FASTENING & ASSEMBLY SOLUTIONS AND TECHNOLOGY

JULY 2009

3

FAST JULY 2009

FASTCOVERSTORY

4 FASTUPDATESNews and application stories from the fasten-ing and assembly industry

14 FASTTUTORIALAdhesives and their applications

51 FASTPRODUCTSDetails of new products and services

FASTCONTENTSJ U L Y 2 0 0 9

V O L U M E 1 3 N U M B E R 3

Head OfficeNewbyCom LtdCrendon HouseLong Crendon Industrial ParkLong CrendonBuckinghamshire HP18 9BBPhone: 01844 202027Fax: 01844 202267Email: mark@fastmagazine.co.uk

EditorPaul GayPhone: 07768 596492Fax: 020 3004 2357Email: editor@fastmagazine.co.uk

Publishing directorMark NewbyPhone: 01844 202027 Fax: 01844 202267 Email: mark@fastmagazine.co.uk

DesignJohn FisherPhone: 01844 202027 Fax: 01844 202267

Production DepartmentPhone: 01844 202027

Reader Service and Circulation ManagementCirculation Solutions LtdPhone: 0845 602 7390Fax: 0870 421 1327

Printed byGhyllprint

FAST makes no charge for the editorialmaterial which it publishes, unlike manyindustrial and technical magazines. Thismeans that FAST’s readers can be assuredthat the information which appears onits editorial pages has been selected bythe editor on the sole grounds that itwill be of interest. Make sure that anypublication you receive carries a similarstatement of editorial policy.

©2009 NewbyCom LimitedFAST (Fastening, Adhesives, Assembly &Joining Technology) is a controlled circulation journal published 4 times ayear. Readers who fulfil the publisher’scriteria and individually request the journal will receive free copies.Subscriptions from overseas readers orthose who do not qualify within theterms of the publisher’s control are £56UK and £86 overseas. Single copies £12.

No part of this publication may be reproduced,stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in anyform or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher. Photocopying or thereproduction without the publisher’s permission isin breach of copyright and action will be takenwhere this occurs.

30 Broadening design horizons Rivets have been assembling materials forthousands of years, but it wasn’t until themid-1930s that designers developed blindversions of these important fasteners

35 Threaded fastener securityResistance to vibration, corrosion,temperature variations, etc. may all beconsidered when specifying threadedfasteners

36 Hinges, handles, latches andhardwareFixing components have become anessential part of many manufactured itemsrather than just mundane products that arespecified at the last minute

41 Self-pierce fasteningThe increase in the use of self-piercefastening in recent years has meant thatspecifiers have needed to keep abreast of awide range of products and installationequipment

44 Fastener installation toolsProducts and equipment that fall under theinstallation tools’ banner range fromunsophisticated hand-tools to all-singing,all-dancing machines that can do anythingexcept bath the baby

47 Adhesive application equipmentWith the use of adhesives continuing togrow the need for specifying the correctpreparation, dispensing, and applicationequipment has never been greater

49 Self clinching fastenersThe use of self-clinching fasteners canprovide reliable solutions in design,assembly, and manufacturing. We look atrecent developments

Put 3M's Product Selector to the testand win!3M's online Tapes and Adhesives Product Selector offers

quick and practical advice to meet the needs of tape and

adhesives users. With a full range of world-class products,

the website means you're only ever a few clicks away from

finding the best product suggestions to suit your individual

requirements.

And now there's a chance to win valuable prizes for you

and your colleagues. Every month 3M will give away a

team adventure experience worth up to £500 plus weekly

prizes worth up to £100

Sample 3M's solutions and you would qualify for the

Click, Stick and Win promotion! But hurry - the closing

date for free sample applications and prize draw entries is

31st August 2009. Be sure to read the terms and conditions

at the website: www.3m.co.uk/clickstickwin

3M 08705 360036

FASTFEATURES17 Fastening & Assembly Solutions

We look ahead to October's exhibition at theNational Motorcycle Museum

19 Show launch for vibration-prooffastenersWe review a fastener design launched at lastyear's Fastening & Assembly SolutionsExhibition

20 Question and AnswerAdam Binding of Lee Spring answers questionson the use of springs

22 The next generation of rivet nutfasteningA new design of rivet nut removes thelimitations of previous types

26 Threadlocking – thecontinuing storyColin Chapman ofHenkel describes someof the developments inthe all important area ofthreadlocking since itsintroduction in 1953

28 Sleeping on the jobWhen lying on your bed, you may not realisethat the adhesives used in mattress assembly caninvolve the same range of substrates you areusing in your company’s production processes

4

FAST JULY 2009

FASTUPDATES

Prime Minister, Gordon Brown

has announced the creation of the

UK Innovation Investment Fund

to invest in technology-based

businesses with high growth

potential. The new fund will focus

on investing in growing small

businesses, start-ups and spin-

outs, in clean technology and

advanced manufacturing.

The Department for Business,

Innovation and Skills, with the

Department of Energy and

Climate Change and the

Department of Health, will invest

£150 million alongside private

sector investment on an equal

basis known as pari-passu. It is

the Government's belief that this

could generate enough private

investment to build a fund of up to

£1 billion over the next 10 years.

The UK Innovation Investment

Fund forms part of the

Government’s strategy for

Building Britain’s Future.

“This fund will help build

Britain’s future by investing in

key sectors,” said Brown. “It will

provide crucial support for our

most promising start-ups and

existing small companies just

when they need it most. Venture

capital finance is the lifeblood of

innovation and crucial to ensuring

the commercialisation of the dis-

coveries coming out of our

research base. The fund will boost

future UK competitiveness.”

Science and Innovation

Minister Lord Drayson and a

champion for the fund: “We must

safeguard the Government’s

record investment in the science

and research base over the past

decade. We cannot afford to lose

out on the wealth this investment

can yield and we will need this

wealth to continue our sustained

investment in research.”

The UK Innovation

Investment Fund will operate on a

Fund of Funds structure which

means it will not invest directly in

companies, but rather invest in a

small number of specialist tech-

nology funds that have the exper-

tise and track record to invest

directly in companies. The fund

will provide a cost effective solu-

tion that provides a market return

to both private sector investors

and HM Government, a govern-

ment statement suggested.

The twin-engined Miles Gemini

is a low-wing cantilever mono-

plane of plastic-bonded plywood

construction, which first flew on

26 October 1945. Originally pow-

ered by 100hp Blackburn Cirrus

engines, the aircraft with its twin

vertical fins was put into large

scale production straight away

and 130 Geminis were sold in the

first year. Miles Aircraft collapsed

in 1947 having manufactured 170

Geminis and only a few examples

of the model remain.

In its day, the Gemini was

viewed in the same light as

today's Learjet so it's no surprise

that enthusiasts are keen to reno-

vate the remaining four examples.

One particular project is using

Oddie fasteners on the renovation

of a 1947 version, where the quick

release, quarter turn fasteners are

being used to secure panels and

components which have to be

quickly and easily removed for

servicing or replacement.

The fasteners were launched

on the Hall-Fast online shop in

March this year, enabling cus-

tomers to purchase a standard

range in small quantities for the

first time.

A standard range of four head

styles in three standard sizes is

available from stock for next day

delivery and can be purchase on-

line in multiples of 50.

HALL-FAST INDUSTRIAL SUPPLIES01623 551791

Venture capital fund to boost advanced manufacturing

Miles Gemini flies again

6

FAST JULY 2009

FASTUPDATES

Flexible tooling and handling sys-

tems specialist, Bilsing

Automation was looking for an

adhesive to join carbon fibre

structural components with alu-

minium fixtures for a new design

of robot arm.

The rotating, clamping and

swivel movements of robot parts

on busy production set stringent

performance and reliability tar-

gets for adhesive materials.

Company CEO, Alfred Bilsing

explains: “Wherever gripping and

transportation becomes necessary

in the automated pro-

cess, there needs to

be flexible tooling to

minimise the design

and development

expense.”

After researching the

market for a suitable

adhesive, Bilsing

chose Araldite 2031

because its superior

resistance to vibra-

tion allowing quicker

movement of parts

and operate for a

longer period of time

without downturn.

“It met every target we set it under

the most demanding of condi-

tions,” said Bilsing.

Araldite adhesive systems

from Huntsman Advanced

Materials are not exclusively for

industrial use. An innovative one-

piece hockey stick, made using a

new third generation resin system

looks set to be more widely used

after the recent World Ice Hockey

Championships. Designed by

Composite Busch, the stick was

used by the Swiss ice hockey

team and has won widespread

praise from the Russian, Austrian,

Latvian and French teams.

Patented Huntsman nanotech-

nology gives the hockey stick

extra strength, enhancing the all

important features of good stick

and blade slashing properties as

well as bending, resistance and

torsion features needed in cham-

pionship games. The one piece

design also allows the energy

released by the player to be deliv-

ered, smoothly, directly and more

efficiently onto the puck.

Araldite's NanoTech

Composite RTM system is able to

withstand shock without develop-

ing micro cracks making it ideal

for any sector where highly

exposed parts need protection

such as in high contact sports and

in the automotive area.

HUNTSMAN ADVANCED MATERIALS01223 832121

PEM China has received the

Advanced Environment Pro-tec-

tion Enterprise award from the

Kunshan Municipal Government.

The award recognizes the 'efforts

and excellent results achieved in

meeting and exceeding environ-

mental protection requirements

and was presented during 38th

World Environment Day cere-

monies in June.

PEM China is a

PennEngineering's fastener

manufacturing facility located in

Kunshan, China.

PEM 01302 765721

Stuck with adhesive systems

PEM China wins environmental award

Intertronics has released an

enhanced version of its Dymax

Selector Guide on adhesives for

medical device assembly. The

guide contains a number of charts

intended to help R and D engi-

neers and product designers

choose the appropriate adhesive

for their application. All Dymax

MD adhesives are biocompatibil-

ity tested in accordance with ISO

10993 and/or USP Class VI.

Pages are devoted to specific

adhesives for the assembly of

catheters and guide-wires, injec-

tion needles and syringes and res-

piratory devices.

Multi-purpose bonding charts

quickly show the range of prod-

ucts available, their technical data,

and the various substrates to

which they adhere. Most products

shown bond well to a number of

plastic substrates as well as to dis-

similar substrates such as metal,

glass and ceramic. While most

formulations cure instantly upon

exposure to UV/visible light, the

line of cyanoacrylates is offered

for bonding opaque substrates and

for applications where aggressive

adhesion to rubber is needed.

On the last page of the guide is

a selection of dispensing and relat-

ed equipment built to optimise

both performance and cost

savings.

INTERTRONICS 01865 842842

Guide to medical adhesives released

Assembling rugged robots

One-piece hockey stick made using a third generation resin system

8

FAST JULY 2009

FASTUPDATES

Engineers at Rencol have devel-

oped a new way of mounting an

alternator bearing in the cast

housing accurately and rigidly

using a tolerance ring, reports the

company’s technical engineer

Shama Basham. “This approach

presents a simple and cost-effec-

tive alternative to the more tradi-

tional mounting technologies of

plastic/rubber boot and glue.”

Typically, alternators turn

twice as fast as a car’s engine in

order to improve current output,

particularly when an engine is

idling. “These high speeds can

cause bearings to run at a high

temperature and, in the case of a

rubber boot being used, heat is

trapped within the assembly. This

excess heat can cause the grease

within the bearing to break down

and can shorten their life. In addi-

tion, variations of the rubber boot

can occur which can affect its

spring rate which may lead to side

movement of the bearings under

heavy load conditions.”

Sharna Basham points out that

as an alternative to the use of a

rubber boot adhesives have been

considered. “On the face of it glu-

ing the bearing into the cast hous-

ing is an attractive option. In prac-

tice, however, it is difficult to posi-

tion the bearing accurately with

any degree of consistency.

Outgassing of particulate to the

electronics, especially at high tem-

peratures also can be a problem.

“A further consideration is the

fact that the 2007 WEEE (Waste

Electrical and Electronic

Equipment) directive means that

component parts must be capable

of being reworked or recycled.

The use of adhesives makes it vir-

tually impossible to dismantle an

alternator into its constituent

parts.

“Tolerance rings overcome

these problems. They are easy to

assemble, allow rework, and

offer excellent thermal expansion

qualities. Air flow around the tol-

erance ring allows the bearing to

run as much as 6ºC cooler when

compared to a rubber boot

mounting. Constant spring rates

allow for better centring of the

bearing to minimise movement

under side loads. In addition, the

sprung nature of the coupling

between bearing and housing

improves the overall assembly

and brush life is extended as

vibration is dampened under

worst case conditions.”

SAINT-GOBAIN PERFORMANCEPLASTICS RENCOL 0117 938 1700

Tolerance rings used for mounting alternator bearings

'Every major automotive, station-

ary power, and back-up power

manufacturer in the world is con-

sidering how best to utilise fuel cell

technology in order to reduce car-

bon-dioxide emissions and the

reliance on fossil fuels'. This is the

view of Philippe Christou, techni-

cal director of Huntsman

Advanced Materials, who goes on

to stress that this situation 'makes

the fuel cell component market a

potential boom market represent-

ing long-term opportunities'.

Since the conversion of fuel to

energy takes place via an electro-

chemical process, the process is

much cleaner, quieter, and up to

three times more efficient than

burning fuel. The fuel cell’s bipo-

lar plates have superior corrosion

resistance, lower contact resis-

tance, higher thermal conductivi-

ty, and a longer operating life at

higher temperatures.

Huntsman has developed two

new resin systems 'that meet the

most stringent requirements for

graphite composite fuel cells for

large-scale production of auto-

motive and stationary power

applications'.

HUNTSMAN ADVANCED MATERIALS01223 832121

Boom time for fuel cell component market

The Avdel Training Academy has

been established by the company

to offer free training courses ‘to

those with an interest in fastening

systems’.

Held at the company’s site in

Welwyn Garden City,

Hertfordshire, course topics

include: ‘The methods and tech-

niques of riveting’ and

‘Applications and techniques of

speed fastening’.

Courses can be tailored to

meet the requirements of the par-

ticipating companies which do

not have to be customers of

Avdel.

Engineers will talk those who

attend through the basics of the

course subject and then spend

time in Avdel’s demonstration

facility allowing participants to

see applications, place fasteners,

and receive hands-on experience

of speed fastening techniques.

AVDEL 01707 292000

Free courses in riveting technologies

Feature:

Blind side riveting

technology – p30

10

FAST JULY 2009

FASTUPDATES

TFC Europe reports that its

Smalley brand laminar sealing

rings have been used 'to provide a

solution to problems faced by a

diesel engine manufacturer

required to supply engines with

reduced emissions - in line with

new European off-road emission

legislation'.

Traditionally, because of fail-

ures due to cracking, exhaust

manifolds on large diesel engines

needed to be cast as two parts,

connected by means of a sliding

joint. The dimensional tolerance

of the engine assembly and ther-

mal expansion caused by temper-

ature made the use of rigid bolted

joints with a gasket highly com-

plex and expensive. Machined

cast-iron piston rings in the slid-

ing manifold joint were used to

overcome the problem, explains

TFC’s Brian Goode. These

worked well at engine start-up

and even after hundreds of hours

because the emission standards

did not require engines to run as

hot. Now, however, the standards

are more demanding with the

result that cast-iron rings are fail-

ing due to increased engine and

exhaust temperatures.

The Smalley rings are pro-

duced in a variety of metals 'mak-

ing them capable of working

extremely well in high tempera-

tures'. The laminar sealing ring is

described by TFC as a metallic

labyrinth seal consisting of multi-

ple rings in a groove. The materi-

als used enable the product to

withstand corrosive and high

temperature environments and be

used in a range of applications

including compensators in

exhaust pipe systems of internal

combustion engines, exhaust gas

recirculation systems, and tur-

bochargers.

TFC EUROPE 01435 866011

Sealing rings combat newemissions standards

The use of ultrasonics as a pro-

cess for welding, joining, and

sealing has been widespread

within industries such as plastics

and automotive for many years.

However, the characteristics of

the conventional process, which

produces amplitude in the verti-

cal plane, has limited the use of

the technology for certain appli-

cations within the electronics and

medical device industries. “This

has largely been due to concerns

over damage to fragile compo-

nents or the perforation of

micron-thin seals and mem-

branes,” reports Stuart Hall, tech-

nical director of Telsonic.

Now, the company has devel-

oped the Soniqtwist technique

“which eliminates these prob-

lems and allows delicate compo-

nents and membranes to be

joined, welded, or sealed”.

