun 2012

It is generally accepted that steels having a hardness above Rockwell C-40 are susceptible to hydrogen embrittlement.

One of the issues of hydrogen embrittlement, is that the higher strength steels which are used to bear high loads are the very steels which can fail from hydrogen embrittlement at loads much less than their design load. The role which the hydrogen plays in the failure mechanism includes factors such as internal pressure from gas formation, formation of metal hydrides, stress concentration due to interactions with metal imperfections, and micropore or microcrack formation.

This now returns to the need for a coating free of hydrogen embrittlement to prevent failure in use. For the components mentioned above, hydrogen embrittlement could mean a rivet which fails to pierce and join metal layers or a safety critical bolt which fails under intense load.

Value Mechanical plating is an economical method of producing zinc coatings on high tensile steels due to:

• No need for the hydrogen de-embrittlement process – Electroplated zinc coatings need to be de-embrittled within 2 hours of plating at 200ºC for 4 hours – 24 hours (dependant on part geometry and packing density). Additionally any passivation must be applied following this baking operation. These steps add cost due to increased process stages and energy consumption.

• Automated equipment for bulk processing – Mechanical plating is applied in bulk processing, often in automated equipment. This increases productivity due to high loading and reduces operator costs.

• Coating uniformity and freedom from parts ‘sticking’ – These factors can reduce costs when compared to organic dip spin finishes, especially on rivets or fasteners with recessed heads.

• Low environmental impact – Finally the mechanical process results in very little waste material. This is because the majority of the material added during the plating operation is consumed to produce the final deposit.

Summary Mechanical plating, extensively specified for over 30 years now, is considered one of the three primary coating systems for threaded and non-threaded fasteners. Primarily specified to provide sacrificial protection to high tensile steel components, it offers advantages in its ability to treat small and recessed parts without sticking or filling issues. The coating is uniform and consistent and can be specified for both joining and safety critical applications. Finally the bulk nature and low waste make mechanically plated sacrificial coatings extremely cost effective. www.macdermid.com

Anti-Corrosion Coatings

๏

ZinKlad 250 M…Supporting The Highest Quality Standards When coating performance is considered, hours to white or red rust is the normal criteria.

However with high tensile fasteners, being free of hydrogen embrittlement is an equally important factor. For this reason components such as rivets and safety critical fasteners are coated using a mechanically applied process.

Consistent Torque ‘n’Tension properties

In the mechanical plating process zinc is deposited by the cold welding process. The resulting deposit Extensively used provides corrosion protection to the articles for high tensile rivets without introducing hydrogen embrittlement.

The benefits to the coating engineer is a reliable finish, suitable for high tensile steels at an economical cost/performance criteria.

๏

๏

๏

Uniform and Consistent corrosion resistant coatings

Key Features

• No risk of Hydrogen Embrittlement • Excellent corrosion protection • Uniform, consistent deposit • Room temperature, cold welding batch process

Anti-Corrosion • ZinKlad • TriPass • Torque ‘n’Tension • Enviralloy • Envirozin • Kenlevel For more information, please contact us at: fasteners@macdermid.com © 2012 MacDermid, Inc. All rights reserved.

Suitable for high tensile safety critical fasteners

Fastener + Fixing Technology

Tri-Step™ - A step change in the design of threaded inserts for plastics

Hall: 21 Stand: D53

The automotive industry is constantly looking to reduce weight to improve performance, fuel consumption and vehicle range. Previously the focus has been on large components offering significant weight reduction; however, attention has filtered through to small components, including fasteners.

P

SM International was challenged by one of its major OEM customers to develop a new range of heat installed inserts for plastics that would reduce weight, whilst providing a similar level of performance to the brass inserts they currently use. For good measure the customer also requested both a product and in-place cost reduction.

This request required PSM International to adopt a ‘blank sheet’ approach to insert design and manufacture.

Traditionally inserts for plastics have been made from brass and manufactured using single spindle and multi-spindle automatic lathes.

The PSM design team set the following design objectives: • High pull-out resistance.

• High direct torque resistance.

• High thread strength – 70% safety margin when used with grade 8.8 bolts.

• A large insert bearing surface to prevent torque induced jack-out.

• A moulded hole in the host plastic that is easy to produce and measure.

• Excellent location properties to aid automatic installation.

• Plastic flash free insertion.

