Composites

When it comes to choosing the best fasteners for plastics and composite materials, you have a range of options. However, not all fastening solutions are suitable for every application.  And if you’re looking for the best fasteners for plastics and composites, the team at Bossard can help. 

Throughout the world, Bossard fasteners have become synonymous with exceptional quality, durability, and unrivaled performance. In addition to an expansive selection of fastening solutions, we offer Product Solutions and Assembly Technology Expert support as you work toward the best solution to your bolted joint problem. And if the ideal solution doesn’t exist, Bossard can create it. 

One of the top fastening solutions we offer for composites and plastics are threaded inserts. Also known as a threaded bushing, threaded inserts are fasteners that can be pressed-in, molded-in, or welded into a soft material to create permanent machine threads. Threaded inserts help prevent hardened fasteners from pulling out of softer composites, plastics, and soft metals. Because of these qualities threaded inserts are ideal for creating durable mechanical joints in your plastic and composite components. Let’s take a closer look at some of our top and most frequently utilized thread inserts. 

Types of Thread Inserts for Plastics and Composites

1. The Tappex MULTISERT thread insert is a press-fitting insert that is made of brass. Available in M1.6 through M12, this threaded insert can be unheeded, with a large head diameter, or small head diameter. 
2. The Tappex MICROBARB thread insert is a press-fitting fastener that has micro knurling for thin-walled materials. Made of brass, this threaded insert is available in M2 through M10. 
3. Tappex TRISERT/TRISERT-3 are versatile, self-tapping inserts. They are available in brass, steel, and stainless steel in sizes ranging from M2 through M10. The TRISERT features three special cutting slots that prevent chips.
4. Tappex FOAMSERT are self-tapping inserts that are ideal for wood, expanded materials, and soft plastics. These threaded insert are made from brass and are available in M2.5 through M8. 
5. Tappex HiMOULD are threaded inserts designed for molding in. Manufactured from brass, these threaded inserts boast a highly-increased pull-out force by extra grooves from thread size M3. 
6. PEM NFPC are threaded inserts for press-fitting. Manufactured from stainless steel, these inserts are available in M3 to M6. They feature high torsional strength through outer milling and a hexagonal head. 
7. IN-STOP threaded inserts are made from brass and are designed to splay. These inserts can be set blindly without tools. 

Contact Bossard Today

At Bossard, we are proud to offer a solution to every fastening challenge. As industry leaders, countless customers have turned to Bossard for tailored solutions, premium quality products, and innovative services. 

Contact us today.

EMAIL US

Composite materials have become more popular to use in various projects because of their versatility. Composites are often lighter and stronger than traditional materials, so they are a go-to for projects. However, it can be a little more tricky to find fastening solutions for composite materials. Fasteners such as bigHead® and BCT®* were created for more complex materials and situations like working with composite materials. Learn what bigHead® and BCT® can do for you.

bigHead®

These fasteners are made so any attachment points such as pins, nails, nuts, threads, hooks, etc. are attached to the head or base plate via a weld point. This construction allows bigHeads to be integrated into your project “invisibly.” It also means these fasteners don’t require holes in your composite materials, so your material can stay strong. These fasteners can either be embedded into the composites or surface-bonded to the composites so you don’t compromise the composite material itself.

BCT®

BCT® rivet nuts have cross holes on the shank to determine where the rivet nut will collapse to allow it to be installed in non-conventional blind applications. BCT® rivet nuts give you a resilient connection because it applies minimal stress around the base material so there is no damage to your materials.

Both bigHead® and BCT® work hard on your tough projects. These fasteners were designed to help out on those projects that are hard to handle. Using these fasteners with composite materials will help you to have a strong, stable and resilient product.

To find out more about fasteners for composite materials, or to find out which fastener is perfect for your project, contact us at ProvenProductivity@bossard.com.

*BCT® is a registered trademark owned by BBA srl Italy

If you are in a situation where you cannot allow your fastener to be embedded, a surface bonding fastener is the way to go. There are many options for surface bonding fasteners created by bigHead®. This can be an effective and also discrete solution that will allow you to keep the structural integrity of your product.

How Surface Bonding with bigHead® Fasteners Works

Your bigHead® fasteners are discrete and strong. How do they work? They are surface bonded with a structural adhesive. This gives you the fastener where you need it, and it makes it completely invisible from the other side. You will have no rivets, drill holes or visible shadows from surface bonding the bigHead®.

This fastener is designed with a perforated head, so the glue can flow through the holes and lock it into position. There are a wide range of designs and sizes available as standard or custom made for specific applications.

Benefits of Surface Bonding with bigHead®

Benefits of surface bonding with bigHead® are numerous and include:

• Discreetness because the fastener will not be visible from the other side
• No holes in the material so you can keep the structural integrity
• No loosening or rattling of the fastener through vibration
• Optimal design because the fastener can be designed specifically for the application
• Easy to apply with no specialized tools required
• Optimal tensile and torsional loading, depending on the head design and adhesive used

There are a lot of reasons to choose surface bonding with bigHead®. This is a great fastening solution if you need something more discrete or if your project is working with composite materials. If you have questions about surface bonding or any other type of fastening solution, contact us at ProvenProductivity@bossard.com. Happy fastening!

Simply put, a bigHead is a fixing welded to a head. These can be customizable because they can be used for a wide variety of industries and applications. You can select your fixing type, head type, material, thread and size based on what you will be doing.

As previously stated, bigHead can be used in a variety of industries. Some of these include automotive, marine, construction, aerospace and defense, special products and general industry. The automotive industry is a big fan of bigHead because bigHeads can fasten a wide variety materials and they help create transportation that is safe, efficient and capable of hard work.

The marine industry and the aerospace industry are two places where you can really see the work ethic and versatility of bigHeads. These industries both have harsh environments and they require materials that are strong in their performance. bigHeads can fasten everything from deck fixings to engine room insulation in extreme marine environments. They are also made of materials that can be pushed to their limits in aerospace and defense applications.

But what if you are more concerned with the day-to-day jobs and simply getting a job done quickly with lower cost? You can use bigHeads for that as well. The construction industry uses bigHeads because they are reliable, easy-to-use, they cut costs and they speed up on-site assembly.

The beauty of a bigHead is its reliability and versatility. Whatever the job, it will get done well with bigHead. That is why so many people choose to use bigHeads, and that is why we love to collaborate with those that do. When it comes to special projects or innovation, our creative team loves collaborating with clients to solve design challenges. You find bigHeads in so many industries because we are willing to take the time to see how they would best fit and help you innovate. If you have questions about your product, contact us at ProvenProductivity@bossard.com.

With the world in a movement to save money on fuel costs we must design products to be lighter in weight. To lighten component designs many manufactures are eliminating heavy materials (metals) and moving to composites. This movement has put attention on fastening solutions for these composites. New fasteners and adhesives arrive on the market every month that serve specific purposes. Choosing the correct products can be tough, as the market is vast and material choices are endless. One popular method of construction in these materials is embedding them into the composites during molding.

(more…)

Composites and Fastening Challenges

Each day manufacturers face fastening challenges. Some of those challenges that have been increasingly present are those surrounding composite materials. As composite materials grow both in range and volume of applications, so do the challenges to find the right fastening solutions.

(more…)