Soniqtwist does not stretch

the membrane during welding

nor does it cause a diaphragm

effect or induce perforation. “It

eliminates these risks when weld-

ing polymer-based foils, films,

and membranes”, says Stuart

Hall. “In addition, complete weld

cycles can be achieved in less

than a second. A further benefit is

that multiple membranes, in close

proximity to each other, can be

processed without causing any

previously welded membrane to

become dislodged or lose its

hermetic seal.”

Martin Frost, the compa-

ny’s sales manager, points

out that the process is “ideal

for a wide range of welding

and forming operations on

thin wall section components

in a variety of materials

including plastics, ceramics,

and aluminium. Soniqtwist

also minimises particle pro-

duction and size thus sup-

porting good automated

manufacturing practice

requirements in the medical

device sector.

“Welding operations on

electronic device housings

also can benefit, and it is worth

noting that the process is not lim-

ited to circular parts - rectangular

and non-symmetrical compo-

nents can be welded, sealed, and

joined.”

The principle of the

Soniqtwist technology is quite

different to that of conventional

ultrasonics as the converter is

mounted tangentially to the

booster axis thus creating recip-

rocal circumferential amplitude

to a specially designed sonotrode.

The new process creates a recip-

rocating ultrasonic friction weld

of the upper contacted film,

membrane, or rigid part compo-

nent about the lower component

part. The vertical force from the

electronic proportionally-con-

trolled pneumatic actuator used

in the Soniqtwist configuration,

collapses the molten joint and

maintains the required pressure

until the weld joint has solidified.

Soniqtwist welding heads can

be retrofitted to standard bench-

top machines. In addition, the

heads can be mounted to pneu-

matic actuator modules or servo-

operated actuators enabling

incorporation within a fully auto-

mated assembly machine. Multi-

head configurations also can be

assembled.

TELSONIC 01202 697340

New process for ultrasonicwelding of medical and electronic components

Smalley rings work well in high temperatures

12

FAST JULY 2009

FASTUPDATES

A flexible and rapid low-cost

means of installing self-tapping

inserts in plastic is provided by

Tappex’s FlexiArm installation

machine which consists of a pan-

tograph arm with a pneumatic

screwdriver attached. The screw-

driver can be specified with an

automatic reverse torque-clutch

control at either 510 or 1,100

RPM, or a manual reverse torque-

clutch control at 510 RPM,

depending upon the size of the

insert and the material into which

it is being installed.

The FlexiArm provides a low-

cost assembly solution for many

different post-mould applications

and its size allows it to be installed

alongside the respective moulding

machine, so that inserts can be fit-

ted during the waiting time of a

typical mould cycle. It is available

with one, two or three arms.

With harder materials it is

more critical that the insert is

exactly aligned with the receiv-

ing hole. The FlexiArm facili-

tates this by being adjustable in

two planes. A range of production

drivers is available to provide an

accurate method of installing the

inserts at various heights and

positions in the moulding.

TAPPEX THREAD INSERTS 01789 206600

Your views countThe team would very much like to

know what you, the readers, think

about FAST Magazine!

Inserted into this copy, you should

find a short survey form that you

can use to tell us a bit about

your views on the journal,

how much of it you read,

etc.

Unfortunately, there are no

rewards or give-away

enticements for taking

part in the survey, other

than helping us to keep

bringing FAST to you

free of charge every

three months, and per-

haps to improve on the

magazine we deliver.

We would be genuine-

ly grateful if you

could make the time

to complete the form

and get it back to us

either by fax or

post.

Thank you

FAST Magazine National Reader Survey 2009

It’s good to torque

FAST Special on installation tools p44

Achieving a Queen’s Award for

Enterprise ‘International Trade’ for

UK manufacturing exports and

becoming one of the world’s top

specialist manufacturer of torque

tools doesn’t happen by accident.

And when you consider the high

regard it’s held in for precision and

development when it comes to

products, it’s no wonder that

Norbar Torque Tools applies the

same precision when it comes to

developing people. People are at

the heart of the company’s vision

and a recent innovation involved

everyone right through to the direc-

tors.

Each of the Banbury based

company’s 200 employees is

reviewed individually twice a year

and it’s a two way review where

people are encouraged to feed back

to the company about areas where

things could be changed or

improved. Human Resources

Manager, Wanda Stewart-Lee

explained: “A number of training

needs were identified as part of our

review process. A consistent theme

coming through was that our

employees wanted to gain a better

understanding of how the business

works, its key processes, how they

interlink and how employees have

an input into these.”

In terms of achieving its objec-

tive Wanda Stewart-Lee is confi-

dent that as well as staff feeling

more involved and better equipped

to do their jobs there’s also a big

benefit for the business overall.

“The feedback has been universal-

ly positive. People appreciate the

effort that’s gone in to designing

the courses. At one level the fact

that the directors take part is reas-

suring and shows commitment.

Additionally, because we chose

presenters based on their knowl-

edge and where necessary helped

them gain presentation skills it

shows that everyone can play a part

in their own and everyone else’s

development,” she commented.

The commitment from director

level right down is an important

facet and Norbar MD Neill Brodey

is in no doubt that it’s the right kind

of thing to be investing in. He

explained: “At a time when there is

a real temptation to batten down

the hatches, avoid investment in so

called ‘soft’ areas such as non tech-

nical training, Norbar is clearly

demonstrating that there are ways

of using the resources that already

exist within an organisation to

great effect. With a £20m turnover

and having almost doubled its

income from exports over the past

six years the company doesn’t

believe in standing still.”

NORBAR TORQUE TOOLS 01295 270333

Easy installation of self-tapping inserts

14

FAST JULY 2009

Companies who provide equipment and

systems for applying adhesives welcome

these advancements, but it also brings

new challenges. It often means that dis-

pensing equipment manufacturers need

to set about developing new and innova-

tive methods of processing and applying

these new products.

The same adhesive can often be

applied in a number of different ways, the

choice of which will depend not only on

the characteristics of the adhesive, but

also the production requirements of the

user and the specific use that the adhesive

is being put to.

As a simple example, applying a high

viscosity polyurethane adhesive to vehi-

cle windscreens in an automotive plant

will involve extruding beads of adhesive

that are applied by robot arms fitted with

automatic dispensing valves. The adhe-

sive will have been pumped under very

high pressure directly from 200 litre size

drums. By contrast, the same adhesive,

when applied by your local windscreen

replacement dealer would be extruded

using a simple hand held cartridge gun.

Systems for dispensing adhesives

range from a straightforward cartridge

gun to highly sophisticated multi-compo-

nent metering, mixing and dispensing

devices. Cartridge guns are available for

dispensing single or two component

adhesives. Both types rely on pressure

being exerted onto the rear of a plunger

or plungers, either manually or pneumat-

ically, to force the adhesive out through a

nozzle. In the case of the two-component

option, disposable plastic static mixers

are attached to the outlet nozzle to facili-

tate mixing.

Pressure feed containers are an inex-

pensive choice for dispensing single

component flowable, light viscosity

adhesives. Obtainable in a large range of

capacities, from 1 litre size upwards, they

also rely on air pressure to force the adhe-

sive to the application point, where it is

applied by dispensing valve or spray

valve. Adjusting the air pressure directly

regulates the fluid pressure and hence the

flow rate. As the fluid pressure is restrict-

ed to the maximum available air pressure

– usually in the region of 6 Bar – appli-

cations requiring long outlet hose lengths

or those using higher viscosity adhesives

are not suitable for use with pressure feed

containers.

Transfer piston pumps are pneumati-

cally driven and are used to dispense

light to medium viscosity adhesives.

These positive displacement, reciprocat-

ing pumps deliver material on both the up

and down strokes, giving a continuous

output. A positive air to fluid pressure

ratio translates into high fluid outlet pres-

sures which allow the pumps to transfer

adhesives over long distances if needed.

Extrusion piston pumps are similar in

concept to transfer pumps but will pro-

cess adhesives of virtually any viscosity,

even semi-solids, although a different

internal valve arrangement to the transfer

pumps is required to handle the higher

viscosity materials. To assist priming

with heavy materials, the pump is mount-

ed onto pneumatically or hydraulically

driven rams and is coupled to a follower

plate that fits snugly into the adhesive

container, wiping the sides clean as it

goes. This type of pump offers great flex-

ibility to the user as it can be used to

pump adhesive directly from original

containers from 1 litre to 200 litres

capacity and will develop very high pres-

sures when necessary.

Metering, mixing and dispensing sys-

tems used for processing plural compo-

nent adhesives fall into three main cate-

gories:

● Plural component piston pump sys-

tems make use of mechanically linked

double acting piston pumps driven by

either pneumatic or hydraulic motors.

Mixing ratios can be infinitely variable

The advancement of technology surrounding adhesive development is unrelenting. Bob Jonesbelieves this is good news for manufacturing, as new adhesive products bring with them theprospect of greater efficiency, a safer working environment and bigger profit margins

Adhesives application

Dispensing adhesives in the factory environment

Bob Jones is marketing manager with DOPAG (UK)

FASTTUTORIAL

15

FAST JULY 2009

and manually adjusted between the limi-

tations of the pump-linking device,

(although 1:1 fixed ratio systems are

available,) which usually takes the form

of a pivoting beam and the relative size of

the pumps in comparison to each other.

These systems are robust and multi-pur-

pose and are able to successfully process

filled and abrasive adhesives. The com-

ponents are supplied to the system by

either pressure feed containers or transfer

pumps.

● Plural component gear pump systems

use gear pumps to proportion low to

medium viscosity non-abrasive adhe-

sives, by controlling the rotational speeds

of the gear pumps in relation to each

other. Ease of changing the mixing ratio

is a major feature of this type of system

and is a simple affair, achieved merely by

entering the desired ratio into the con-

troller, making this system ideal for users

who need to change adhesives frequently.

Pressure feed containers supply the com-

ponents to the gear pumps.

● Volume counter systems proportion

the adhesive components by means of

electronically controlled flow meters that

allow integrated monitoring and automat-

ic regulation of the chosen mixing ratio,

resulting in particularly precise metering

accuracy. These systems are ideal for use

with materials that have extreme mixing

ratios or with materials that are filled

with micro spheres.

As technology moves on and more and

more new markets and applications

emerge, these tried and tested methods of

pumping, metering and dispensing are

constantly being augmented by new and

innovative systems.

Needle dispensing valves can be used

with most single component adhesives.

When fully closed, the needle sits against

a seat forming a positive shut-off. When

dispensing is required, a double acting air

cylinder lifts the needle from the seat,

allowing adhesive to flow through the

valve. These valves can be manually or

automatically actuated.

If a particularly stringy product needs

to be dispensed, such as contact adhesive,

a snuffer valve is recommended that cre-

ates a vacuum in its outlet nozzle, suck-

ing back any adhesive residue on closure.

For abrasive materials, valves with

diaphragms that separate the fluid and

pneumatic parts are used.

Proportional control dispensing valves

that will monitor the linear speed of the

robot arm onto which it is mounted and

adjust the size of the bead of adhesive in

proportion to that speed of the robot, thus

maintaining a constant bead size regard-

less of the speed of application are also

available.

The majority of plural component

adhesives can be homogenised using a

static mixing system, but for applications

where the adhesive components have

widely differing viscosities or very high

mixing ratios, either a dynamic or static-

dynamic mixing system can be used suc-

cessfully.DOPAG (UK) 01299 250740

Optically clear

Lohmann’s Duplocoll® CPT(clear performance tape) hassignificantly improved theproperties of acrylic adhe-sives.

How could it improve yourproject?

Solar

Lohmann Photovoltaic tapeshave been specially devel-oped for the energy industry.

Where could you use them?

Electronics

Lohmann’s unique ESD pro-tection films have been spe-cially developed for elec-tronics applications.

What could they do for you?

Low Energy Surfaces

Lohmann’s Duplocoll® 56000LSE (low surface energy) is aspecially developed pressuresensitive adhesive tape. Ithas been developed forapplications involving verylow surface energy.

Have you got Low Surface Energy? Lohmann can help!

Automotive

Lohmann’s PatentedDuplocoll® CF technologyadhesive tapes are ideal fora variety of clean, easy toapply precision cable fixingsin vehicle, machine cabinets,furniture…

Where do you have cablesthat need managing - sim-ply?

Lohmann Technologies UK Ltd., Cane End Lane, Bierton, Aylesbury, Bucks. HP22 5DZTelephone: 01296 337 888 Email: info@lohmann-tapes.co.uk Web: www.lohmann-tapes.com

Our word is your bond

17

FAST JULY 2009

If there is a single word that best

sums up the conversations

overheard at the Fastening

& Assembly Solutions

E x h i b i t i o n s i t i s

Really? And it is usu-

ally accompanied by

further animated dis-

cuss ions cen t r ed

around whatever revela-

tion has just been offered by

an exhibitor as a potential solu-

tion to a visitors problem.

As far as I can see, visitors to our exhi-

bitions are there primarily for one of four

clearly defined reasons:● There is a need to address a specific

design challenge● The production department needs to

speed up assembly● The management are demanding

cost-down● A company is seeking ideas and inspi-

ration in fastening and assembly

Whichever of these elements is

the driver behind a visit to the

show, (or whatever combi-

nation of them for that

matter), the Fastening &

Assembly Solutions

Exhibition is able to

deliver the required

answers required in a

single visit measured in

hours. Thanks to a

wide a r r ay o f

exhibitors who represent

just about every possible

method of fastening,

assembly and joining

available, there really is

something for everyone at

the show, whatever the

application in hand, right

across UK manufacturing

industry.

Whether it is working with fabrics or

designing the next generation of

aerospace electronics plat-

forms, the manufacturing

community that makes up

the backbone of UK

industry keeps coming to

this exhibition to find

answers , inspirat ion,

expert advice and imme-

diate cost-down opportu-

nities. It is about focus,

and because so much fas-

tener, fastening, adhesives

and assembly technology

is packed into one place at

one time, problems that

have taken some visitors

weeks to overcome can be

resolved here within hours

thanks to the experience

and unrivalled knowledge of the

exhibitors.

The forthcoming Fastening &

Assembly Solutions Exhibition is being

held on October 29th at the National

Motorcycle Museum Birmingham, right

outside the NEC. It isn’t just centrally

located – it also offers an abundance of

free parking right outside the show and is

a fantastic environment for engi-

neers of all disciplines. To

add value to the day and

allow exhibition atten-

dees to see the muse-

um after visiting the

show, we (the organ-

isers) are providing

every visitor with a

free museum pass nor-

mally costing £6.95 (and

worth every penny too!).

Moreover, currently employed

manufacturing professionals who wish to

attend and pre-register in advance at

www.fas ten ing-so lu t ions-exhib i -

tion.co.uk will also have the advantage of

a free Luncheon Voucher as well.

So our summarised proposition to you

as a potential visitor is this: come here if

you have a fastening or assembly prob-

lem and talk to the experts about it. You

will probably find the answers you need.

Come here if you think you are on top of

your fastening and assembly operations

and options – the chances are that you

will find a surprise in the form of a new

product or process that offers a better

way. Come here to achieve more in a few

hours than you might otherwise do in

weeks.

We hope to welcome you on the day,

and strongly recommend that visitors

pre-register in advance if possible.

“Assemble here for better designs, fresh ideas and new cost reduction opportunities!” says FAST'spublisher, Mark Newby who also organises the Fastening & Assembly Solutions Exhibitions. Thenext event is at the National Motorcycle Museum on October 29th

Fastening and assemblyshow will promote costsaving designs

“Thereis no better

place to get up todate on the latest

fastener technologiesand applications”.Geoff Hammond,

Wago. “Younever know

what you can comeup with or what hasbeen developed sinceyou last investigated”Ivan Phillips, Corus

Automotive

19

FAST JULY 2009

Secure Bolt System (SBS) is a method of

providing ultimate fastening security to

bolted joints. The product comes in two

distinct styles. One product suits applica-

tions subject to high vibration levels

where other fixing methods may prove to

be unreliable, while the other is resistant

to tampering.

SBS has been extensively tested and

has been found to perform much better

than common fastening solutions such as

flat, spring or conical washers.

Furthermore it has been tested against

established products specialising in high

vibration applications and found to per-

form equally as well or even better whilst

holding significant benefits of being easy

to install, easy to undo with standard

tools and being completely reusable.

The system works on the bolt head or

nut having wedge shaped ramps formed

on its underside which marries up with

corresponding wedges on the washer. In

the standard option the washer is

arranged such that the hexagon shape

lines up exactly with the head of the bolt

or nut therefore allowing the unit to be

tightened or loosened using conventional

tools. The underside of washer has a

series of serrations that will achieve an

extremely effective grip on

the housing when the fasten-

er is tightened down. If you

try to undo the fastener by

locating on the bolt head or

nut only you will find it

impossible to loosen. This is

because the angle on the

wedges is greater than the

pitch of the thread and there-

fore by trying to move one

component of the fastener

relative to the other you are

in effect tensioning the bolt

and increasing the locking

force. In order to loosen the

fastener it is necessary to turn

the bolt head/nut together

with the washer, using the

hexagon washer version this

can be done using a standard

spanner or socket. Therefore this deriva-

tive is fully vibration proof.