• Excellent inserted height tolerance capability.

• Good insert orientation for auto feeding.

• Insertion cycle time reduction.

• Weight reduction.

• Product and in-place cost reduction.

The PSM team started with material selection - titanium, plastic and aluminium were the three materials considered.

Titanium although having an excellent strength to weight ration was quickly ruled out due to material and manufacturing costs. On investigation it was found that plastic had previously been used to manufacturer threaded fasteners. However, the automotive industry had not readily adopted them, largely due to their low thread strength and thread creep limitations. Also the method of assembly had been largely limited to self tapping and plastic welding of high glass filled fasteners manufactured from the same plastic as the host moulding. PSM considered the use of thermosetting plastics due to their high strength and greater resistance to thread creep. However, high volume

48 Fastener + Fixing Te chnology • Is sue 5 Apr - Jun 2012

manufacturing of threaded fasteners proved both complex and expensive. Recycling thermosetting plastic from the host thermoplastic host moulding was also considered to be a major drawback.

Aluminium being one third of the weight of brass and steel ticked the weight reduction objective and was available in strength grades similar to brass. PSM consulted an expert in aluminium, which turned out to be a very wise decision.

Aluminium material selection is quite complex, it is available in a number of alloy types, 2000, 5000, 6000 and 7000 series being the most widely used for high strength load bearing applications. Considering tensile and yield strength, corrosion resistance, temperature resistance and very importantly method of manufacture, PSM chose both a 5000 and a 6000 series alloy for its new inserts for plastic range. The final alloy selection is dependent on the application, method of installation and method of manufacture.

The PSM team then looked at alternative methods of manufacture to bar turning to reduce cost. Die-casting, stamping, sintering and cold forming were all considered. Of the four options, cold forming was deemed to be the best alternative process due to its reduced manufacturing cycle time, high material utilisation and that both 5000 and 6000 series aluminium could be cold formed. However, cold forming has limitations compared to bar turning and these had to be factored into the new design. Also cold forming has high initial tooling costs that tend to limit the process to very high volume production. As a result, bar turning was still viewed as being a viable process for lower volume orders and complex insert geometries not ideally suited to cold forming.

PSM International has been designing inserts for plastics since the 1970s, with the previously patented Sonic-Lok design, still a widely used insert around the world today. The SonicLok and the majority of the PSM insert range have parallel diameters designed to suit a mating parallel hole with typically a 1° draft angle taper. The key benefit of this combination is good performance without creating plastic flash or insert ‘spring back’ after installation. An alternative tapered design has the benefit of improved location when inserts are automatically installed, however if does suffer from plastic flash and spring back.

The PSM design team wanted to create a new insert that combined the benefits

of both parallel and tapered designs. A three stepped insert design evolved with the mid-point of each parallel diameter following a taper. The mating hole in the plastic also followed the same stepped profile but at smaller diameters, designed to create the necessary interference during heat insertion.

By carefully selecting the difference in diameter between the steps, says PSM, the small leading insert diameter had a large clearance with the large top hole diameter, providing excellent location. With this design the two leading insert diameters were also a free fit with the top two moulded hole diameters, providing excellent alignment and location. As a result, during heat insertion the insert travel is less than one third of the total insert length.

The PSM design team had developed a Sonic-Lok replacement, with the location and alignment properties of a tapered insert but with all of the benefits of parallel hole technology. The new aluminium Tri-Step insert had met all of its design objectives and gave the following key benefits: • Equivalent pull-out and direct torque resistance to brass designs.

• 66% weight reduction.

• Excellent location and alignment.

• Typically a 20% cost saving compared with equivalent brass inserts.

• Typically a two second insertion time saving compared with tapered brass inserts.

• Lead free.

PSM states that the new Tri-Step has been well received by both OEMs and tier 1 & 2 moulders and is currently being specified on a number of new automotive projects. Feedback from the market was that in addition to the oversize aluminium range of Tri-Step, a thin walled reduced diameter range was required for less demanding applications and for areas where space was limited. PSM therefore introduced a thin-walled range, available in thread sizes M2 - M8, in two standard lengths and available in a variety of materials.

