Temperature is an important factor to consider when determining which fastener is best suited for your application. Failing to take temperature into account can have severe consequences for your application. Here, we’ll cover various temperature ranges and the ideal fasteners for each one, with a specific focus on higher temperatures.

Temperature Range from -50 Degrees Celsius to 300 Degrees C
According to the ISO standard, standard property classes can be used for this particular temperature range. Your standard off-the-shelf 12.9 can be used, but it is important to remember that the 12.9 is limited to a specific range between -10 Degrees C and 250 Degrees C.

Above 300 Degrees C (570 Degrees Fahrenheit)
Low carbon steel or low ally steel can be used up to a ceiling of about 350 Degrees C (660 Degrees F). For this temperature range, the carbon content should be less than 0.4 percent.

Above 350 Degrees C (660 Degrees F) to 600 Degrees C (1,112 Degrees F)
Low alloy steels with an alloy element such as chromium, molybdenum, and vanadium are best suited for this temperature range. In addition to offering greater resistance to relaxation, these materials also possess tensile and yield strength that typically do not exceed that of property class 8.8.

Towards the higher end of this temperature range, best practices suggest the use of steels with higher content levels of chromium, molybdenum and vanadium.

Similar to the previous temperature range, the carbon content should be less than 0.4 percent.

Above 540 Degrees C (1,000 Degrees F)
Austenic steels, which are not heat treated, are best suited for this application. Their strength is achieved through work hardening. But depending on the environment, austenic steels or super alloys may have to be used for this temperature range.

Figuring out what best works with each temperature can be tricky. But we’re here to help! Contact us at ProvenProductivity@bossard.com if you have any questions about finding fasteners for high temperatures. The answers to your questions await!

Bossard Speed Rivets

What you need: An effective and efficient rivet engineered for the purpose of rapid and blind-sided installation, ideal for use with different materials and thicknesses.

What we have to offer: Bossard Speed Rivets.

You have a need – and we have the product to fulfill it.

The Bossard Speed Rivet is everything you’d want it to be. Pre-loaded on a one-way mandrel, this particular rivet can then be introduced right into the nose of the riveting machine. This allows you to fasten up to a continuous rate of 70 rivets per minute.

As far as materials go, the Bossard Speed Rivet can be used to fasten metals, plastics, composites, fiberglass and electronic components. The sheer of variety of different materials this rivet can be used with is evidence of how useful this particular product can be.

Electronic applications, sheet metal applications, vehicle construction, electric components, household appliances and metal cabinets are among the applications ideal for use with the Bossard Speed Rivet. Few similar products can compete with that kind of versatility, at least in terms of applications.

If quality and security are a concern, you can rest easy. The Bossard Speed Rivet, as is standard procedure with our products, is built to stand up to even the most painstaking scrutiny. There is no risk of losing the residual mandrel due to vibrations.

Bossard Speed Rivets are also held in place in the riveting tool to avoid a setback from being dropped onto the floor or into the application. Like we said before, we’ve covered out bases.

Interested in learning more about the Bossard Speed Rivet? Contact us at ProvenProductivity@bossard.com. Remember, this blog post is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to our products. All it takes is one e-mail to see the rest of what we have to offer!

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Benefits of Fastening with Magnesium

I understand you’ve settled on using aluminum with your fastening application. But all I have is one question before you move forward: Have you considered magnesium as an alternative?

If you haven’t, you might not be aware of the benefits you’re missing out on.

One of the biggest advantages of fastening with magnesium is the reduced weight, as magnesium is approximately 30 to 35 percent lighter than aluminum.

Magnesium also boasts the highest strength-to-weight ratio of all common structural metals. For example, consider the wall thickness of 1.5mm magnesium versus 3mm aluminum.

Closer tolerances are also possible with the use of magnesium. Thixomolding, the process of heating magnesium into the barrel of a press, comes to mind as one of the chief possibilities.

In terms of production die life, magnesium also lasts longer than aluminum. There are numerous performance benefits from using magnesium, including better rigidity.

There are a number of items in which fastening with magnesium can be used. All you have to do is look around the house, in some cases. Electronics, powers tools (drills, saws, nailers, etc.), lawn and garden equipment, sports and leisure equipment and automotive parts are among the list of items.

Bolts and nuts, machine screws and thread-cutting screws are just a few options at your disposal in terms of fastening with magnesium, so your choices will not be limited.

Not quite sold on the idea of fastening with magnesium? Not a problem. Contact Bossard at ProvenProductivity@bossard.com and we will put you in contact with someone who can answer all questions you might have. Once you’ve started using magnesium with your fastening applications, aluminum will feel like a distant memory.

The Challenge of Self-Loosening

Bossard has built its reputation on having mastered the science of fastening, and that includes developing innovative solutions for some of the most common challenges in the industry.

Self-loosening is chief among the challenges that the fastening industry has had to deal with. The mere mention of self-loosening is enough to draw the attention of product designers, production specialists, industrial engineers and maintenance and safety officers. The reason? It comes down to safety, and everyone is eager to listen where there are new solutions being presented.

Threaded fasteners can be found in transportation systems, recreational and sports equipment, testing and measuring equipment, digital gadgets and even children’s toys. The popularity of threaded fasteners is based largely on their numerous benefits, but we can’t forget about their weaknesses either.

And self-loosening is one of the most glaring risks with threaded fasteners.

Why do threaded fasteners self-loosen? In the simplest of terms, vibrations are what cause fasteners to loosen, in most cases. Vibrations lead to fatigue failure, as the clamp force on the joint is reduced and the fastener is then subjected to bending loads.

At the moment, there is no universal solution for countering the loosening of fasteners. But designers and engineers have emphasized the need to ensure there is sufficient clamp force on the joint interface, in addition to also producing a design that can withstand the effects of embedding and stress relaxation.

For a more in-depth discussion regarding self-loosening and other challenges associated with fastening, do not hesitate to contact Bossard at ProvenProductivity@bossard.com. You can also register with our company website to download a whitepaper with more information about self-loosening joints.

Secure, simple and versatile – bigHead® fasteners are everything you could want in a fastener. For lightweight applications, accept no substitute for what bigHead® has to offer.

In addition to being discrete and secure, bigHead® fasteners are an efficient option for your lightweight application. The list of possible applications includes cabin panels, interior trim, external cladding, bumpers, bump stops, front end modules, molded panels, light clusters and more.

bigHead® fasteners can be embedded or even surfaced mounted with a structural adhesive, allowing them to be more versatile. These fasteners, when used in lightweight applications, are dependable and also allow you to make more efficient use of your time.

Aston Martin, Bentley, McLaren, Ford and Fiat are among the automotive companies that utilize bigHead® fasteners in their vehicles. On top of that, this particular brand of fasteners is also popular with several kit car manufacturers and enthusiasts.

bigHead® is also a BMW approved supplier for Rolls Royce Motors.

Just based on what we’ve shared with you, it is clear that the possibilities are almost limitless when it comes to bigHead® fasteners and lightweight applications, particularly in the automotive industry.

As mentioned in a previous blog post, Bossard will be attending the 2015 Detroit Global Automotive Lightweight Materials (GALM) Show from August 18-20, so that will present an opportunity to both share and grow our knowledge of how bigHead® fits with lightweight automotive applications.

For a more in-depth discussion on how bigHead® fasteners can be used with lightweight applications, contact Bossard at ProvenProductivity@bossard.com.