The tamper-resistant version uses the

same mechanical principles but has a

round washer with special notches cut in

the outer diameter. Installation remains

quick and straightforward as before but a

special socket having drive dogs to suit

notches on the washer is required for

removal. Without this tool removal is vir-

tually impossible and so the fastener

becomes tamper proof except to nominat-

ed tool holders.

SBS fastening solutions are available

in a range of metric and imperial sizes

from M6 to M24 on nuts, up to M20 on

bolts and M36 on washers, and in various

grades. Most commonly used is grade 8.8

in high tensile steel with a zinc plate fin-

ish as standard. Other materials such as

stainless steel and surface treatments are

available as well as specialist products

such as SEM’s screws.SBS is distributed

in the UK and Ireland by IEC 01202 339559

The Secure Bolt System was launched at last year's Fastening and Assembly Solutions Exhibition at the Motorcycle Museum, Birmingham and then again at RAF Cosford show in April this year.In case you missed the show, here's how the system works

Vibration-proof fasteners launched atlast season’s exhibitions

20

FAST JULY 2009

Adam Binding considers the appropriate use of springs in another of ourregular question and answer features

Springs – when,where and howthey should be usedAdam Binding is European Marketing

Manager for Lee Spring Limited and isresponsible for marketing the company'sproducts and services throughout EUmember countries. He has been with thecompany for five years.

Surely all springs are the same aren’t they?

Not really. There are many different

types, each designed to suit specific

applications. The most common types are

compression, extension and torsion

springs or derivatives of these such as die

springs and instrument springs. Other

forms include Belleville spring washers,

also known as disc springs, constant

force springs plus battery, wave, conical,

swivel hook and drawbar springs.

Is there some kind of standardcalculation formula that a designer canuse if they know what mass or weightthey have to move from A to B, and inwhat time and at what rate?

Yes, spring theory is normally developed

on the basis of spring rate or load and the

formula for this is the most widely used

in spring design. Other formulas exist to

determine spring index, stress correction

factor and shear stress. The formula for

spring rate is: S = ΔF = Gd 4

ΔL 8nD 3

Where:

S rate in N/mm

F spring force N

ΔF change in spring force N

ΔL deflection mm

D mean coil diameter mm

d wire diameter mm

G modulus of rigidity N/mm

n number of active coils -

Do you sell more of the springs that areused for pulling things together, orpushing things apart?

Push type (compression) springs are the

most widely sold type of springs, fol-

lowed closely by extension and torsion

spring types.

How many ‘generic’ families of springtypes are there in existence?

As mentioned earlier mainly there are

three kinds – compression, extension,

torsion and each one can have different

configurations. Other types include wave

spring, constant force spring, clock

spring, drawbar spring, garter spring,

spring washers.

What material choices are there fordesigners?

A very wide variety is available to suit

most applications. The list includes

music wire, stainless steel (different

types), carbon steel, phosphor bronze,

beryllium copper, gold, Nitinol wire and

alloys such as Monel, Hastelloy, Inconel,

Elgiloy, Waspalloy and Nichrome.

What is the best spring material forcorrosion resistance?

It depends on the application. Stainless

steel is better than carbon steel for corro-

sion resistance.

What is the best spring material type forapplications in very low temperatures?

There are different grades of alloy steels

available for very low temperature appli-

cations. Steel types A201 and T-1 can

operate at -45°C while nickel steels with

2.25% Ni can go down to -59°C and with

3.5% Ni extending to -101°C. The only

alloy steel recommended for cryogenic

use is 9% nickel steel which has a service

temperature of -195°C and is used for

transport and storage of cryogenics

because of its low cost and ease of fabri-

cation.

What is the best spring material type forhigh temperature applications?

Again different grades of alloy steels are

available to suit high temperature appli-

cations. Inconel is very widely used as

are Nimonic and Elgiloy alloys and tung-

sten tool steels.

Does the integrity of a springdeteriorate with usage or time? If so,can this be calculated at the designstage?

Yes in certain circumstances. Correct

stress calculations can minimise the

problem. This deterioration is called

‘creep’. A spring can deteriorate slightly

under creep (either time or load). It

depends on the design stresses. If the

stresses are low and well within the lim-

its, the creep would be negligible.

Are there any key performance issuesthat spring uses should bear in mind?

Spring failures are rare but these can

occur in the ends of extension springs

which absorb and store energy by offer-

ing resistance to a pulling force. To max-

imise the life of this type of spring the

path of the wire should be smooth and

gradual as it flows in to the end. A mini-

mum bend radius of 1.5 times the wire

diameter is recommended. Designing the

correct leg configurations and loadings

on torsion springs can also be a source of

21

FAST JULY 2009

frustration for users. We recommend

checking with a specialist to ensure prod-

uct service life requirements are met.

Tell us about some of the more unusualapplications that you have beeninvolved with

Some that spring to mind include: ulti-

mate quality roulette wheel mechanisms,

tray dispenser systems for use in airport

security systems, a very demanding high

performance application in a Yamaha

clutch and ejector seat mechanisms for

use in ‘life or death’ situations.

How big are the biggest springs you can supply? And the smallest?

We go up to 16mm (0.625in) wire diam-

eter and down to 1.45mm (0.57in) on

standard products. However using micro

coiling techniques it is possible to pro-

duce springs from wire no thicker than a

human hair.

In your experience, do most engineersfully understand ‘spring technology’?

Usually, engineers understand spring

technology with some help in the form of

tutorial/manual. We offer an engineers’

guide which discusses all the elements

involved in designing and specifying

compression, extension and torsion

springs.

Do you offer any assistance to engineerswho might need advice or is it a case of“Find it on our website”?

Yes, we do offer assistance to engineers:

by phone, email and of course via our

website. Most spring companies, includ-

ing ours, have dedicated engineering spe-

cialists on hand to respond to technical

enquiries.

Does the industry as a whole have‘minimum order quantities’?

Most do on stock spring selections but

not on custom spring orders.

What about prototyping, or theproduction of specials? Do you getinvolved with these?

We have always offered prototyping ser-

vices to help customers with spring

design through to production. Any spring

manufacturer will require a drawing, cad

file, a sample or a technical specification

to create a custom design. Performance,

operational and environmental conditions

are essential. Most reputable manufactur-

ers use cad systems to generate and

present custom spring designs to cus-

tomers.LEE SPRING 0118 978 1800

22

FAST JULY 2009

The rivet nut is a tried and tested method

of quickly and cleanly installing a load

bearing thread into thin sheet materials,

in both open and blind application set-

tings. A mating bolt can then be installed

into the rivet nut which in turn secures

components to the thin sheet material.

Despite the enormous choice of product

and suppliers, the principle design and

function of rivet nuts, irrespective of the

styles and sizes, remains to be the same.

Essentially, a rivet nut is a tube of

metal comprising of three sections. At the

far end of the product is a threaded sec-

tion where the rivet nut wall is thick (the

nut), the mid section is an unthreaded

area with a thinner wall (the can) and

finally a flange or head is located at the

other end.

An installation tool drives a threaded

mandrel into the rivet nut until it’s head

nests against a dead stop on the tool, the

nose piece. The rivet nut is then located

into the application sheet hole. Loading

or torque is applied to the mandrel result-

ing in the nut being drawn backwards in

the direction of the head, compressing the

rivet nut between the mandrel and the

nose piece. This ultimately causes the

can, which is the weakest part of the rivet

nut, to buckle somewhere along its

length. As the load on the nut continues

to be applied backwards, the buckle

spreads around the diameter of the can,

forming a 360 degree footprint. The tool

then reverses the mandrel out of the rivet

nut leaving it held captive in the applica-

tion work piece, sandwiching the sheet

between the head of the rivet nut and its

footprint.

Where exactly the initial buckle

occurs is subject to a great deal of varia-

tion and this uncertainty carries with it

significant application limitations and

dangers.

During the instillation process, the

forces applied to the can may cause it to

expand radially towards the application

hole, until its outside diameter presses up

against the wall of the application hole.

The sheet is now supporting the can,

causing its next weakest point to buckle,

which is generally beyond the hole on the

rear sheet. It is imperative that the hole is

no more than 0.1mm greater than the out-

side diameter of the rivet nut otherwise

there is a risk of part of the footprint

pulling into the application hole during

installation. Should this happen, the rivet

nut is likely to be installed ‘cocked over’

making bolt insertion difficult and poten-

tially resulting in cross threading. This

can result in the rivet nut being forced to

turn in the hole. Additionally, with some

of the footprint forming within the appli-

cation hole, there is less footprint to resist

the rivet nut from pulling out of the appli-

cation when a load is applied to bolt.

Often, applications present themselves

where at first glance a rivet nut would

seem to be an ideal choice but where in

fact they are not. Once such instance is

attempting to use rivet nuts in softer

materials, such as some plastics, low den-

sity boards or composites. Here, the

application sheet does not have sufficient

strength to prevent the rivet nut pulling

straight through the sheet or from turning

in the hole when a load is applied to the

mating bolt. This is in part because rivet

A new design of rivet nut removes the limitations of their use in a variety of applications.Paul Hanratty explains the difference

The next generation of rivet nut fastening

A mating bolt installed into the rivet nut

A rivet nut is a tube of metal comprising of three sections

23

FAST JULY 2009

nuts do not have a particularly wide grip

capability, which in turn means that when

installed into the application sheet, even

in their minimum grip condition, they do

not create a wide footprint on the rear

sheet of the application. A large rear sheet

footprint is highly desirable in any appli-

cation setting but it is particularly impor-

tant in soft sheet materials.

Raw material composition, grain

structure and heat treatment all affect the

hardness of the rivet nut and such differ-

ences in hardness occur along the length

of each individual rivet nut. Given that

the can buckles at its weakest point, each

rivet nut will not buckle the same. If there

is a hard spot in the can of a rivet nut, it

is possible the rivet nut will cock over or

will form part of the footprint within the

application hole.

Rivet nut products have been devel-

oped that create a larger rear sheet foot-

print. Unlike rivet nuts that create a 360

degree ‘circular’ footprint, these products

instead have a number of legs that col-

lapse during installation. While their pull

out performance is significantly greater

than rivet nuts, the popularity of this type

of product versus rivet nuts has proven to

be limited, possibly due to their premium

pricing versus that of rivet nuts.

While developing a rivet nut with a

greater rear sheet footprint would be a

distinct application advantage, the focus

of recent global rivet nut product devel-

opment has primarily been within two

areas. First, the development of cold

formed (headed) stainless steel products,

initially in A2 (304 grade) and more

recently in A4 (316 grade) and secondly,

the development of increased thread

strength rivet nuts.

The introduction of cold formed stain-

less steel rivet nuts as stocked standard

items enabled the market to procure

stainless steel rivet nuts at a significantly

lower costs to those made by the tradi-

tional tuning process and therefore mak-

ing it a cost effective solution. This

development specifically addresses the

needs of a growing number of applica-

tions where increased corrosion resis-

tance is required or where manufacturers

wish to install rivet nuts made of the

same material as their application e.g.

the medical industry generally produces

stainless steel cabinets and trolleys

from 316.

There has always been a desire for

rivet nuts with higher thread strength but

from the perspective of rivet nut design,

the need for this strength conflicts with

the need to be able to collapse the can

during the installation process.

After cold heading, rivet nuts are

annealed, thereby reducing the impact of

work hardening caused by the cold head-

ing process. The ‘soft’ rivet nut is then

typically roll tapped, creating a work

hardened formed thread. It is this work

hardening that gives the thread much of

its strength. This process creates a soft

can that collapses without needing to use

excessive force during installation and

ensures the can is malleable enough to

not split or crack during installation. So

rivet nut manufacturers have been chal-

lenged to produce a product that will col-

lapse during installation without splitting

or needing excessive force but that still

achieves increased thread strength.

A number of recent developments

attempted to address this need by intro-

ducing specialist ‘in process’ treatments.

An example is a technique called band

annealing. Here, after cold heading, only

the can portion of each individual rivet

nut is annealed, leaving the nut portion

work hardened. This harder material is

BCT enables a pre-determined collapse point

Bulge Control Technology provides improvedstrength performance

24

FAST JULY 2009

then tapped, creating a ‘twice’ work hard-

ened formed thread. While these devel-

opments have improved thread strength,

the rest of the product nut remains soft

and the issue of increased footprint is not

addressed at all. The nature of this type of

heat treatment also comes with a com-

mercial penalty.

However, BBA – an Italian manufac-

turer of rivet nuts – has achieved a break-

through with the development of Bulge

Control Technology (BCT), which has

led to the introduction of a patented

product that takes the variation and

uncertainty out of the use of rivet nuts. It

provides high strength performance with

an oversized rear sheet footprint.

During the manufacture of the new

product, a pre-determined collapse point

is made on the can of the rivet nut, this is

called the BCT point. During installation,

the product collapses precisely at the

BCT point every time, therefore over-

coming any variation in hardness within

the wall of the product and eliminating

the radial expansion associated with stan-

dard rivet nuts. Knowing exactly where

the product will buckle ensures that the

footprint will always form on the rear

sheet of the application, never in the

work piece hole and it will always pro-

vide a maximum footprint achieving

maximum pull out resistance. Producing

an engineered pre-determined collapse

point creates many significant advan-

tages. The location of the

collapsed point can be var-

ied during the manufactur-

ing process to maximise the

rear sheet footprint.

Creating a pre-deter-

mined collapse point has

enabled BCT to make prod-

ucts from a higher grade of

steel which, despite their

high tensile strength, still

collapse easily and consis-

tently when using standard

rivet nut tooling.

During installation, the

footprint of the BCT prod-

uct is formed first. As the installation pro-

cess continues, the footprint is then

drawn towards the head until the stroke,

torque or load of the installation tool has

been reached. This action therefore pull

sheets together even if there is a void

between them. Rivet nuts will not do this

uniformly and often will form in the

voids between sheets, leaving them sepa-

rated and in doing so, also reducing the

rear sheet footprint.

BCT products therefore create clamp

within the joint so that the sheets are

compressed between the head and the

footprint. This compression provides

additional anti-rotational resistance and

because of the large rear sheet footprint,

supports the sheet reducing the potential

of sheet failure or pull out.

Because the footprint is so big and that

clamp is generated within the joint, BCT

performs well in irregular or oversized

sized holes enabling the product to be

used in a variety of application environ-

ments such as repair, where the quality of

the hole may not be ideal or automation,

where rivet nut to hole alignment can be

an issue. The technology can also cope

with applications where holes are irregu-

lar, allowing the product to be installed

into a slot or track rather than a round

hole.

Thread strength is measured in terms

of the grade of bolt to be installed into it.

Standard BCT products are rated to work

with 10.9 bolts, meaning that the bolt can

be torqued to the recommended load and

the thread of the BCT will not fail.

However, if additional torque were

applied to the bolt, the head of the bolt

will generally shear before the BCT

thread will strip out. But for those appli-

cations that need greater strength perfor-

mance, BCT product is also available

rated to work with grade 12.9 bolts and

again, generally the bolt head will shear

prior to the thread of the BCT stripping or

the BCT turning in the hole. An

aerospace version of BCT has been test-

ed beyond grade 12.9 bolts with excellent

results.

Because of its thread and body

strength, BCT can be modified to work in

adverse conditions. If rear sheet protru-

sion is an issue, for instance, a shorter

version of BCT can be presented that

offers comparable thread strength to a

standard rivet nut but has less physical

threads and therefore protrudes signifi-

cantly less than a standard rivet nut. BBA Srl 07968 754780

A shorter version of BCT is available if protrusionis an issue

An aerospace version of BCT has been testedbeyond grade 12.9 bolts

A large rear footprint reduces the potential of sheet failure

26

FAST JULY 2009

It has been more than half a century since

Dr Vernon Krieble first revealed his

‘magic goo’ to the world. The adhesive

proved an instant success for it locked

tightly a screw that had previously

worked loose through the continual

vibration of a vehicle engine. Indeed, so

tightly was the threaded part locked that

the name Loctite was quickly established

as a brand name.

That adhesive was an anaerobic – a

product that cures in the absence of air on

a metal surface. And since that day in

1953, the development of threadlocking

adhesives has continued to meet the ever-

increasing challenges of engineers

around the world.