Both Tri-Step designs are protected by a granted UK patent and a PCT international patent application that is currently progressing through the foreign country stages. www.psminternational.com

Sheet Metal Fasteners

Hall: 21 Stand: D53

Inserts for plastics

Flangeform®

Tri-step®

PSM International Ferry Lane, Pembroke, South Wales, SA71 4RE, United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0) 1646 683 501 • Fax: +44 (0) 1646 687 251 email: europe@psminternational.com • web: www.psminternational.com

Fastener + Fixing Technology

The universal screw locking system RIPP LOCK® Böllhoff, a supplier of fastening, assembly, and systems technology based in Bielefeld, Germany, has extended its RIPP LOCK® product family.

T

he RIPP LOCK® product family has been produced to protect bolted connections from self-unscrewing.

The name RIPP LOCK® is put together through the word RIPP- which describes the geometric form of the mechanical screw locking system. The rear side of the screws and nuts are provided with radial rips, the washer is symmetric and has ribs on both sides; and LOCK – which describes the function of these elements.

Benefits

The RIPP LOCK® washer Böllhoff highlights that its RIPP LOCK® washer is a relative new product in the field of mechanical screw locks, and combines many individual benefits of existing locking screws and washers. As a universal product, it can be used in almost every application, especially where high demands are made on the safety and/or the reduction of parts.

Characteristics RIPP LOCK® washers have radial ribs on both sides. The pitch angle of the ribs is larger than the thread pitch, which Böllhoff says provides an excellent locking effect. The washers are made of steel with a hardness of 350HV - 500HV and for the surface treatment a zinc flake coating is used. The corrosion resistance is 480 hours against white rust.

Principle

• Excellent locking against self-unscrewing.

• Gentle to contact surface.

• Perfectly suitable for slotted-hole applications.

• Particularly suitable for sensitive surfaces such as zinc coated, chromium plated, coated or powder coated surfaces.

• Universal use - outside diameter same as DIN 125 / ISO 7089.

• Easy assembly and removal - multiple reuse.

• Immediate effect – no curing.

• Longevity – no ageing, no embrittling or weathering.

• Almost no mechanical abrasion – no chip formation.

• Retrofitting into almost every construction.

• Not affected by contact with lubricants or greases.

• Effective in adjustable fastenings of components (e. g. prestressing of belt drive).

• Very small relaxation.

• The RIPP LOCK® defines friction values of most diverse materials and surfaces.

• Suitable for all property classes up to 12.9.

• Very low fluctuation in preload-force at defined tightening torque (pictured below).

“The RIPP LOCK® washers offer not only technical advantages in comparison to other locking solution but also help to reduce costs in purchasing, logistics, assembly and quality control.”

New in the RIPP LOCK® family – screws and nuts

When the screw or nut is assembled, the radial ribs of RIPP LOCK® lock washers closely emboss in the counter-surface and in the underside of the screw head. Therefore, there can only be relative movement in the separation gap between screw head and washer. RIPP LOCK® is a reliable screw lock – even under extreme vibration or dynamic stress. Due to their high hardness, the washers can be used with screws of all property classes up to 12.9.

50 Fastener + Fixing Te chnology • Is sue 5 Apr - Jun 2012

There are applications where the usage of RIPP LOCK® screws and nuts can be an alternative to the RIPP LOCK® washers, for example in the case of low mounting conditions, when there is not enough space for an additional element. Or if there are only a few different sizes, it could be wise to use RIPP LOCK® screws and nuts to reduce the variety of parts to a minimum.

The Böllhoff stock assortment includes in addition to RIPP LOCK® nuts RIPP LOCK® socked head screws and RIPP LOCK® hexagon head screws. Apart from the yellow chromate version all other fasteners are in accordance with the directives of ELV, RoHS and WEE. Because the function of the RIPP LOCK® screws and nuts is the same as the function of the washer, it is up to the constructing engineer to decide which type they choose for an effective screw locking. www.boellhoff.com

Joining together! – our company vision.

A vision that inspires our company culture

For four generations, courage, fairness and

and daily life.

loyality have been the cornerstones of our

This inspiration drives our product program

business culture. The foundation on which

in the world of fastening and assembly

we have built success for our company, our

technology. “Joining together” is much

customers, our business partners and our

more than just a neat slogan. It is also a

employees.

business vision that puts people first.

