Fastener Technology

Solving your fastening problems is what bigHead does. Whether it is a difficult project or an extreme environment, we can come up with fastening solutions tailored to your needs. That is what bigHead did for offshore wind turbine maintenance hatches.

Siemens nacelle suppliers approached bigHead with a fastening problem. They recently came up with a composite hatch to replace a steel panel for covering a maintenance hatch. The only problem with the composite hatch was fastening it with traditional bolt fixings. This was a challenge because two people were required to perform the operation—one inside and one outside the nacelle. That made the operation not only less safe, but more challenging and time consuming to perform.

However, bigHead and Siemens came up with a solution through prototyping and extreme testing to make sure the fastening solution could hold up under the harsh conditions that the offshore wind turbines endured.

The solution for these offshore wind turbines was surface bonding the 316 marine grade stainless steel bigHead to the outer skin of the nacelle and passing the threaded stud section through its composite structure. This means the panel can easily be secured or removed by one person from the interior of the structure. The bigHead’s large perforated head allows a generous flow of adhesive to firmly secure it in position and its outer surface includes an over-moulded insulation layer that safeguards the nacelle against lightning strikes.

bigHead and Siemens worked together to create the perfect fastening solution for a tough problem. bigHead has been manufacturing its distinctive and leading brand of discrete bonding fasteners for over 50 years and has extensive experience across a wide range of industries where formed and molded composite products require discrete and completely secure fixing. Applications range from carbon fiber panel fixing in specialist and luxury car production to building and construction, railway carriage construction, marine and boat building, and more.

Do you have a tough problem that needs a fastening solution? Reach out to us at ProvenProductivity@bossard.com and we can find your perfect solution or even develop one for you.

When looking at fasteners, you have to decide whether you want imperial fasteners or metric fasteners. When designing new products metric dimensioning should be considered as a low cost solution to fastener assembling.

Metric fasteners most often win out over imperial fasteners and here’s why:

1. It is a simple form of measurement with a base of whole numbers. This can help reduce the number of fasteners in a bill of materials.
2. They are interchangeable in a global market. Parts can be assembled globally because of the availability of tools. Replacement fasteners can be purchased from local sources. Interchangeability was the key reason the automotive industry has moved to the metric form of fasteners.
3. The metric system is the most precise form of measurement. It has been adopted by the medical industry as well as the aerospace and electronics industries.
4. Metric thread falls between an inch course and fine thread. This allows the designer to take advantage of both thread types. It’s a better choice for vibration resistance as well as providing a larger stress area in the cross section of the screw. A commercial finish can be applied without gaging issues.
5. Standard metric fasteners are manufactured in accordance to the ISO 4759 standard. This is a global base hole system that uses a letters and numbers system to determine a standard plus/minus tolerance for threaded fasteners.

These benefits will aid long term cost savings in design, manufacturing, and assembly, as well as product longevity in the market. If you are interested in other ways of making your business more productive, check out our product solutions and our Smart Factory Logistics.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, let us know how we can help you by contacting us at ProvenProductivity@bossard.com.

In an ideal world, your product would exist in the perfect climate with no wind, water or extreme temperatures of any kind. You would also never have to deal with any type of corrosion or rust. In a perfect world, your product would withstand anything man or nature could throw at it.

This isn’t a perfect world, but at Bossard we work to improve it every day. We work to provide you with fastening solutions that better stand up to the elements and keep your product going stronger for longer. One of these fastening solutions is ecosyn®-MRX, and it was developed for many reasons, but one of these reasons was to withstand extreme heat.

Customer Problem: Extreme Heat

A Bossard customer in France develops fixing systems around the world. They needed a fastening solution for a tunnel renovation. We were asked to provide a solution that could withstand corrosion and heat in the case of extreme conditions like a tunnel fire.

Our Solution: ecosyn®-MRX

Our team came up with the solution of ecosyn®-MRX. This fastener is constructed with special martensitic, hardened and tempered chrome steel. This means it can resist at least six hours in extreme high temperature up to 1,200° C. ecosyn®-MRX can withstand those hot temperatures to get the job done.

Examples of application areas for ecosyn®-MRX:

• General sheet metal construction
• Heating and ventilation ducts
• Appliances
• Vehicle body construction
• Facade constructions
• Green houses

You can use this fastening solution for a variety of different applications because it offers you many benefits. However, if you are looking for a solution for heat resistance, ecosyn®-MRX is a great option for you. Contact us at ProvenProductivity@bossard.com if you have any questions!

Self-tapping screws are screws that can form their own threads as they are driven into the material. Plastic requires a specially designed thread profile as tapping screws used with steel can result in residual stresses in the plastic that can degrade the structural integrity of the assembly. Plastic screws give you more flexibility and quickly assemble components with fewer fasteners.

When looking into self-tapping screws, the first step is to decide what type of self-tapping screws are best suited for the application. Self-tapping screws for plastic application are classified into two categories: thread-forming and thread-cutting. To help chose the right screw category, it’s important to understand the type of plastic you are fastening into: thermoplastic or thermoset. Below is a brief description of each category.

Thread-Forming Screws

Thread-forming screws, generally, function best in thermoplastic materials. Thread-forming screws produce no waste as the plastic that is displaced to create the thread flows back into the root of the thread resulting in a very secure fit.

ecosyn®-plast is a great option for a thread-forming screw for plastic. These screws are designed to easily penetrate the material without causing stress to the material. Check out some advantages of ecosyn®-plast:

• Low driving torque and high stripping torque
• High breaking torque and tensile strength of the screw
• Excellent security against vibration
• Low risk for cracking the base material
• No setting of the assembly due to excessive relaxation of the plastic material

Thread-Cutting Screws

Thread-cutting screws are designed for thermoset material. These screws remove material because they have cutting edges. Thread-cutting screws have a smaller flank angle to reduce installation torque while increasing surface area which results in a higher pullout force.

If you have questions about self-tapping screws for plastic or need help in deciding on a fastener, contact us at ProvenProductivity@bossard.com. Our experts can help you get the materials you need for a successful project. We are also prepared to provide you with technical advice and we can even provide field-related assembly tests for you in our laboratory to help with application technique.

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The environment your product is in is a huge factor in the success and sustainability of your project. Vibration is one factor that can cause your project to fail. This is because a bolted joint has the possibility of unintentional loosening or vibrational loosening that can cause fastener failure.

The good news is, we have anti-loosening and anti-vibration fastening solutions. Some of these solutions include: ecosyn®-fix screws, the Nord-Lock bolt securing system, and TufLok®. Check out the details on these product solutions below.

ecosyn®-fix screws
This screw is made to be shake and vibration resistant. ecosyn®-fix screws consist of a large washer that is integrated into the screw head. This surface is designed to help prevent unscrewing. These screws are used in many technical appliances and electrical equipment.

Nord-Lock bolt securing system
This securing system was designed to use tension to secure critical joints that are exposed to vibrations. The Nord-Lock bolt securing system blocks the rotation of the bolt/nut and maintains the clamp load. This can offer you a sense of safety and security on your bolted joints.

TufLok®
TufLok® is another solution for vibrational loosening. This is a system for thread locking and thread sealing fastened joints. This system uses an elastic, wear-resistant, blue nylon patch to seal and lock as fastener into place. This system is also resistant to many chemicals which makes it a great solution for many products.

Vibrational loosening is something you want to watch out for, but if you have the right fastening solutions, you don’t have to worry. We take pride in providing proven products to increase your productivity. If you have questions, contact us at ProvenProductivity@bossard.com.