For example, there is a need for a vari-

ety of grades of differing strengths. A

part that needs to be regularly disassem-

bled for maintenance or servicing is gen-

erally best served through the use of a

low strength threadlocker. However, it

would be wrong to assume that such a

product does not have good vibration

resistance when in place. Once

cured, an anaerobic threadlocking

adhesive forms a tough plastic

film that effectively makes the two

mating surfaces – the male and

female parts of the threads – into

one unit. To be more technical,

the adhesive creates an inter-facial

connection by means of keying

to the surface roughness to

prevent any movement of the

threads when subjected to severe

vibration.

However, due to the range of

strengths available, when there is

a need to disassemble the compo-

nents normal hand tools are gener-

ally sufficient to break the adhe-

sive film and release the threads.

Low strength threadlockers can be

typically used for adjusting

screws, countersunk head screws

and small fasteners where only a

limited torque could be applied.

On the other hand, where a stud or

bolt is unlikely to need undoing,

then a high strength product could

be used. Here, common applica-

tions include suspension bolts,

brake calliper bolts and studs.

Between these two extremes are medi-

um strength products that also prevent

loosening on vibrating parts such as

pumps, motor mounting bolts, gear boxes

or presses.

Of course, one of the side benefits of

being able to threadlock a joint is that the

adhesive will also effectively threadseal

it, too. Not only is the joint secure, but it

also resists the ingress of unwanted fluids

and contaminants and stops leakage of

any materials within the joint. This seal-

ing capability also prevents corrosion

from occurring.

Wicking gradeGenerally speaking, threadlockers are

used for parts that are ready to be assem-

bled. Yet, on some occasions, it is neces-

sary to lock preassembled fasteners, such

as instrumentation screws, electrical con-

nectors and grub screws.

Here, a wicking grade adhesive can be

employed. Because of its low viscosity

and capillary action, the product wicks

between engaged threads and eliminates

the need to disassemble prior to applica-

tion. As with all anaerobics, the product

will only cure when confined in the

absence of air between close fitting metal

surfaces. These wicking grade adhesives

can also be used to fill porosity in welds,

castings and powdered metal parts.

Sticking to the taskFor maintenance engineers on the move

from one location to another, anything

which reduces the size of the contents of

the tool box is to be welcomed.

With that in mind, around six years

ago Loctite developed a range of innova-

tive products based on the popular glue

stick principle. Although the containers

are smaller in size than the traditional

packaging, they retain the same strength

and other qualities of the original adhe-

sives.

And using the ‘sticks’ is very easy. It

is simply a case of twisting the base of

the container and applying the adhesive

to the surface in question. Beyond that,

these sticks are cleaner to use than many

conventional products and because of

semi-solid formula they are ideal for

overhead applications where other items

might drip.

Colin Chapman of Henkel, maker of Loctite brand products, describes some of the developments inthe all important area of threadlocking since its introduction in 1953

Threadlocking – the continuing story

Adhesives work best onclean surfaces but oiltolerant grades are availablethat can accommodate acertain amount ofcontamination

The author Colin Chapman is with Henkel,

the manufacturer of Loctite brand products

27

FAST JULY 2009

Currently, there are two stick thread-

lockers available. The medium strength

product is suitable for all types of metal

fasteners. It reaches functional strength

in just two hours - which is very useful

where a speedy return to full operation is

vital for pieces of equipment. The high

strength adhesive can be used on all met-

als including stainless steels and those

with protective coatings such as zinc.

Functional strength is achieved in six

hours.

Plated surfacesTalking of coatings brings up the matter

of threadlocking where substrates such as

nickel or other plated surfaces are

involved.

Active substrates, such as copper

alloys, are very good in initiating the

rapid cure process of anaerobic products.

Conversely, plated substrates are passive

– which results in earlier anaerobic adhe-

sives attaining a much slower cure. One

of the most recent developments has been

the introduction of a new generation of

anaerobic threadlockers that can be used

on passive surfaces.

These high strength products reach

functional strength in around six hours

and can withstand temperatures up to

150°C. Although suitable for all types of

industry, automotive engineers have

found this type of product extremely

helpful – especially where recent Health

and Safety regulations have stopped the

use of certain substrates. In particular,

these directives have involved the

replacement of Hexavalent chromium

with Trivalent chrome.

Oil TolerantWhen using adhesives, it is always best

to degrease the components in order to

achieve the best performance. In reality,

however, this is not always possible and

so researchers looked into the possibility

of producing a grade of threadlocker that

could handle a certain amount of contam-

ination.

One recent introduction is Loctite 278.

This is an all-round high strength thread

locking adhesive that can be successfully

utilised for applications where oil or

other contaminants may be present.

Dispensing the adhesiveThe easiest way to dispense adhesive is

to simply squeeze the product from a bot-

tle or apply the ‘stick’. And for many

applications that may be effective.

Yet when it comes to high volume,

repeatable dispensing, something else is

needed.

Adhesives suppliers generally offer

dispensing equipment that ranges from

simple hand operated guns that can be

attached to standard product packs, to

automated machines that demand little or

no operator involvement.

Use of these automatic units involves

the dispensing valve or the work piece

being transported to the dispensing posi-

tion. Here, the application of the adhesive

can either be carried out manually

through mechanisms such as foot or fin-

ger switches, or by means of fully auto-

mated, programmed devices. Either way,

exactly the correct amount of adhesive is

applied – cutting down on wasted prod-

uct and making the application cleaner.

Continuing developmentWhen Dr Krieble introduced his new

found adhesive to the world all those

years ago, it solved a great many prob-

lems for engineers. Since then, a series

of developments – some of which have

been covered in this article – have helped

engineers even more.

Of course, we cannot be certain what

new challenges will be presented in the

future – but when it comes to preventing

parts becoming loose through vibration

shock or impact, the basic technology of

anaerobic threadlockers will remain the

at the forefront of the solutions.HENKEL

01442 278000

Threadlocking ‘sticks’ mean that engineers can readily carry adhesives in a pocket or tool box withouttaking up too much room

Although small in size, threadlocking ‘sticks’ areman enough for the toughest jobs. Here theyare used to secure joints on wheelchairs.

Historically, mattress producers used sol-

vent based adhesives. Not surprisingly,

increasingly stringent health and safety

regulations and insurance issues sur-

rounding products containing solvents

have diminished their use. And they are

being replaced by high performance hot

melt adhesives rather than mechanical

fixing methods or stitching.

There are numerous reasons why

adhesive technology in general – and hot

melts in particular – can benefit design

and production processes. Adhesives free

the designer to create new products and

new methods of manufacturing without

the constraints of mechanical fixings.

Hot melts aid this process by allowing

high speed production with the flexibility

to bond a wide range of substrates.

Adhesives can improve product

appearance by replacing mechanical fix-

ings to make smoother, cleaner, more

aesthetically pleasing products. Hot

melts can fill voids and encapsulate or

seal; individual components or complete

products can be made tamper proof or

tamper evident.

Good adhesives build in toughness by

maintaining their strength and flexibility

throughout the life of a product. They

eliminate weak points created by

mechanical fixings or welding and their

bond strength is spread evenly across the

application area without distorting the

substrate. In impact and tensile strength

tests, hot melts score highly.

With adhesives, the manufacturing

processes can be simplified. There is no

pick and placing, as with threaded fix-

ings, or dirt and danger implications, as

with welding. Hot melt application can

be automated or manual to suit produc-

tion needs and costs – and one adhesive

may well be suitable for a variety of uses.

A simplified product can help to drive

down costs through reduced component

inventory, with easier and faster assem-

bly as fabrication time is reduced and

labour costs are lowered. Hot melts can

bring other economies too – unlike many

adhesives, no curing, drying or extraction

equipment is required, giving space sav-

ing and flexibility in production line

engineering. There is virtually no waste.

In addressing end-of-life product

strategies, hot melts can assist in the ulti-

mate dis-assembly and subsequent recy-

cling of different materials – and thus

have a positive impact on product life

cycle analysis.

Uses vary from automotive assembly

to white goods and from furniture manu-

facturing to civil engineering and con-

struction, hot melts and other adhesives

are being used for a wide variety of appli-

cations, all with different adhesive

requirements and demands.

In the automotive field, heat resis-

tance, ability to withstand fluid ingress,

longevity and application efficiency are

important – uses for hot melts include

headliner fixing, tail lamp sealing, bond-

ing foam behind dashboard/fascia panels

and bonding insulation material to door

FAST JULY 2009

Paul Addison agrees but when lying on your bed, you may not realise that the adhesives used inmattress assembly can involve the same range of substrates you are using in your company’sproduction processes. These include foam, textiles, non-woven materials, metals and plastics

Sleeping on the job?

28

Paul Addison is research and development

manager at Beardow Adams

29

FAST JULY 2009

panel interiors and body panels as well as

number plates to hangers.

With white goods, hot melts are used

to bond body panels, seal gaps and for in-

situ gasket forming – some applications

call for temporary bonds or for the adhe-

sive to be used as a spacer.

In construction, hot melts are used to

bond foam to steel for window con-

struction and on moulds for reinforced

concrete floor panels. Other uses

include bonding foams, metals, plas-

tics and paper, either on their own or

in combination, in the fabrication

of insulation panels, cavity

closures and anti-heave

honeycomb panels. See

FAST January 2008 for

details of their use at

Heathrow Terminal 5 for

instance.

Hot melts are very versa-

tile. They can create an instant bond

or have a longer open time to allow bond-

ing down the production line. As coat-

ings, they can be self-adhesive or can be

reactivated by heat, if that suits the pro-

duction requirement. According to need,

hot melts can be selected to give strong

and permanent bonds or weak and pee-

lable bonds or something in-between.

They are one of the few adhesives to

have low odour retention; they also set

rapidly and require low capital invest-

ment. In addition, hot melts are neither

hazardous, toxic nor flammable and do

not contain solvents, making their han-

dling, storage, transportation and use

easy, safe and reliable without harming

the environment.

But what of the downsides to hot

melts? Like nearly all adhesives, they

have temperature constraints but depend-

ing on formulation, they can retain bonds

at between -60°C and +125°C. They can

be used for low and high speed produc-

tion applications and have proven chemi-

cal, impact and vibration resistance and

high bond strength, with, in some cases,

ambient shear strength capabilities of

over 1,000 N/25 mm2.BEARDOW ADAMS 01908 574000

Beardow Adams, which has won four Queen’s Awards, is the UK’s largestmanufacturer of hot melt adhesives. It develops and manufactures them inMilton Keynes, where it has the capacity to produce over 40,000 tonnes ofadhesive per annum. The production of high quality adhesives for productassembly is an important part of the company’s portfolio for permanent,peelable and reactivatable applications.

Typical potential uses for hot melt adhesives – in white goods for temporary or permanent bonds(opposite) and in the automotive industry for bonding insulating foams behind door panels (above).

30

FAST JULY 2009

The introduction of blind riveting some

80 years ago was a genuine manufactur-

ing breakthrough, allowing fastening

installations from one side of the work

piece when the opposite side was inac-

cessible with a tool, or could not even be

seen. Prior to arrival of this special class

of fasteners, it took two assemblers to set

a rivet, one with rivet hammer to pound it

through the hole, the other with a bucking

bar to set it on the opposite side.

Blind rivets – also called breakstems –

changed all that. They broadened design

horizons, fastened in seconds, delivered

consistent repeatability, and reduced

costs. They were the ideal joining process

to support greater use of aluminium and

the emergence of such new materials as

plastics. Breakstems allowed design and

assembly of large, complex structures,

and manufacturing of products and

equipment that could not be made with-

out them, including tubular shapes and

other enclosed systems. They demon-

strated their value to worldwide markets

in 1936 with the assembly of the first all-

metal aeroplanes.

Breakstems have evolved and prolifer-

ated during the past 75 years, assembling

everything from sub-miniature electronic

components to steel beams supporting

tons of weight in the world’s largest

bridges. They join diverse materials of

varying thickness and composition and

thrive in the most demanding environ-

ments. High-tech monitoring and con-

trols deliver foolproof processing, allow-

ing only the right rivets to be installed the

right way in the right holes. Every major

automotive and truck OEM, appliance

maker, electronic components manufac-

turer, and commercial and military air-

craft producer relies on the strength, con-

sistency, productivity, and versatility of

these fasteners.

How breakstems work A breakstem rivet has a smooth, cylindri-

cal rivet body topped by a flared head,

and a solid rod mandrel with a bulbed

head that extends from the hollow 0rivet

shaft and looks like a nail. When a blind

rivet is installed, setting tool nose-piece

jaws grip the mandrel and pull it into the

rivet body and through drilled or punched

holes in a layer of materials. The mandrel

head expands rivet walls radially, com-

pressing them firmly in the hole while

forming a tightly clinched load bearing

are on the reverse side of the mat aerial.

As the mandrel penetrates the blind

side, its unused portion at the opposite

end of the rivet sleeve breaks off at a ten-

sile load greater than the tension needed

to fully deform the rivet body.

Manufacturers decide the differences

between upset load and break load and

build it into their breakstems.

Mandrels have weakened grooves

where this separation occurs, and some

have a mechanical lock that snaps into

place. This action plugs the opening in

the rivet shell and captures the remaining

portion of the mandrel inside the sleeve.

Rivets have been assembling materials for thousands of years, but it wasn’t until the mid-1930s thatdesigners in Europe and the US developed blind versions of these important fasteners. Pete Beecherland Tim Bartlett plot their development

Broadening design horizons with blind side riveting

Blind rivets broadened design horizons

A blind rivet has a smooth, cylindrical rivet body topped by a flared head

The authors both work with Advel North America.

Pete Beecherl is Engineering & Business

Development Director and Tim Bartlett is Product

Manager

31

The entire installation cycle – from the

time the operator pulls the trigger to the

final setting of the rivet – takes about one

second, and the result is a permanent,

vibration-resistant joint.

Controlled expansion of the breakstem

rivet body, achieved through proper man-

drel design and material selection for

specific applications, provides uniform

compression and hole fill. This allows

effective joining of many types of dis-

similar materials, including metal to plas-

tic, plastic to plastic, and metal to wood.

Designers select blind rivets for the

way they set in particular applications,

and mandrels for how they perform as a

built-in tool. Standard rivet diameters are

3/32, 1/8, 5/32, 3/16, and 1/4in. These

dimensions are expanded as needed to

accommodate customer needs, and com-

bined with mandrels of varying sizes,

designs and materials.

The design challenge is to marry suit-

able rivet sizes and configurations, such

as tapered, float, sharp edged, or serrated,

to the right mandrels to achieve strong

joints while preserving rivet integrity.

The goal is always to have rivet bodies

deform precisely as specified, and man-

drels to break at precise forces to ensure

joint consistency, strength, and durability.

Breakstem benefits Applied with high-speed precision, blind

rivets are the fastest mechanical joining

method available, helping reduce in-

place costs versus screw and other

mechanical joining processes. Depending

on the application and the setting tool,

breakstems install at a rate of 150 to 500

per hour, and each setting is identical.

Installation tools perform the same set-

ting action in every cycle, and all the

operator has to do is load the device,

place the nose piece in the hole, and pull

the trigger.

Unlike threaded assemblies, there are

no concerns over tool clearance, rotation

failures, and secondary parts such as

bolts and tapping plates, all of which add

process time, weight, and cost. Tapping

plates are flat parts fastened atop the

work piece to add strength and reinforce-

ment to threaded parts installed in thin

materials.

Blind rivets have none of the problems

associated with over-torquing and strip-

ping and under- torquing and loosening

that crop up with threaded fasteners. By

definition screws and bolts have varia-

tions in thread pitch to achieve necessary

friction for strong joints, which requires

balancing sufficient torque with too little

torque. Breakstems create their own joint

integrity by becoming as large as or larg-

er than the hole in which they are placed,

and through compression of the rivet in

the joint. They do not loosen, shake out,

or break off, and tight sealing helps block

leaks and seepage.

Large load bearing surfaces on the

blind side of the work piece allow break-

stem fastening in ductile materials and

thin gage metals that require added fas-

tener support. Blind rivets with large

FAST JULY 2009

Mandrels have weakened grooves

The design challenge is to match the rivet size and configuration to the right mandrel

B o l l h o f f F a s t e n i n g s L t d , W i l l e n h a l l W V 1 3 2 J W • Te l : 0 1 9 0 2 6 3 7 1 6 1 • w w w. b o l l h o f f . c o m / u k

for the strongest threads in the softest materialsRight from the outset you can ‘design-in’ performance and strength

to create the strongest original threads in aluminium, alloys and engineering plastics.

Joining together!