Because it is people who put the vision

Böllhoff Group · Archimedesstr. 1–4

into practice and build the solid foundation

33649 Bielefeld · Germany

of our success today and in the future.

www.boellhoff.com · info@boellhoff.com

Joining together!

tapes + adhesives

Tape technology for the automotive industry High strength permanent adhesives are becoming increasingly important in the automotive industry.

As a manufacturer of self-adhesive system solutions and a long-term partner for the sector, tesa says it knows the industry’s needs and now offers especially high performance tapes with its innovative tesa® ACXplus product line.

t

esa points out that due to their balanced material behaviour, tailored layer thicknesses, flexible design and extreme durability, double-sided adhesive tapes on an acrylate base are suitable for many kinds of applications.

The tesa ® ACXplus Black Line tapes securely mount attachment parts to the car body and at the same time provide reliable sealing and vibration damping.

The tapes also compensate for thermal expansion and ensure excellent stress dissipation. The products are deep black, and their high level of conformability allows for application in curves and corners. tesa highlights that the innovative and environmentally friendly acrylate adhesive tapes show off their strengths ideally in permanent adhesive bonds which needs to withstand all external influences throughout the vehicle lifetime. Among other things, emblems, body side moldings, window frames, spoilers, parking distance sensors, as well as decorative trims can be bonded with the new tesa ® ACXplus Black Line. In addition, the stress-dissipating adhesive tape products compensate optimally for material expansion relating to thermal dynamics and ensure tension free bonds. Also, their special layer thickness protect against undesirable vibrations.

Lohmann launches innovative adhesive film As bonding is now one of the topics of the future in practically every area of industry, Lohmann GmbH & Co KG has launched its new adhesive all-rounder which can be used in a variety of industries.

A

heat activated adhesive film, it develops extremely high adhesive strength and is classified as ‘Superior Bonding Film’ (SBF). SBF is a polyurethane based hot melt adhesive that is activated by heat and pressure. When activated at 100˚C, the strong bonding properties of the film develop after as little as ten seconds.

Protracted curing times, which might last up to a day with other bonding methods, are eliminated and the user saves valuable production time. Once cured, the bond is irreversible and up to 1,000 times stronger

52 Fastener + Fixing Te chnology • Is sue 5 Apr - Jun 2012

than other adhesive tapes. Production processes can be optimised by pre-laminating the bond. This involves heating the adhesive film to approximately 60˚C, causing it to start bonding lightly to the substrate. Materials can thus be pre-laminated up to a week before they are actually required on the production line, where the final bonding then takes place.

Films in the DuploTEC SBF range are available as die-cut parts or on rolls in thicknesses between 15µm and 100µm. The film exhibits a fine lined pattern and constant thickness without any sporadic variations. The semi-structural adhesive film can therefore be used in a variety of applications in fields such as automotive, consumer goods, the textile industry, mobile communications and the electronics sector.

The advantages of the new semi-structural adhesive film from the DuploTEC range are being demonstrated at the Hannover Fair in the special Adhesive Technology area in Hall 5, Stand E13. Also at the show applications using DuploTEC SBF are being presented in conjunction with Maschinenfabrik Herbert Meyer GmbH, a specialist in hot-laminating equipment and hot presses, on Stand D22. These applications include technical textiles being bonded on Meyer hot-laminating equipment using the Lohmann semi-structural adhesive film. www.lohmann-tapes.com

The Bonding Engineers.

Experienced specialists for innovative and efficient adhesive solutions.

Visit us at Hannover Messe Industrial Supply April 23 – 27, 2012 Hall 5, Booth E13 & Booth D22

Lohmann GmbH & Co. KG Irlicher Strasse 55 56567 Neuwied / Germany Phone: +49 2631 34-0 Fax: +49 2631 34-6661 info@lohmann-tapes.com www.lohmann-tapes.com

Lohmann is the global company of choice whenever components need to be joined. As “The Bonding Engineers”, we have the experience and the adhesive know-how required to provide you with everything from a single source. From polymerisation and formulation of the adhesive, through coating and converting, to die-cutting and integration into your process.

Your benefit? Improved quality, improved efficiency, improved cost-effectiveness.

tapes + adhesives

All taped up In order to safely and effectively bond substrates to ensure robust and consistent performance, it is crucial that the most suitable fastening system is selected for the application.

Here 3M looks at the benefits of tape adhesives compared to traditional mechanical fasteners.