33

FAST JULY 2009

heads – those at least 50% larger than the

hole, versus the standard 25% – spread

the load on the blind side and bind parent

materials in a tight clamp. When needed,

three or four structural folding legs

spread diagonally across the surface to

widen load bearing footprints in soft

plastics. As a rule, mandrel heads must be

big enough to spread the load but not so

large as to waste material and add unnec-

essary weight.

Closed end breakstems seal holes by

closing off the tail end of the rivet body

and capturing the mandrel inside the rivet

bore. They seal liquid containers such as

hydraulic pumps and attach reflectors in

sealed beam headlights. Closed end

breakstems are not used as extensively as

they once were, replaced by open end

designs that seal the rivet body bore with

equal effectiveness.

Blind rivets also compensate for hole

irregularities in parts fabricated in cus-

tomer plants. During these processes

operators drill or punch holes in materials

before they are reshaped into components

and before blind fasteners are applied.

This can lead to misaligned or oversized

holes, but this is not a problem for blind

rivets when hole sizes are within .004” of

their expansion range. Rivet body com-

pression during installation compensates

for such irregularities, and so do metal

legs that expand the load bearing surface.

Breakstems also fasten painted parts

and those with other finishes without fear

of surface blemishes. Thread and bolt

processes can scratch, dent, and dimple

surfaces.

Types of blind fasteners There are two classes of blind fasteners –

open end and closed end. Open end

breakstems, found principally in lightly

loaded non-structural applications and in

more demanding structural applications,

are the most commonly used blind fas-

tener. Mandrels break off near the

blind side head and have large

flanges or countersunk heads for

settings in thin-gauge metals and

low strength materials. Open end

breakstems assemble thousands of prod-

ucts and components in virtually every

manufacturing industry. These include

computer chassis, wood to metal truck

trailers, automotive mouldings and exte-

rior lighting.

Design considerations Selecting and installing the right blind

rivet in the right hole is a systematic pro-

cess that carefully evaluates a range of

factors affecting quality and durability of

the final joint. Among these are rivet

diameters, grip ranges, hole preparation,

head styles, and corrosion resistance.

Let’s take a look at each of them.

Rivet Diameters: As noted, blind riv-

ets are available in diameters ranging

from 3/32 to 1/4”, with 1/32” incremental

increases available to provide a deep

menu of selections for specific applica-

tions. Diameter selection is based on

space, strength and material thickness.

The larger the diameter the higher the

shear and tensile strength, which is

derived from the thickness of the rivet

body and its material.

Grip Range: Parent material thickness

must fall within a specified fastener grip

range – the allowable tolerance of rivet

length versus material thickness. Grip

ranges are increased in 1/16” increments,

with each fractional addition producing

greater stem retention. A 1/2” grip range

is usually the maximum length attained

by standard breakstems, but special

designs can stretch this to an inch.

Standard size blind rivets join materials

as thick as 0.750”. Specials install in

materials as thin as 0.020” for cell phones

and computer chassis, and for assemblies

as thick as 2.0” to bridge gaps in tubular

assemblies – lawn chairs, for example.

Hole Preparation: The rivet must

completely fill the hole, and principal

factors for doing this are material thick-

ness, grip range, and rivet diameter. If a

hole is too big, it will not be filled and the

result is loose rivets. If the hole is too

small, the rivet won’t fit. Otherwise, no

special preparation is required as long as

holes are free of excessive burrs.

Head Styles: There are three basic

breakstem head styles: protruding, large

flange, and countersunk. Protruding

heads (also called dome or button head)

This assembly station places 12 rivets simultaneously

Rivets with bigger heads spread the load

34

FAST JULY 2009

and large flange versions are set on the

top side of the material. The only differ-

ence between them is that large flange

designs have heads four to five times the

size of rivet body diameter for increased

bearing surface. Countersunk heads are

flush to top side material. Designers

specify them for product surface appear-

ance and to reduce wind drag – in aircraft

fuselage assembly, for example.

Corrosion Protection: To prevent cor-

rosion, rivet bodies and mandrels are

often made from identical materials,

including low carbon steels, nickel-cop-

per alloys, aluminum alloys, and stainless

steel. Protective coatings and sleeves pre-

vent galvanic corrosion in breakstems

when joining dissimilar materials, or

when rivets do not have the same physi-

cal and mechanical properties as parent

materials. Stainless steel breakstems

offer the best corrosion protection in such

adverse environments as swimming pool

ladders and city buses exposed to salt.

AVDEL UK LIMITED 01707 292000Hand-held tools install fasteners with lower break loads

35

FAST JULY 2009

FASTSPECIAL

Preload indicating washers that

provide an accurate method of

measuring the preload (clamp

force) in a bolted joint also have

been developed by SPS

Technologies. “Using PLI wash-

ers to achieve preload allows

designers to maximise joint

strength”, says SPS product engi-

neer Steve Foster. “Frequently,

fewer fasteners or fasteners of a

smaller diameter can be used thus

reducing joint reliability. The

washers also are useful with joints

that are inaccessible to torque

wrenches. No special tooling is

required in their application.”

Three types of the washers

have been made available. The

standard product is designed for

use under lock-nuts to induce an

average preload of 80% of the

yield strength in bolts ranging

from 80Ksi to 260Ksi minimum

ultimate tensile strength. An

under-the-head version is

designed for use in applications

where space limitations make it

impossible to install an under-the-

nut washer. An oversize version is

for use with reworked joints.

Self-locking nuts

Also available from SPS

Technologies is a line of prevail-

ing torque lock-nuts for securing

screws, studs, bolts, and other

threaded fasteners. The Flexloc

all-metal, self-locking nuts are

described as one-piece products

that resist impact, shock, and

vibration.

“Because they lock without

seating the nuts can be positioned

anywhere along a stud, bolt, or

screw “making them suitable for

use as stop nuts”. Unlike lock-nuts

that utilise nylon inserts, all

threads are load-bearing in order

to withstand the most severe

vibration. “The result is greater

reliability without the need for

auxiliary locking devices, and a

usable temperature range from

below zero to +800ºF.”

Flexloc nuts are offered in a

range of inch and metric sizes, and

in a variety of materials and fin-

ishes.

SPS TECHNOLOGIES 02476 585050

Preload indicating washers

Threaded fastener securityResistance to vibration, corrosion, temperature variations, etc. may all be considered whenspecifying threaded fasteners. FAST takes a look at recent announcements of productsspecifically designed to ensure the elimination of mechanical failure

Sap-Seal, available from

Thomas Smith Fasteners, is a

re-usable threaded plastic cap

that, when used in combination

with a barrier lubricant, resists

corrosion and physical damage to

a wide range of fasteners.

“The product is effective

under extreme temperature con-

ditions and can be used in off-

shore and onshore applications”,

reports the company’s Alex

Fielding. “It protects nuts, bolts,

and threads from damage thus

helping to reduce downtime and

maintenance costs.”

Available in a range of metric

and imperial sizes from M18 to

M90 (5/8in to 4in) Sap-Seal has

been used in the North Sea oil

exploration and production

industry for some years.

THOMAS SMITH FASTENERS 01942 520260

Plastic protection caps

Promoted by Bulte Plastics as

being “suitable for applications

that require extra security” a new

range of self-locking nuts is said

to be able to eliminate backlash

without sacrificing efficiency.

“This type of nut is more effec-

tive than standard hexagon nuts

because it includes a non-thread-

ed part which closes around the

thread thus creating a lock

between the two threads.”

The nuts are manufactured

from polyamide 6.6 that, when

combined with steel screws, pro-

vides low drag torque and

smooth operation throughout the

life of the assembly. In addition

to being used as a secure fasten-

ing for joining many kinds of

parts the products are stated to

save weight compared with con-

ventional steel/nylon lock-nuts.

Applications in the construc-

tion, furniture, electrical and

electronic, and medical industries

are cited “in which properties

such as strength, corrosion resis-

tance, oil resistance, low weight,

and low thermal conductivity are

required”.

Sizes include M5, M6, M8,

M10, and M12. The working

temperature range is from -30ºC

to +100ºC.

BULTE PLASTICS 01789 263753

Self-locking nuts

Designed “to promote secure

attachment” the new PEM

C.A.P.S. access hardware incor-

porates a captive screw and a

plastic, coloured cap in a spring-

loaded assembly. “Not only does

the product enhance secure fas-

tening and enable subsequent

access, the design reduces parts

count, minimises handling, and

prevents screws from falling out

or damaging internal compo-

nents”, says Michael J. Rossi,

PennEngineering.

The fasteners are offered in

self-clinching, flaring, and float-

ing mounting styles to install per-

manently in a wide range of panel

materials and hardnesses.

Offered in multiple screw

lengths with thread sizes from

M3 to M5, the product are avail-

able in a range of eight standard

colours, including black and sil-

ver metallic.

As regards installation, the

fasteners are pressed into mount-

ing holes - their integrated anti-

cross-threading screw technology

ensures proper alignment.

PENN ENGINEERING01302 765700

Access panel screws

36

FAST JULY 2009

FASTSPECIAL

Elesa has introduced a screw-

adjustable friction setting for its

CFU series of hinges. This

allows users to set the open-

ing force of a door so that it

will stay partially open or

will dampen down the

action of the wind in out-

door applications.

“Hinges tend to be sim-

ple things but occasionally

a product comes along

incorporating a really use-

ful and rather different

idea”, says Elesa’s Nigel

Pritchett. “This is a simple

yet clever extension to the

expected features of a nor-

mal hinge.”

The CFU series is man-

ufactured in black

technopolymer with a rota-

tion angle of 270º. Friction

adjustment is achieved by

operation of a centrally-mount-

ed screw - clockwise for more

friction; anti-clockwise for less.

Safety switching hingeElesa also is promoting the use

of its CFS hinge which has a

built-in security switch that

will switch off equipment when

a door or panel is opened. The

CFS aids operator safety and

also can be used to indicate sta-

tus remotely for access moni-

toring.

The types offered are the CFS-

SH with countersunk screws

and the CVS-CH with slotted

fixing for ease of adjustment.

Both are available with top-

mount cable connection or rear

mounting connector and appro-

priate leads to suit machine

control or status indication

usage.

ELESA 01526 322670

Hinges with adjustable friction setting

The PRO3 is a concealed hinge

launched by Dirak that offers

tool-less assembly and removal

for situations in which it is neces-

sary to remove, for example,

enclosure doors. Featuring

Dirak’s D-Snap technology,

removal of the hinge is effected by

pulling the pin in the frame part

and lifting off the door; the pin

stays captive, attached to the

frame. For door reinstallation the

pin is pushed and latched back

into place.

In addition to the zinc die material

which allows the hinge to by used

for heavy-duty applications the

advantages of the product are list-

ed by Dirak as:● High dependability because of

no loosening or loss of screws.● Blind assembly without access

from the back.● Vibration-proof, firm installa-

tion.● Low cost and processing time.● Tool-less assembly without

nuts and screws.

DIRAK 01252 333864

Concealed hinge with tool-less assembly

Hinges, handles, latches and hardwareHinges, handles, latches, and related hardware have increased in importance in recent years arenow are considered as an essential part of many manufactured items rather than just asmundane products that are specified at the last minute. As the market has grown so has thenumber of companies serving it. FAST trawls the most recent announcements

37

FAST JULY 2009

FASTSPECIAL: HINGES, HANDLES, LATCHES AND HARDWARE

A new line of standard Southco

ST-12C counterbalanced hinges

provides consistent, high-torque

performance in a compact pack-

age, enabling equipment opera-

tors to lift and position hinged

components with less effort.

Ease-of-movement and no-slip

positioning allow intuitive opera-

tion of display screens, doors,

access panels and other movable

components in consumer, medi-

cal equipment, transportation and

industrial machinery applica-

tions.

Multiple options for counter-

balancing torque, plus the ability

to imbed the hinges within prod-

uct housings, offer product

designers desirable options in

terms of both aesthetics and

physical performance relative to

other existing hardware.

Southco's counterbalance design

requires less effort to move heav-

ier objects as compared to fric-

tion-only hinges. And unlike gas

struts that can also infringe on

sleek exterior designs or partially

obstruct access to enclosures,

performance is not compromised

by temperature or extended use

over time. The ST-12C constant-

torque design-specified to stay

within +/-20% of rated torque for

20,000 cycles of operation-pro-

vides consistent long-term per-

formance, without the need for

maintenance or adjustment.

An integral counterbalancing

spring provides for lifting assis-

tance in one direction to mini-

mize the weight felt by the user.

Four torque values are available

to accommodate objects of vary-

ing size and weight. Each hinge

also includes in house constant

torque technology to hold the

hinged component steady in any

desired resting position through-

out the complete range of hinge

motion. By combining both lift-

ing and positioning properties in

the same unit, these hinges elim-

inate the need for a

secondary mechan-

ical device to hold

an object in place.

Hinges are in-

stalled in mirror-

image pairs, and

can be designat-

ed to ship with

the mounting

housing and the adapter in one of

four possible starting positions.

Each hinge provides +/- 90% of

rotation in each direction for a

full 180 degrees range of motion.

These options enable designers to

satisfy a variety of mounting and

positioning angles.

The company has published a

500-page product handbook,

which features over 40,000 prod-

ucts in 15 categories. It highlights

the company’s 2009 products

including position control hinges

and electronic access solutions.

In addition, swing handles, com-

pression latches, rotary latches,

and

quarter-

turn fasten-

ers receive special coverage.

“This comprehensive portfo-

lio of access hardware allows

users to find and specify the

product needed for their applica-

tion or to search the handbook

for new ideas”, says Southco’s

Dan McCourt. “The catalogue

also features a product index

designed to ease the search of

customers trying to meet a spe-

cific need or solve a specific

problem.”

SOUTHCO 0845 117 9222

Access hardware solutions

Want to know more?Then don’t hesitate to contact us on the number below or see page 53

For permanent or temporary fixing the evolution from nails, screws and glue is complete – tesa tape!

Whatever the surfaces you need to bond to and whatever the load requirement, we have a specialist product that will offer youoptimum performance. We can even supply some of our tapes in rolls up to 10,000 metres.

And, as Europe’s largest manufacturer of specialist adhesive tapes, no one is better qualified to offer help and advice on howadhesive tapes can solve a manufacturing problem.

Evolution… Solution.

38

FAST JULY 2009

FASTSPECIAL: HINGES, HANDLES, LATCHES AND HARDWARE

Redditch-based Protex Fasteners has introduced its

highest performance latch to date, the 490-9000 MSZN.

Codenamed Big Bertha, the fastener and dedicated

catchplate have been developed to meet the types of

super heavy duty application found in earthmoving, min-

ing equipment, aggregate conveyors, agricultural plant,

freight and off-highway vehicles.

The zinc plated, mild steel latch assembly achieves

an ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of 7500 kgf and pro-

vides up to 30 mm grip range adjustment. At maximum

capacity, it measures 85 mm wide, 40 mm high and 392

mm long, including catchplate. A sealing facility is also

incorporated in the catchplate as standard, to provide

additional security.

According to Protex’s systems and development

manager, Adrian Symons: “Big Bertha has been devel-

oped to meet customer requirements for reliable fasten-

ing under the most demanding operating conditions,

including extremely high dynamic and vibrational

loads. It perfectly complements our existing fasteners

for light, medium and heavy duty applications. But

with around three times the ultimate tensile strength of

our largest catches, the new model extends our prod-

ucts’ capabilities into a completely new area of high

strength fastening requirements.”

PROTEX FASTENERS LTD 01527 63231

Over-centre catches

FAST JULY 2009

FASTSPECIAL

EMKA continues to expand its

offering of compression technol-

ogy latches with the new

Program 1000 'Compression Lift-

and-Turn' swinghandle style

latches. These are expected to be

particularly helpful for vibration

prone situations for closure of

cabinets/enclosures, especially in

air-conditioning or vehicle equip-

ment access situations, as well as

other similar applications which

require substantial opportunity

for adjustment.

The flush fitting compression

latches feature extensive adjust-

ment of cam position as well as

variety of matching shaft lengths

and cam bends to adjust both

overall depth and tightness of

pull onto the gasket. This enables

great fit flexibility, while stan-

dard security options include

locking, non-locking and tool

operation. A single screw saddle

clamp version accommodates up

to 6mm panel thickness with a

grip range from 6mm to 56mm

dependant upon cam selected and

provides 6mm of gasket pull

down.

Material is die cast, finished

in black powder coat, polished

chrome or satin chrome. Further

information on EMKA products

and services may be found at:

www.emka.co.uk, where it is also

possible to download any part or

the entire EMKA product cata-

logue.

EMKA is promoting its range

of specialist handles and locks

designed for electrical cabinets,

19-inch racks, roadside cabinets,

wall-boxes, cabinet suites, motor

control centres, and related appli-

cations. The 1225 series offers

'extremely simple fitment with

screw-in assembly, IP65 protec-

tion, or hook-in fixing to meet

IP54 standards', says EMKA’s

Andy Billingham.

Units can be locking or non-

locking with various key combi-

nations including EMKA keys

and other generic key-lock types.

The range covers swing-handle

options with a variety of locking

solutions, some with fixed bar-

rels, profile cylinders, padlock

variants, or special security

options.

“An important feature is the

flexibility of the 1225 configura-

tion,” says Billingham. “Single,

double, three-point, and five-

point closure is possible.” Flat

rod systems can also be fitted

inside or outside the gasketed

sealing area, which maximises

useable door area.

EMKA 02476 616505

Compression latches

39

40

FAST JULY 2009

FASTSPECIAL: HINGES, HANDLES, LATCHES AND HARDWARE

The LIN-X hinge from Sugatsune is an innovative

parallel opening door mechanism which opens

smoothly out and to the side and has many advantages

over conventional swing doors and sliding doors. The

space saving design is ideal for hanging cabinets

where there is always a danger of banging your head

or floor cabinets where the gangway can get blocked

by normal swing doors.

Thanks to this motion, flush doors can have a gap

as little as 2mm even with double door installations

where the doors can be opened independently. On top

of this the design allows for the installation of doors

on inside blind corners as would be found in an L-

shaped kitchen or on the outside corners of a cabinet

such as on a kitchen island.

The doors are damped but move freely and can be

stopped at any point in their travel except for the last

few degrees where soft-closing takes place.

Some similar systems require ugly and inconve-

nient external fixings to the cabinet whilst the LIN-X

system is internally mounted in the cabinet using the

same mounting plate as a conventional concealed

hinge. The similarity with concealed hinges continues

with the clip mountable/clip demountable installation

which is now familiar to all cabinet makers and makes

it very easy to install.

SUGATSUNE 01491 680737

Concealed hinge

FAST JULY 2009

41

FASTSPECIAL

Advanced process developments

in steel production driven by com-

petition from lighter materials,

specifically aluminium, means

that modern manufacturing has its

widest ever choice of metal to

metal combinations to work with.

Engineers almost have a ‘pick and

mix’ pallet in front of them hence

the logical combination of differ-

ent metal types in the assembly

process, providing that conse-

quential fixing issues don’t out-

weigh the benefits to the finished

assembly.

It was this development that

drove EJOT to design a flow-

drilling fastener specifically for

high strength assembly of differ-

ent metal types; the self-piercing

FDS. It is the FDS fastener’s abil-

ity to increase thread engagement

in the through draught that makes

it such a unique solution. The

metric female thread forms with-

out creating chips during the

insertion process creating a back-

lash-free thread engagement that

is waterproof, gas-tight and able

to withstand both high pullout and

shear forces.

The technology is used to

good effect in the assembly of the

high performance Lotus Elise.

When engineers at Lotus devel-

oped the chassis for this highly

acclaimed performance car, engi-

neers needed a fastener that was

capable of creating a one-sided

assembly process, which would

effectively eliminate drilling,

punching, and tolerance issues.

The FDS fastener ticked all the

right boxes by providing a proven

capability for high quality assem-

bly of thin steel or aluminium

sheets, without the need for pre-

drilling or punching or the time-

heavy process of lining up holes.

The design team developed a vari-

ation of the FDS fastener capable

of joining different metal types,

whilst maintaining shear resistant

joints.

It was the depth of the EJOT

solution that drove a second UK

high performance

vehicle manufactur-

er to choose the

FDS in a very simi-

lar way, except that

total robotic assem-

bly was achieved.

Fifty fasteners per

aluminium chassis

were programmed

to be inserted into

the structure, many into blind

areas of fixing where insertion is

only possible from one face. The

manufacturers only other option

was to revert to a

welding pro-

cess, which

created

the obvious time heavy issues

along with a need for fume extrac-

tion.

Several types of the FDS fas-

tener have been developed to pro-

vide a solution for a wide range of

assembly propositions; from fully

automatic assembly through to

manual assembly options, with

and without the need for pilot

holes. In manual fixing applica-

tions there are endless examples

where part reduction has been a

significant enough reason to

choose FDS and the fastener has

been adapted for cover

fixings over

electri-

cal contact areas on microwave

ovens, refrigerator door handle

assemblies, electric oven interiors

and drum assemblies in washing

machines; the latter because of the

fasteners strength and resistance

to vibration. Besides providing

one-sided access and extreme

high strength, the fastener is

designed to remove easily, espe-

cially if application recycling is

key.

EJOT UK 01977 687090

Self-piercing fastener creates one sided assembly and parts reduction

Self-pierce fasteningThe increase in the use of self-pierce fastening in recent years has meant that specifiers,particularly in the automotive and construction sectors, have needed to keep abreast of a widerange of products and installation equipment. FAST provides some help with a review of recentintroductions

FAST JULY 2009

42

FASTSPECIAL: SELF-PIERCE FASTENING

A complete range of riveting

machines, which are fully com-

patible with self piercing rivets,

has been launched by

Northwick.. The Adtech machine

range consists of 12 pedestal and

bench mounted riveting

machines which are suitable for

self piercing rivets from 2mm

diameter to 12mm shank diame-

ter. Setting forces of 25 tonnes

can be achieved with the largest

machine in the range.

The machines are designed

for a wide variety of applications

including automotive assemblies,

air conditioning ducts, stainless

steel fabrications and construc-

tion frameworks. The main bene-

fits of using Adtech machines is

that they include an automatic

rivet feed system and a very fast

cycle time of less than 0.5 sec.

They are industrial quality

machines which are an ideal

upgrade from conventional C-

frame portable riveters which are

often seen as being slow and

inconsistent by comparison. It is

also not necessary to use propri-

etary rivets as the Adtech

machines all use a standard rivet

feed hopper system which means

that the rivets do not require any

special carrier or tape mechanism

which can be expensive.

Rivet setting forces are

derived from an electric motor

with a flywheel – of up to 5HP –

and toggle lever powertrain. A

jaw carrier and spindle block

assembly ensures that the setting

force is accurately and consis-

tently delivered to the rivet head

to provide consistent rivet setting

time and time again.

Northwick also offer a design

and development service and

maintain an industrial riveting

Laboratory at their UK premises

in Worcestershire. They are able

to assist their customers in the

design and testing of products

and help develop fully working

solutions including custom built

tooling and fixtures.

Jon Isaacs, Chartered

Engineer and Director of

Northwick commented: “The

Adtech riveting machines com-

pliment our existing range of riv-

eting machines with their capa-

bility for self piercing rivets. This

allows us to offer our customers

a complete choice of solutions

which also includes hot riveting,

roller forming and spiral form-

ing.”

NORTHWICK 01386 555630

As the name suggests SPAC nuts

are designed to self pierce and

clinch and in the majority of

applications, the system pro-

duces a significant cost saving.

SPAC Nuts are available in

sizes from M6 through to M16,

and are suitable to self pierce

through mild steel and up to 1300

MPa UHSLA material. Work is

well underway to achieve self

piercing in 1500 MPa hot

stamped material increasingly

used within the A and B pillars

and door beams within the auto-

motive sector.

Currently the hot stamped

process has the attraction of

reduced weight and increased

strength, however attachments

with fasteners is challenging and

hole position accuracy very diffi-

cult.

The new development – the

NuSPAC Nut – has the ability to

self pierce in this material has the

major advantage of positional

accuracy of 0.2mm at maximum

material conditions.

SPAC Nuts are also suitable

for self pierce applications in alu-

minium and magnesium castings.

This is a big advantage as materi-

al flow is not interrupted by the

pins required to generating holes

in castings.

There are many advantages of

the self pierce system. The prod-

uct can be installed within pro-

gression or transfer dies, reduced

in-place cost without reducing

press speed. They can be auto-

matically fed to the machine

from top, bottom and also from

the side via camming in.

The systems are economical

to purchase and maintain and can

run at speeds in excess of 60

strokes per minute whilst self

piercing. The feed heads run on

nitrogen gas springs so it is pres-

sure rather than distance that

controls nut emplacement

absorbing any tolerance build up

in material or product. This

method ensures more consis-

tences in product performance.

RB&W 01483 822350

Self pierce and clinch nuts reduce process costs

Self piercing riveting technique

FAST JULY 2009

43

FASTSPECIAL: SELF-PIERCE FASTENING

The Aston Martin DB9 has a

body structure fabricated from

high-strength aluminium alloys

and exotic aerospace composites.

When specifying a trim and earth

attachment stud, the designers at

Aston Martin were faced with the

problem of finding a product that

fulfilled all of their stringent

design criteria.

The studs had to be fixed to

anodised aluminium panels, so

welding was not an option as the

anodic film would prevent the

studs from attaching properly to

the panel. The head generated

during welding would have local-

ly damaged the anodic film, thus

compromising the anti-corrosion

performance of the body struc-

ture. They also required a high

degree of electrical continuity, so

they could be used to earth the

many electrical components

attached to the body structure.

Adhesively bonded studs

could not be used, as little current

would pass through the adhesive

layer between the stud and the car

body. And as heavy items of in-

car equipment would be attached

to the body using the studs, the

studs required a high degree of

mechanical strength, torque and

vibration resistance.

Aston Martin's designers

teamed up with Henrob to devel-

op a self-piercing version of the

threaded stud, in both M5 and

M6 variants, that would cope

with the extreme demands placed

on this type of fastener in auto

body applications. The result is

Henrob SPS (Self-Piercing Stud)

technology, comprising the studs

themselves and a new range of

StudTrans fastening systems for

delivering and installing the

studs.

Over 200 Henrob self-pierc-

ing studs are inserted in each

DB9 body in a simple one-shot

process that doesn't need any pre-

drilled hole, is quiet, clean and

repeatable.

HENROB 0121 382 7338

Self piercing stud meets DB9 design criteria

FAST JULY 2009

44

FASTSPECIAL

A range of hand tools that makes

the installation of self tapping fas-

teners for plastics and metal alloys

much easier and quicker, as well as

ensuring a more reliable joint, has

been developed by Tappex

Thread Inserts.

The tools feature a metric

hexagon drive that is more univer-

sal than the previous square drive,

making insertion quicker and easi-

er. The drive is centred to aid align-

ment with pillar drill or mill and an

O-ring prevents the alignment bush

from falling off during use.

The tool's nose is designed to

install the insert to the correct

depth and the spigot on the nose of

the mandrel exactly positions the

fastener sub-flush with the host

material to provide a more reliable

joint.

An extended nose enables the

tools to be used where access is

restricted and the tools can also be

used with a tap wrench.

TAPPEX THREAD INSERTS 01789 206600

Hand tool simplifies fastener installation

MEMFast has announced that it

is offering a lifetime guarantee on

its rivet nut installation tools. “We

can do this because we have total

confidence in the robust design

and construction of the tools,”

says MEMFast’s Ken Hastings.

“This is due to the fact that we

control all aspects of design and

manufacture.

“Since its launch over a year

ago annual sales have exceeded

2000 units and the figure is grow-

ing by the day. Only a handful of

the tools sold have required

replacement parts - mainly man-

drels that have been broken by the

users themselves. We have

replaced these free of charge.”

Ken Hastings explains that the

company is planning to create a

family of hand tools for lighter

and for heavier use. “All of these

will be easy to use and will pro-

vide good access into even the

tightest of applications.

“MEMFast was formed so that

it could offer competitively priced

and high-quality solutions to fas-

tening problems in sheet metal

and other materials with standard

and special fasteners. We soon

recognised that existing hand

installation tools had drawbacks.

We believe that we have over-

come these problems.”

Blind rivet nuts, rubber nuts,

screw anchors, plastic rivets,

threaded inserts (made from bar),

and special fasteners manufac-

tured to meet the requirements of

customers’ drawings are among

other products available from

MEMFast.

MEMFAST 01386 556868

Lifetime guarantee for rivet nut tools

Damar International has

announced that it is to distribute

in the United Kingdom tools

manufactured by Wright Tool in

the United States.

“Wright Tool’s products are

engineered for use in demanding

industries that need maximum

uptime from their plant and

equipment,” explains Damar’s

managing director Brian Martin.

“Its tools are engineered to max-

imise surface contact and min-

imise slippage - features that

help to protect fixings from dam-

age and provide productive ser-

vicing.”

Highlighted within the ranges

of more than 3000 tools are units

that are engineered to handle

high torque, provide a better grip,

and have extended service life.

Damar will provide 'full tech-

nical support' for the tools.

DAMAR INTERNATIONAL 0116 276 4144

US tools available in the UK

Fastener installation toolsProducts and equipment that fall under the installation tools’ banner range fromunsophisticated hand-tools to all-singing, all-dancing machines that can do anything exceptbath the baby. FAST attempts to cover the market by reviewing a variety of new productannouncements.

45

FAST JULY 2009

FASTSPECIAL: FASTENER INSTALLATION TOOLS

A new range of POP Nut threaded

insert pc power tools has been

launched by Emhart Teknologies.

The company’s product specialist

Darren Hull explains that these

tools have been designed “with a

unique pressure control feature

which automatically adjusts the

stroke needed to install the inserts

in applications of varying thick-

nesses. This therefore requires

only an initial set-up for the tool to

set the product in various thick-

nesses within a grip range.”

The new tools also feature a

‘Push-to-start’ thread on

mandrels, single-torque

operation, and quick-

release mandrel systems.

“With an installation cycle

time of two seconds the

tools reduce installation

costs and improve pro-

ductivity.”

Two tools have been

introduced: the

PNT800L-PC

which can install open and closed

inserts in aluminium (M6 to M8)

and steel and stainless steel (M4 to

M8), and the PNT1000L-PC

which can install open and closed

inserts in aluminium, steel, and

stainless steel (M6 to M12).

EMHART TEKNOLOGIES0121 356 4811

Threaded insert power tools

A bench-top power tool test fixture

has been launched by Norbar

Torque Tools. It is designed for

testing pneumatic torque wrench-

es, such as the company’s

Pneutorque range, “allowing users

to bring torque testing in-house

and significantly reduce costs”,

says Norbar’s sales and marketing

director Philip Brodey,

“Users no longer will have to

send their tools away for testing.

Heavy users of pneumatic wrench-

es, such as production lines, will

be able to implement regular tests

with no external cost. Any suspect-

ed issues with a tool can be identi-

fied immediately and corrective

action taken if necessary.

The new testing fixture can be

used in conjunction with the

TruCheck Plus 1000 to simulate

the conditions of a bolted joint on

wrenches with outputs up to

1000Nm. It consists of a joint sim-

ulation ‘rundown’ assembly, ?in

and 1in sockets, and base plate

and fittings.

NORBAR TORQUE TOOLS 01295 270333

Bench-top tester reduces costs

FAST JULY 2009

46

FASTSPECIAL: FASTENER INSTALLATION TOOLS

Cooper Tools has launched a

series of wireless intelligent tools

with communications technology

for tightening safety-critical fas-

teners. Cleco LiveWire with Xbee

communications is a system that

allows up to four tools per line

controller, resulting in a claimed

22% cost savings over traditional

corded tool systems.

Wireless intelligent tools are

ideal for applications requiring

process monitoring and documen-

tation of safety-critical fastening

operations. They offer numerous

advantages over traditional corded

systems, including improved

mobility and ergonomics,

increased productivity, improved

process control, and cost savings.

Dwayne Dupuis, Senior Product

Line Manager at Cooper Tools

explains: “Increased productivity

is a major advantage with wireless

intelligent tools. With the new

LiveWire XBee wireless technolo-

gy, freedom and flexibility com-

bined with real-time wireless

error-proofing has resulted in a

highly versatile and cost-effective

safety-critical solution.”

XBee is a wireless personal

area network (WPAN) based on

the IEEE 802.15.4 hardware stan-

dard,which utilises the unlicensed

2.4 GHz band. It offers users an

alternative to traditional corded

systems as well as earlier wireless

systems.XBee tools consume less

power, resulting in longer battery

life, and have an operating range

of up to 30m.

LiveWire with XBee tools

offer 128-bit Advanced

Encryption Security (AES) and are

best for users who have concerns

about network conflicts with exist-

ing wireless infrastructure or have

relatively basic wireless communi-

cation requirements.

COOPER TOOLS 02476 308961

Models EF and K electric

torque screwdrivers have

been added to its ranges by

Torqueleader.

“These screwdrivers are

designed with precision

control in mind for innova-

tive assembly solutions”,

states Torqueleader’s man-

aging director David

Parsley. “They are suited to

electronic and production

requirements and cover a

range from 5cN.m to

440cN.m.”