W

hilst mechanical fastenings have provided satisfactory results for many decades, it is becoming apparent that there are more and more scenarios where they no longer offer the most effective solution – for example, where speed is of the essence, appearance cannot be compromised, or the influence of the elements is greater than usual.

As alternative media solutions develop and become more easily accessible, new methods of fixing are coming to the fore.

Tape adhesives in particular are seeing increased usage through their inherent performance advantages over mechanical or fusion fastening.

Mechanical fastenings vs tape adhesives Although traditionally popular, there are many downsides to using mechanical fastenings. The application process, for example, can be highly time and labour intensive and also requires the drilling of holes which can cause leaks or weaken the substrate (although some modern products get round this). Mechanical fixings are also often visible, marring the final appearance.

Mechanical fixings also do not offer anything in regard to sealing, leaving the substrate open to the elements – water penetration, for example – if outdoors or in aggressive environments. Finally, the use of mechanical fixings creates points of stress around each fixing – the stress is not evenly spread across the surface, meaning that the failure of a single mechanical fixing can potentially be very dangerous.

In contrast to mechanical fastenings, tape adhesives offer

aesthetic advantages, with cleaner lines and no protruding nails, rivets or weld marks, while their flexibility and durability frequently ensures consistent performance long after mechanical fixings start to loosen or fail.

They are generally quicker and easier to apply than mechanical fastening systems as they offer simultaneous bond and seal, aid the uniform distribution of stress throughout the cladded surface, and do not require the drilling of holes, leaving the substrate intact.

Modern high strength products draw on extensive research and development over many years to offer outstanding bonding alongside unrivalled durability and versatility.

Adhesives tapes offer excellent resistance against the elements and most importantly bond to a variety of materials, including metals, sealed wood, glass, plastics, composites, paints and powder coatings. They are conformable to allow a perfect bond line between two surfaces with no air bubbles, preventing the ingress of dirt and moisture.

Furthermore, the surface preparation and product application process could hardly be simpler. Usually, the tape is manually applied to the clean, dry substrate and pressure placed on the area with a hand roller. The liner is then removed and the second substrate added. Further pressure is then applied to the bond areas, with 50 percent bond strength achievable within 10 minutes, and full strength in 72 hours; far quicker than by using traditional methods and less affected by the elements and other external factors. Given the speed of application, costs are further minimised in this area too.

Get ahead with Snapsil Techsil has launched Momentive’s Snapsil range - a new generation of environmentally friendly, one-component condensation cure silicones used in the assembly of electrical and electronic components and as a general adhesive sealant for metal, glass, and plastics.

S

ince 2007, all materials containing >0.5 wt.% butyltin must carry a toxic label. A consultant to the European Commission (EC) has recommended banning all organotin within 3 years and the latest communications from the EC indicate that butyltin maybe banned in some applications such as consumer DIY products. Industrial materials are not affected as yet but in the words of Momentive’s EUR regulatory team: “Organotins are an endangered dangerous species.”

As a result of the movement towards more environmentally friendly materials, Momentive have developed the Snapsil range which, in addition to being tin-free, has better performance characteristics than existing grades.

Techsil’s sales director Chris Dilley comments: “I’m excited

54 Fastener + Fixing Te chnology • Is sue 5 Apr - Jun 2012

with this launch and delighted to work with Momentive who is ahead of the regulatory game by already developing a range of new tin-free products to meet the challenges we will face in the coming years as chemical regulations inevitably tighten further.“ He adds: “Designers and engineers should take a serious look at these grades now for products that they will be manufacturing over the next few years.”

Key features of the Snapsil range include: • Low volatility standard across all products.

• Fast tack-free time (< 9 min).

• Faster cure than legacy grades.

• Resists stress cracking on polycarbonate, and other substrates.

• Low hardness, good elongation.

• Range includes flowable liquid and non-flowable pastes.

Fixed. And fastened. By Hopwood.

In partnership with Ejot.

The original PT® screw

Available from stock at Hopwoods

Tel: +44

(0)845 519 6066

E-mail: sales@rhf.co.uk Hibbert Street • Whitehill Ind. Estate Stockport •United Kingdom SK4 1NS Leading the way in fastener distribution, quality and service

www.rhf.co.uk

product news

Strongest bolted connection BAER, based in Heddesheim, Germany, says that its new BaerCoil System is strong, wear-resistant and offers enormous saving potential for material, weight and costs.