The products require an

external controller/power

supply. A driver arm and

other accessories are avail-

able.

TORQUELEADER 01483 892772

Electric torque screwdrivers

Wireless tools offerincreased productivity

47

FAST JULY 2009

FASTSPECIAL

The Thinky ARE and ARV series

of mixing equipment can handle

materials such as adhesives, solder

pastes, alumina and epoxy or silver

paste, and fluorescent materials.

Introduced by Intertronics the

mixers 'have turned mixing from

an art into a science', says manag-

ing director Peter Swanson.

ARE-250 was launched by the

company in 2006 and greatly sim-

plified mixing processes because,

unlike other systems, its planetary

action mixes quickly without

enfolding air which then needs

vacuum removal. This is excellent

for many materials.

“However, there are some

materials in which even the pres-

ence of ‘micro bubbles’ cannot be

accepted. Two new machines now

developed by the company have an

integral vacuum environment

applied while the mixing is in

progress - not afterwards,” claims

Swanson.

”The ARV-310 and the ARV-

5000 offer a much less effervescent

gas removal throughout the mixing

process leaving a completely

homogenous bubble-free mix

without the mess associated with

rapid post-mix degassing.”

INTERTRONICS 01865 842842

Accurate dispensing of small quantities

Adhesive application equipmentWith the use of adhesives continuing to grow the need for specifying the correct preparation,dispensing, and application equipment has never been greater. FAST presents a run-down ofnew products that have been introduced in recent months

Avery Dennison has developed a

new adhesive for durable labels on

electrical and electronic goods

which offers performance similar

to that of solvent acrylics — with-

out the solvent, and at a lower cost.

Based on advanced emulsion

acrylic adhesive technology,

Fasson S8001 can be viewed as a

general purpose adhesive for

labelling electrical and electronic

goods, and can thus reduce a label

converter's inventory complexity

— saving time as well as cost.

The product is available with a

broad choice of well-established

UL-approved Fasson Durables

facestocks, including white and sil-

ver 50µm PET. It is optimised to

meet the needs of the medium- and

low-surface energy plastics (such

as HDPE and polycarbonates) used

in the electronics and electrical

goods industries.

The Fasson Durables Exact no

waste service programme offers

narrow-width rolls, with no

unwanted offcuts for automated

lines although minimum order

quantities can be as low as

100sqm.

AVERY DENNISON 01670 714361

Durables adhesive offers high performance at lower cost

Meter Mix Systems has intro-

duced two machines which have

bought a smile to the faces of those

for whom small shots are a big

problem . The pneumatically oper-

ated PAR2P and the electronic

PAR2E mixing and dispensing

machines are both capable of dis-

pensing shot sizes down to a

minute 0.01cc at a mix ratio of 1:1.

Tony Pell, technical manager

said: “Accurately dispensing tiny

quantities of mixed adhesive is one

of the most difficult challenges

faced by a mixing machine manu-

facturer, when processing materials

at these levels there are many fac-

tors which must be taken into con-

sideration such as material com-

pressibility, matching the mixer to

process times and ensuring shot

repeatability.”

The PAR2E with electric drive

is especially suited to laying micro

beads when used in conjunction

with one of the company’s XY

System coordinate tables.

The units both utilise well

proven technology and have found

many uses particularly in the elec-

tronics and medical industries.

METER MIX SYSTEMS01933 354500

Mixers produce bubble-free materials

48

FAST JULY 2009

FASTSPECIAL: ADHESIVE APPLICATION

Glass sealing machinesIn today’s difficult economic cli-

mate businesses will be forced to

reduce costs wherever possible to

help maintain their competitive

advantage. The use of large vol-

ume two-component materials

such as polyurethane, polysulphide

and silicones can often have extra

hidden costs caused by material

wastage and hazardous waste dis-

posal costs.

The Ecostar range of 2-compo-

nent meter, mix and dispensing

machines from Reinhardt Technik

have been specifically designed for

low maintenance, energy efficient

and reduce material wastage oper-

ations. Eurobond Adhesives is the

exclusive UK distributor for

German machine manufacturer

Reinhardt-Technik, which manu-

factures the Variostar range of

environmentally friendly two com-

ponent material processing

machines.

The Ecostar 250 standard

hydraulic direct-gunning sealing

machine is purpose-built for con-

tinuous edge sealing. It can operate

as either a front-line production

tool or as a back-up for a large

plant's automatic set-up. The

machine has a maximum output of

eight linear metres per minute on

12mm bead and can meter, mix

and dispense two-pack polysul-

phide, polyurethane or silicone

materials.

The machine has robust state of

the art technology and is designed

for use in the most confined spaces

and aggressive of environments.

The hydraulic drive guarantees

constant output at low noise levels

and new design features include an

improved drum operation which is

now simpler than ever and elimi-

nates the risk of trapped fingers on

drum change-over.

Adjustable mixing ratios and a

dosage control unit ensure material

consistency and quality.

EUROBOND ADHESIVES01795 427888

49

FAST JULY 2009

FASTSPECIAL

Flush-head pins

Self-clinching fastenersThe use of self-clinching fasteners can provide reliable solutions in design, assembly, andmanufacturing. FAST takes a look at recent developments

PEM type TP4 self-clinching

flush-head pins can be installed

permanently in stainless steel

sheets down to 1.00mm 'thus help-

ing to contribute to the achieve-

ment of thinner, lighter stainless

designs,' says Michael Rossi,

PennEngineering. “These fasten-

ers satisfy a wide range of posi-

tioning, pivot, and alignment

applications.”

Promoted by the company as 'a

practical alternative to welding' the

pins are manufactured from 400

series stainless steel. They resist

corrosion and are heat-treated for

use in sheet hardness of HRB

92/HB 192 or less, states the

company.

“As far as installation is con-

cerned the pins are placed in pre-

pared mounting holes, then

squeezed using a PEMserter tool

or standard press. The chamfered

end of the pin makes alignment of

the mating hole easy”, says

Michael Rossi. “Once installed,

the pins create a flush-head assem-

bly and lock securely with high

push-out resistance. They become

a permanent part of the stainless

assembly.”

Lengths of the products range

from 0.375in to 1.00in and 8mm to

20mm depending upon the diame-

ter - 0.125in, 0.187in, and 0.25in;

3mm, 4mm, 5mm, and 6mm.

The company also offers PEM

CAPS access hardware, which

incorporates a captive screw

design with a plastic coloured cap

in a spring-loaded assembly to pro-

mote secure attachment and allow

subsequent access. The captive

screw design reduces parts count,

minimises handling issues, and

prevents screws from falling out

or damagingany of the internal

components.

Fasteners are offered in self-

clinching, flaring and floating

mounting styles, to install perma-

nently in panel materials of vary-

ing hardness.

Available in eight standard

colours, the panel fasteners are

installed simply by pressing them

into properly prepared mounting

holes. Their integrated anti-cross-

threading screw technology cor-

rects off-angle installations and

ensures proper alignment.

They conform to the EC

Machinery Directive, which

requires that systems are engi-

neered to remain attached to

guards or machinery when the

guards are removed and are avail-

able in multiple screw lengths,

with thread sizes from 4-40 to 10-

32 and M3 to M5, and feature stan-

dard Size 2 Phillips drive for tool

access and a robust knurled plastic

cap for hand operation.

PENN ENGINEERING 01302 765700

Self clinch nuts join standard rangeHeadland Engineering Developments is pro-

moting its self-clinch fastener series by includ-

ing the products into its standard range.

Manufactured in steel/zinc, stainless steel or

grade 400 stainless steel, self clinching nuts suit

thinner and harder sheet metals. They can be

installed by hand or automatically and are suit-

able for use in punched or drilled holes.

They can be used for sheet thickness up to

3.0mm and installed closed to edge of sheet

with an almost flush finish. A completely flush

self clinch nut is also available. This can be used

in sheets where lack of space prevents the use of

conventional fasteners. It is easy to assemble

into round holes and offers a high pull out

torque and high torque resistance. A flush finish

can thus be provided to both side of the sheet.

Studs to match the above are again easy to

assemble with any squeeze press without dam-

aging decorative finishes on sheets. They offer

high torque resistance and always sit perpendic-

ular to sheet, offering a visual proof of security

but with their heads installed flush with surface

of sheet.

As managing director Allan Nielsen says:

“We have supplied self-clinch fasteners to a

number of our customers for some years and

have now included the products in our standard

range.

HEADLAND 0121 553 7537

FAST JULY 2009

51

FASTPRODUCTS

Three new polyurethane adhesives

have been added to the Araldite

2000 Plus range available from

Huntsman Advanced Materials.

The 2028 product is transparent

and ultra-violet stable as well as

being flexible and fast-curing. It

can bond a variety of plastics,

including polymethyl methacry-

late and polycarbonate, and is suit-

ed to sign bonding, seismic cable,

and general industrial applications.

Excellent gap-filling properties

and high flexibility are cited as the

major attributes of the 2029

polyurethane adhesive. It bonds

copper and brass to composites

and metals and is suitable for use

with larger components that have

a requirement for longer open

time. It is designed for use in the

transport market as well as for

multi-purpose systems for ther-

moplastics and composite bond-

ing and the general industrial

market.

The 2045 is designed for use

in making smaller sub-assembly

plastic components at speed

and with cost-efficiency. Specially

formulated for bonding plastics,

including polycarbonate, acryloni-

trile butadiene styrene (abs),

and polyamides, the adhesive is

stated to offer good gap-filling

properties. Minimal surface prepa-

ration is required and with a 'with-

in the hour' curing time small com-

ponent parts can be produced

quickly.

Huntsman also has introduced

the Araldite 2048 methacrylate

adhesive, described as a multi-pur-

pose adhesive for thermoplastic

and composite bonding developed

to minimise the amount of surface

pre-treatment required on imper-

fect surfaces. It is stated to have a

good ratio between pot life and

time to manipulate the bonded

parts. It forms tough and flexible

bonds with a high peel strength

making is suitable for use in

dynamic environments such as on

boats and in the road and rail trans-

port sectors.

HUNTSMAN ADVANCED MATERIALS 01223 832121

Polyurethaneadhesives

"Mechanical fastening, welding,

and other thermal joining meth-

ods are consigned to the shadows

of history" is the rather dramatic

opening of the notification from

Master Bond that promotes its

metal bonding adhesive which,

according to the company's

Rachel Ruchama, "can be applied

effectively to dissimilar metal

substrates with different melting

points.

The adhesive distributes stress

loads evenly over a broad bond-

ing line rather than a concentrat-

ed area, thereby reducing the

stress on joints."

The company highlights

Supreme 10HT, a one-part, heat-

resistant adhesive formulated to

cure at elevated temperatures. "It

offers excellent bonding perfor-

mance and easy, fast assemblies."

Serviceable over a wide tem-

perature range, the adhesive

exhibits "superior resistance to

impact, thermal shock, vibration,

and fatigue cracking -

important factors that affect

metal bond strength. In addition,

the product withstands severe

thermal recycling and resists

water, oil, fuels, and most organ-

ic solvents", says Rachel

Ruchama.

Supreme 10HT is stated to

achieve strong bonds featuring

high shear and peel strength

between aluminium, brass, titani-

um, steel, etc., as well as between

rubbers and plastics to metal.

MASTER BOND0207 039 0034

METAL BONDING ADHESIVE 'CONSIGNS OTHERMETHODS TO HISTORY'!

FAST JULY 2009

52

FASTPRODUCTS

New foam tapes for the building

and construction sectors have

been introduced by ISO-Chemie.

They are stated to be capable of

filling joints of up to 42mm in

prefabricated concrete, brick-

work, curtain walling, and

cladding panels.

The Bloco range of pre-com-

pressed 600 PUR (polyurethane)

impregnated foam tapes incorpo-

rate fire-resistant qualities, says

ISO-Chemie's Andy Bruce, and

can be used to accommodate

expansion and movement as well

as providing gap seals for weath-

er and air tightness, and remain-

ing permeable to trapped water

and water vapour.

"Quick and easy to apply the

tapes can handle temperatures

between -30ºC and +90ºC and

driving rain. They ensure that a

building is protected against

wind, dust, and moisture ingress

by accommodating changes in

structural movement caused by

environmental, cyclical, and set-

tlement factors." Bloco tapes,

which can be painted over, are

supplied in a number of sizes.

ISO-CHEMIE 01207 566867

Foam tapes fill 42mm gaps

A hand-held flaw detector, with

application-specific software that

allows it to be used for spot weld

testing, has been launched by GE

Sensing & Inspection

Technologies. The 'Spotchecker'

has a wide range of uses, espe-

cially in the automotive sector,

states the company.

"This new instrument does not

require extensive training in

order to learn how to use it", says

product manager Stefan Frank.

"It offers the advantage of an

'expert' weld inspection system

for less qualified people.

"Inspection can be carried out at

the place of welding rather than

having to move welded parts to

dedicated inspection points. This

provides a potential for gains in

productivity."

The Spotchecker has an 8in

liquid crystal display touch

screen, six programmable func-

tion keys, and twin track balls to

improve ease of use.

"With inspections being done

on the production line there is no

need to transport components to

inspection stations", says Stefan

Frank. "In addition, test results

can be transmitted immediately

and 'wirelessly' to a suitable data

base so it is possible to achieve

accurate and reliable feedback to

adjust welding parameters and

eliminate weld defects."

GE SENSING & INSPECTION TECHNOLOGIES 01925 604095

Mobile solution for spot weld testing

Ruland Manufacturing has

announced the introduction of a

series of one-piece and two-piece

clamp-style shaft collars that fea-

ture inch or metric bores, DIN

12.9 socket-headed cap screws,

and high-grade materials and fin-

ishes.

"The use of metric screws

with inch bores is especially use-

ful when either retrofitting or

designing equipment with inch

shafts for worldwide use", says

Ruland's vice-president of sales

Robert Watkins.

The 'International' series is

available from Ruland - a US-

based company represented in

the United Kingdom by Lenze -

in high-grade aluminium with an

anodised finish and stainless steel

screws, lead-free carbon steel,

stainless steel, and engineered

plastic. Bores sizes range from

3mm to 150mm.

"The collars are manufactured

with close attention to the face-

to-bore relationship, ensuring

good alignment and a functional

interface for some bearings",

says Robert Watkins.

LENZE 01234 321321

Shaft collars

Snap-in clips that resist vibration,

corrosion and abrasion, are high-

lighted by Bulte Plastics as

offering "fast and easy assem-

bly". The action of the product's

interlocking gripper teeth "cre-

ates an outstanding bond that is

difficult to remove without dam-

aging the clip".

Standard materials of manu-

facture are nylon (polyamide 6.6)

and POM (polyoxymethylene) -

they resist hot water, greases, and

oils.

Prong diameter of the clips is

7.8mm or 9.7mm - hole diameter

is recommended to be 8.0mm and

10.0mm. Head diameter varies

from 12.0mm to 20.0mm - the

larger size "makes the binding of

soft materials a simple applica-

tion". Standard lengths are

8.5mm and 16.0mm (in the POM

material 13.5mm and 21.0mm

clip lengths are available).

Several head styles are

offered: binder slotted, flat slot-

ted, mushroom, and knurled

thumb.

BULTE PLASTICS 01789 263753

Snap-in plastic clips

Sap-Seal, available from

Thomas Smith Fasteners, is a

re-usable threaded plastic cap

that, when used in combination

with a barrier lubricant, resists

corrosion and physical damage to

a wide range of fasteners.

"The product is effective

under extreme temperature con-

ditions and can be used in off-

shore and onshore applications",

reports the company's Alex

Fielding. "It protects nuts, bolts,

and threads from damage thus

helping to reduce downtime and

maintenance costs."

Available in a range of metric

and imperial sizes from M18 to

M90 (5/8in to 4in) Sap-Seal has

been used in the North Sea oil

exploration and production

industry for some years.

THOMAS SMITH FASTENERS 01942 520260

PLASTIC PROTECTION CAPS

53

FAST JULY 2009

54

FASTPRODUCTS

The TorqSense RWT330/340

series of non-contact torque mea-

surement products is available

from Sensor Technology. They

were developed use in applica-

tions in which space is limited.

As with other units in the

TorqSense family products in the

new series can measure torque,

speed, power, and the position of

rotating shafts such as machine

drives, drive shafts for pumps,

fans, mixers, etc., and in the crit-

ical areas of test rigs.

"Following many requests to

fit TorqSense into very small

spaces the company's designers

have come up with a solution by

separating the sensing head from

the control electronics to form a

two-part unit", explains Tony

Ingham, Sensor Technology.

"Tiny piezo-ceramic combs fixed

to the transducer's shaft distort in

proportion to the instantaneous

torque level.