T

Hall: 21 Stand: B26

he BaerCoil System’s construction provides new possibilities for commercial usage and for the strain capacity of screw joints. Engineers from nearly all mechanical engineering fields are searching for building components that have a greater strain capacity and for ways of reducing both weight and costs. Bolted connections must also fulfil these requirements. Thus, they have continuously been the focus of innovation.

BAER explains that its BaerCoil wire thread inserts, which are turned into a formed parent thread, achieve exceptional pull-out strength* and wear resistance values. There are two reasons for this:

BaerCoil

®

• • • •

highest tensile strength minimize weight and space minimize costs strengthening threads for new construction options • thread repair

BaerFix

®

• minimize space and weight of parent material • thread reinforcement • very high tensile strength • high connection with workpiece • thread restoration

strongest bolt connection for construction: saves material, weight and costs

HALL 21 / B26

BAER Company Robert-Bosch-Str. 5 68542 Heddesheim/Germany Tel.: +49 (0)6203 40 48 790 Fax: +49 (0)6203 40 48 791 E-Mail: info@baercoil.com www.baercoil.com

• The thread is formed and not cut. Specialised BaerCoil forming taps, which form and plasticise the material, are used for this purpose.

The parent thread material is compressed to make it denser.

Result: The thread into which the BaerCoil wire thread insert is turned has a significantly higher strain capacity. The process of thread forming is quicker and produces a better surface than thread cutting. Additionally there are no chips, and the thread forming tap has a longer life time.

• The BaerCoil wire thread insert ensures an optimal distribution of pull-out load for the thread turns across the entire thread length. By comparison the first two threads of a normal screw joint often carry over 70% of the load. An even distribution across the thread insert greatly increases tensile strength. The longer the thread insert, the greater the strain capacity is compared to a normal thread.

“The BaerCoil System’s combination of thread forming and wire thread insert make modern dimensions possible for construction, development and improvement of previous building components. Customers, after performing internal tests, are already taking advantage of the system and have integrated it into their production process.” *Cryogenic Materialtests CryoMaK within the Institute for Technical Physics at the Institute of Technology in Karlsruhe – KIT –conducted the pull-out strength tests. www.baercoil.com

Orlock in the automotive industry

Hall: 21 Stand: H32

Ornit Blind Rivet’s Orlock, a structural, breakstem fastener with a unique double-locking system and high shear and tensile strengths was originally designed for the automotive industry.

T

he Orlock was launched as a 6.4mm steel rivet and is still manufactured to this day to the exacting standard of ISO/TS 16949:2009 and ISO9001:2008. The Orlock family has since grown into an extensive range of structural rivets including diameters from 4.8mm to 7.8mm, available in steel, stainless steel and aluminium.

Different head types are also available including: protruding, countersunk, large and extra-large. The most recent addition to the Orlock range is the lightweight 7.8mm aluminium structural rivet.

Ornit points out that the Orlock’s double locking system ensures the mandrel remains tightly clamped within the rivet head, rendering the joint with high anti-vibration and water resistant properties, both qualities you want to have in a vehicle. Locking action is achieved by gripping grooves on the mandrel into which the rivet material is deformed. The deformation fills the space between the gripping section and the mandrel head creating a neat, tight locking action.

This deformation spreads the clamp load over a large area, so it is ideal for soft, thin and brittle joint materials due to its homogeneous stress distribution.

Hopwoods stocks Ejot Roy Hopwood Fasteners continues to build on its offering of leading industrial fastener brands, by announcing the stocking of the Ejot PT screw.

S

ince 1974 Hopwoods has distributed high quality engineered products from stock, paralleled with dependable technical assistance in the selection and application of the fastener.

Hopwoods explains that Ejot required more than a stockist, it needed a valued partner to assist in product specification whilst providing the customer with engineering expertise. With experienced people in the field, and the ability to cover the UK, the choice was made to appoint Hopwoods as a key industrial fasteners distribution partner. The highly successful range of Ejot construction fasteners will continue to be supplied by the existing construction distribution network.

Fraser Hayden of Hopwoods commented: “This is a perfect fit for all concerned, including the UK marketplace. We have stock in place to satisfy short term project demand, and can react quickly to commercial or technical enquiries. The manufacturer benefits from having an enlarged engineering sales resource, as well as enjoying the economies of scale that our stock replenishment orders provide. The genuine Ejot PT screw is now readily available from stock in the UK, giving users security that they are buying a highly engineered and proven component, produced to exacting standards.”