These create data signals that

are transmitted via a non-contact

radio frequency coupling rather

than by conventional but clumsy

slip rings or high-inertia rotary

transformers. As piezo technolo-

gy requires little power this also

is supplied by the radio frequen-

cy coupling.

"The data signal is transmitted

to the control unit from which it

can be read on an alpha-numeric

display or transferred to a pc for

storage and analysis using the

TorqView software programme."

SENSOR TECHNOLOGY 01295 730746

NON-CONTACT TORQUE MEASUREMENT IN SMALL SPACES The welding of frames for motor-

cycles and bicycles are among

the applications listed by Murex

Welding Products for the TIG

(tungsten inert gas) welding pro-

cess.

TIG is described by Simon

Marks, Murex, as “an extremely

versatile process that can be used

with virtually any weldable met-

als, including dissimilar metals.

It not only possesses high integri-

ty but offers a very high aesthetic

finish. Consequently, welds often

can be left ‘as is’ with no need for

grinding. This is beneficial in

terms of time saved and, of

course, it eliminates any prob-

lems associated with on-site

grinding, such as noise and dust.”

MUREX WELDING PRODUCTS 0800 389 3152

TIG welding

A range of twelve-point bolts, in a

variety of materials and finishes,

is available from SPS

Technologies. Tensile bolts with

this head configuration are

offered in strength levels to

260ksi ultimate tensile strength;

shear bolts are offered in strength

levels to 160ksi shear strength

depending on the choice of mate-

rial. Locking features also are

available.

SPS TECHNOLOGIES 02476 585050

Twelve-point bolts

The HS (High Strength) line of

POP brand blind rivets from

Emhart Teknologies "is targeted

at applications that require

exceptional tensile and shear

strength", says the company's

product manager Ryan Carter.

"In particular, they offer

excellent resistance to rattle and

vibration - critical to the trans-

portation industry."

Available in a range of 6mm-

diameter domed head steel and

aluminium materials the rivets

are designed "to provide positive

mandrel head retention".

Additional performance bene-

fits listed by Emhart include:● Increased blind side expan-

sion.● Consistent clamp force.● Acceptance of oversized

holes.

EMHART TEKNOLOGIES 0121 356 4811

Rivets with resistance to vibration

FAST JULY 2009

55

FASTPRODUCTS

The TB2217H low-temperature

cure chip bonder from

ThreeBond "offers curing at

80ºC and addresses an array of

chip bonding issues for manufac-

turers and rework facilities", says

technical services manager Jim

Punt. "This single-component

epoxy provides ease of handling

by syringe and compatibility with

automated dispensing systems to

enable chip retention on printed

circuit boards going through

multi-station lines and wave sol-

dering equipment."

A further benefit cited by Jim

Punt is that with a 220-second

cure time the adhesive can elimi-

nate damage to heat-sensitive

components while, at the same

time, offering a high-speed snap

cure of 60 seconds at 150ºC

where needed.

Whether applied by syringe or

print system the product is stated

to offer component retention that

is free from air bubbles, can dis-

pense at speeds in excess of 30K

dph, gives good dot shape, and do

so without stringing or tailing.

"Prior to curing it provides excel-

lent tack strength that ensures

that there is no component move-

ment or loss during population

and handling."

THREEBOND 01908 285000

Adhesive bonds micro-chips at 80ºC

Micro Plastics has launched a

range of post and pin fasteners

for binding applications. Pins are

moulded in white polycarbonate

material and different length

posts are moulded in white

polyethylene. The combination

fasteners are intended for a one

time assembly and provide a cost

effective method for binding dis-

plays, swatch books for fabrics

and leather and scrap booking.

One size pin fits all lengths of

posts and posts are available in

1/2, 5/8, 3/4, 1 and 1 1/4 inch

lengths. Additional lengths are

available on negotiation when pur-

chased in reasonable quantities.

The posts and pins can be sold

separately but free samples are

available on request.

MICRO PLASTICS INTERNATIONAL02476 614320

Binding fastener for one time assembly

Norbar Torque Tools has

announced that it has introduced

two new Trutorque models to its

range of torque wrenches. "This

increases the range from 1Nm to

300Nm", reports sales and mar-

keting director Philip Brodey.

"The Trutorque is accurate to

±3% which exceeds all interna-

tional standards and, as every

wrench is supplied with a coded

calibration certificate, it makes

compliance and traceability an

exact science."

The objective for Norbar's

designers was the produce a

wrench that is durable and will

stay in calibration even when

used regularly in tough workshop

conditions.

Adjustment is described by

Philip Brodey as "simplicity

itself" with a coarse scale and a

micrometer for fine setting.

"Some torque wrenches require an

arm wrestler to carry out adjust-

ments; the new Norbar models

move with fingertip control." A

further design change is a new

type of handle that incorporates a

lock in order to prevent accidental

adjustment of the set torque.

NORBAR TORQUE TOOLS 01295 270333

TORQUE WRENCHES FOR TOUGH ENVIRONMENTS

FAST JULY 2009

56

FASTPRODUCTS

The Tiger Fixings range of wall ties and com-

mon fixings "provides an effective and labour-

saving method of fastening a variety of fixings

to almost any building material, including

metal, brick, plaster, and glass, without the

need for wall plugs or additional tools, other

than a drill", reports Malcolm Hall, managing

director of Hall-Fast Industrial Supplies.

Fastening is achieved by drilling and twist-

ing "to provide a quick and easy alternative to

wall plugs and clips".

A range of sizes which, says Malcolm Hall,

is being continually extended, is offered to

meet "all situations". Available from stock for

next-day delivery, small pre-pack quantities

can be purchased on-line; bulk quantities can

be obtained direct from the company.

HALL-FAST INDUSTRIAL SUPPLIES 01623 551791

Wall ties and fixings

Millions of blind rivet nuts are

being used to place a strong

female thread into sheet metals,

profiles and hollow sections.

Now using automatic force-con-

trol to ‘pull-up’ the fastener from

one side of the work piece, the

new tool design employs a pres-

sure sensitivity on the setting

stoke, in order to ensure a totally

consistent installation, even when

faced with a variable material

thickness.

A rivet nut setting tool from

Bollhoff Fasteners is fitted with

a twist-to-set, colour coded pres-

sure regulator to accommodate a

variety of blind rivet nuts with

different diameters. To set a dif-

ferent diameter blind rivet nut,

simply wind the adjuster to the

designated colour band.

The new P2007 hand-held

tool is operated by a single trig-

ger movement and engineered for

speed, reliability and ergonomic

use. Once set-up for a given

thread diameter, within an M3 to

M10 overall capacity, the

installer can set as many as fif-

teen blind rivet nuts in a minute.

The performance is demon-

strated by an

ability to set up to M10 stainless

steel with 17Kn of force.

An auto-mount feature, senses

contact with the end of the man-

drel and quickly spins the rivet

nut up against the anvil. On set-

ting, the operator simply main-

tains pressure on the trigger

throughout the cycle, to achieve

totally consistent results. All

that’s required is a pneumatic

supply of 5 to 7bar pressure, with

each cycle using 8 litres of air.

Well balanced, with a soft-feel

grip, the P2007 weighs only 2.0

kg without the nose piece assem-

bly, operates at a noise level of

less than 65dB and a large oil

reservoir minimises tool mainte-

nance. A rubber boot, on the base

of the aluminium body, elimi-

nates metal to metal contact

when resting the tool and the

360° air input connector can be

connected to either side of tool,

depending on operator prefer-

ence. The robust P2007 is pur-

posed designed to withstand the

rigours of use, whether hand

held, suspended from a spring

balance or within an optional ver-

tical-mount kit.

BOLLHOFF 01902 637161

Colour coding regulates nut setting pressure

Kistler Instruments has simpli-

fied the setting-up and operation

of its range of electromechanical

joining modules introduced last

year. The NC Compact System is

a closed system with integrated

controller and firmware that cuts

capital expenditure and installa-

tion costs, reduces susceptibility

to faults and facilitates integration

into existing on-site control envi-

ronments.

Set-up is by a TFT touch

screen operating panel that can be

used for configuring the parame-

ters of a standard joining process,

visualising the process and back-

ing up data. As the operating

panel is not needed for ongoing

operation, a single panel can be

used to configure the parameters

of several joining modules.

The NC Compact firmware,

pre-installed in the servo con-

troller, includes up to 16 force-

displacement monitoring and

integral sequence control pro-

grams. Each program contains up

to three windows; two of which

are for the joining process and

one for the end point. The pro-

gram monitors the joining forces

in the press direction live at a

sampling rate of up to 1 kHz.

The servo controller Profibus

interface can transfer event values

from window evaluation to the

system PLC. The joining process

may be terminated by a config-

urable force threshold (YTE),

force control, force-triggered

positioning and positioning with

or without deformation compen-

sation.

The NC Compact firmware

also includes integral sequence

control with three modes;

Automatic, Stepping and Inching.

Each program has available a

configurable home position, a

return stroke, a joining stroke and

an intermediate position, which

can be traversed or accessed at

different speeds to suit the appli-

cation. The user receives a simple

command or status word for con-

trol purposes over a Profibus

interface.

KISTLER INSTRUMENTS 01256 741550

Joining module gets new set-up system

FAST JULY 2009

57

FASTPRODUCTS

Natural rubber suspension

mounts from Advanced

Antivibration Components

(AAC) are designed to isolate

suspended products that weigh

from 56 up to 112 lb. A popular

use for these vibration isolators

involves their use in suspending

piping in heating, ventilating and

air conditioning – HVAC appli-

cations.

Four mounts, which are iden-

tified as the V10Z72MTG Series,

are constructed with a carbon

steel housing and natural rubber

for the isolator.

The maximum deflection of

these units is 6 mm and their nat-

ural frequency ranges from 7 to

12 Hz. Other AAC rubber sus-

pension mounts are designed to

support weights up to 220 lbs.

They are best suited for hanging

small machines such as fans, dis-

tribution pipes and ducts from

ceilings.

ADVANCED ANTIVIBRATION COMPONENTS 001 516 328 3662

ThreeBond has released a flame

retardant version of its estab-

lished TB1530 series 1-compo-

nent moisture curing elastic

adhesives. The TB1537 is certi-

fied to UL94 V-0 and is both

phosphorous and halogen free.

This makes it especially of inter-

est in electronics and electrical

applications such as bonding of

inverters and converters onto

substrate, motor coils, sensor pot-

ting, sealing of battery packs for

laptops etc.

The main composition of the

TB1537 is a silyl-radical-based

special polymer which cures

rapidly with moisture in the air to

achieve a fast skinning time and

very low shrinkage. The cured

adhesive is a tough elastomer

providing good adhesion to many

substrates. In addition TB1537

can be used for applications such

as sealing or potting where RTV

silicones may otherwise be used.

Since TB1537 does not contain

low-molecular cyclic siloxanes it

does not cause electrical contact

failure. TB1537 is available in

white, black or grey.

THREEBOND 01908 285000

Electro adhesive is flame retardant

Natural rubber suspension mounts

FAST JULY 2009

58

FASTPRODUCTS

Master Bond MB514

polypropylene adhesive etches

away at the bonding challenges

presented by non-polar and low

energy polyolefin surfaces.

Typically, a pretreatment stage,

which may include flame treat-

ment, etching or roughening, is

required before being able to

bond polyolefin substrates.

Specially formulated to eliminate

this time consuming stage, the

MB514 polyolefin based hot melt

is particularly suited for use on

untreated surfaces of polyethy-

lene, polypropylene and combi-

nations of these substrates.

The only required processing

steps are melting these composi-

tions and then applying the

molten hot melt to the surfaces to

be bonded. Excellent bond per-

formance is retained over a tem-

perature range of -29 to 88°C.

MB514 adhesive is VOC free as

it is comprised of 100% solids

and contains no solvents. Bond

strengths develop rapidly with no

need for clamps or post cure dur-

ing assembly. One of the main

advantages of this polypropylene

adhesive is the rapid speed of

cure, which makes it ideal for

high-speed assembly operations

as the bonds are formed immedi-

ately upon cooling.

MASTER BOND 0207 100 7251

VOC FREE ADHESIVE FOR POLYOLEFIN SURFACES

SPS Technologies is now offer-

ing fasteners manufactured from

a superalloy designated SPS

MP98T. The company says that

this material exhibits a combina-

tion of strength, toughness and

corrosion resistance not previ-

ously available in a fastener

material.

The new MP98T fasteners

offer users a minimum tensile

strength of 180 ksi. Typical frac-

ture toughness values on MP98T

specimens tested per ASTM

E1820 exceed 200 KSI .

MP98T fasteners' strength

level and unprecedented fracture

toughness make them suitable for

critical aerospace engine and air-

frame applications. The alloy

also resists embrittlement in

high-pressure hydrogen environ-

ments, such as rocket motors

using liquid hydrogen for fuel.

Nuts and bolts are available in a

wide variety of configurations

and sizes.

SPS Technologies supplies

high-strength fasteners for com-

mercial and military aircraft, jet

engines, high performance piston

engines and other applications

requiring reliability and consis-

tent quality.

SPS TECHNOLOGIES 001 215 572 3305

Fasteners range available in superalloy

Foam tapes manufacturer ISO-

Chemie has introduced its new

sealing tape specifically for the

timber frame housing market.

Named ISO-BLOCO T-Max, the

tapes are designed for multi-

storey timber frame structures

where it compensates for the

large amount of differential

movement (up to 36 mm) which

can occur between the internal

timber wall and roofs and the

external brick or block work.

Incorporating fire resistant

qualities and slow expansion, the

tapes are easy to apply and can be

used to provide a ‘fit and forget’

perimeter seal for windows, par-

ticularly at heads, sills and under

the roof eaves for both weather

and air tightness. They remaining

permeable to trapped water and

water vapour – similar to a flexi-

ble breathable style material for

the building facade – and can be

used in conjunction with the ever

reliable ISO-BLOCO 600 or

ISO-BLOCO 300 tape on the

jambs depending upon joint size

and economy, providing a com-

patible and continuous weather

seal.

Once installed, timber framed

buildings are better protected

from elemental factors like wind,

dust and moisture ingress by

accommodating the changes in

structural movement caused by

environmental, cyclical and set-

tlement factors. The product

remains permanently flexible

throughout its life expectancy of

25 years plus.

Product can be over painted

with emulsion, and some acrylic,

paints and is compatible with all

standard building materials. It

complies with the relevant UK

Building Regulations, as well as

DIN EN standards, covering ther-

mal conductivity, dimension tol-

erance, impermeamability to

driving rain.

ISO CHEMIE 01207 566874

Sealant tape is in the framefor timber housing gap

Six additions to the popular Pine

Tree Clip range have been

announced by Tech-Fast. The

company claims that its Pine Tree

Clip range has been designed as a

simple, safe, secure yet non con-

ductive panel fastening system.

The clips, which are also known

as Fir Tree Buttons, have long

been a popular method of secur-

ing two or more panels securely

with a decorative finish.

The new products offer hole

sizes between 5.0mm and

8.0mm, with panels ranges from

1.7mm to 19.0mm & head diam-

eters between 11.0mm and

21.0mm. Sales drawings are

available on line and samples can

be requested through the sales

desk. Tech-Fast is happy to dis-

cuss engineered solutions with

new and existing customers. A

premium range of 26 part refer-

ences is available on the compa-

ny's web-site while additional

parts with specific requirements

are available from the sales desk.

TECH-FAST 0844 357 3502

Pine Tree Clip range extended

GET A PRE-REGISTERED VIPVISITOR BADGE TO SECURE A COMPLIMENTARY £5LUNCHEON VOUCHER AND A FREE MUSEUM PASS WORTH £6.95!

BBee qquuiicckk –– aavvaaiillaabbiilliittyy iiss lliimmiitteedd!!

WHY YOU SHOULD VISIT!

PLUS

● Free Exhibition entry

● Free parking

● Free showguide

● Find new, better ways of fasteningand assembling

● Discover all the latest new fastenersand adhesives

● Meet new, better suppliers

● Capture free advice on your application

● Solve fastening-related problems with the experts

● See how to speed up assembly

● Get inspired – learn about new opportunities

fasteningassembly&s o l u t i o n sEXHIBITION

PRE-REGISTER NOW! VIP pre-registered visitor places are STRICTLY LIMITED.Apply online at www.fastening-solutions-exhibition.co.uk

or by email using register@fastening-solutions-exhibition.co.uk or by fax on 01844 202267

NationalMotorcycleMuseumADJACENT TO THE NEC, BIRMINGHAM

Thursday 29th October 200910am – 3pmwww.nationalmotorcyclemuseum.co.uk