He adds: “Hopwoods won’t take on a new product line lightly, but in this case our decision was easy. The growing emphasis on lightweight structures, and the demand for ever smaller and lighter assemblies without compromising joint strength, means that the Ejot range of industrial products is a valuable addition to our offering.” www.rhf.co.uk

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product news

Euro Rivet Bush joins the TR Hank family Already in a position of strength in the UK market, TR Fastenings says it is set to capture new European business with the launch of its latest innovation, the Euro Rivet Bush.

T

R have been manufacturing the genuine Hank rivet bush for 30 years and considers itself the market leader in the production and supply of rivet bushes in the UK. Designed, developed and manufactured at TR’s production facility in the UK, TR Fastenings says that this new product offers an alternative to the Kerb-Konus and PSM rivet bush ranges.

The Euro Rivet Bush is produced using multi-spindle machines and is designed to offer a permanent female thread in sheet steel that is too thin to be tapped by conventional methods.

Available for immediate shipment in sizes M3 - M8 in steel self-finish or plated the product is offered in a number of different spigot lengths to suit specific applications. However, due to the flexibility of the UK manufacturing plant, TR also offers reduced lead times on any non-standard diameters or spigot lengths.

Steve Wallis from TR Fastenings says: “Prior to the launch of the Euro Rivet Bush TR was manufacturing 3 million parts per month, with the introduction of this new item production is set to soar as we win new business from the continent.

We are confident that with the combination of a high quality product coupled with a competitive pricing structure customers will be switching to the Euro Rivet Bush.”

The genuine Euro and Hank rivet bush products can be used in a number of industry sectors, including sheet metal fabricators, white goods, automotive, electronic and telecommunications.

TR Fastenings offer a wide range of other sheet metal products, including; Hank selfclinch, weld nuts, blind rivets, K-series, blind rivet nuts and weld studs.

www.trfastenings.com

Hall: 21 Stand: A41

58 Fastener + Fixing Te chnology • Is sue 5 Apr - Jun 2012

Aaryam Engimech Pvt Ltd.................................................................. 27 Albert Pasvahl GmbH + Co................................................................ 27 Alloy & Stainless....................................................................................2 Ambrovit SRL........................................................................................5 BAER Company..................................................................................56 BeA, Joh. Friedrich Behrens AG.......................................................... 19 bigHead Bonding Ltd.........................................................................33 Bollhoff GmbH . ................................................................................. 51 Bossard Ltd ..........................................................................................7 Can-Eng Furnaces International . ......................................................39 Dörken MKS-Systeme GmbH & Co.....................................................60 DS Fasteners Ltd................................................................................. 17 fasten.it.............................................................................................. 17 Filtomatic Fasteners Spa....................................................................43 Heads & Allthreads Ltd.......................................................................33 Heinz Soyer Bolzenschweisstechnik GmbH......................................... 19 Kee Safety..........................................................................................45 Keller & Kalmbach GmbH ...................................................................1 Landmark Fasteners...........................................................................33 Lederer GmbH...................................................................................24 Lohmann GmbH & Co KG ................................................................53 MacDermid Plc.................................................................................. 47 Multiple Overseas Exports..................................................................58 ND Industries ..................................................................................... 11 NOF Metal Coatings Europe............................................................... 41 Nord-Lock.............................................................................................9 Norma................................................................................................ 15 Precision Technology Supplies Ltd......................................................23 PSM International................................................................................49 Right Tight Fasteners PVT Ltd ..............................................................25 Roy Hopwood Fasteners Ltd ..............................................................55 Samrat Wires & Steels ........................................................................35 Sheh Kai Precision .............................................................................39 Specialinsert Srl ................................................................................ 57 Spirol ................................................................................................. 19 Staytite ..............................................................................................43 Tecfi ..................................................................................................29 TFC Ltd .............................................................................................. 27 Top Screw Metal Corp........................................................................53 TR ...................................................................................................... 21 Viteria Fusani SRL ...............................................................................55 Vlier Products Inc . .............................................................................59 WPI Services B.V. ................................................................................ 15 Zonbix................................................................................................ 17

Hall: 21 Stand: B48

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