Fastener Technology

You know Bossard for the fastening products we offer to improve your products. Yet, this forms just one part of our methodology, designed to make your manufacturing and supply chain smarter, leaner, and more efficient. Our latest offering is a special catalog of around 5,000 operating and control elements, excerpted from our larger collection. They consist of the following categories.

Catalog Categories

• Handwheels and Handles enable manual adjustments to machinery and manage access to compartments. They include solid handwheels with fixed or fold-away cylindrical handles and no handles. They also cover crank handles with fixed and fold-away cylindrical handles.
• Clamping Knobs help with gripping and securing applications, and typically contain knurling, texturing, or lobes. They are available as both nuts or screws in three-star, star, cross, wing, grip, and knurled varieties.
• Clamping and Tension Levers allow for manually fixing or holding elements. They may have adjustable handles and may or may not require the push of a button to release tension.
• Handles improve grip on machinery for easier movement or adjustment. They include bridge handles with an ergonomically perfect design, T-handles, mushroom knobs, plain spherical knobs, cylindrical knobs, cylindrical handles that are fixed or revolving, and retractable cylindrical handles.
• Control Elements allow the adjustment of equipment functions with knurling to improve grip and numbered dividing marks to show gradations of control.
• Leveling Elements help stabilize machinery on uneven surfaces. They may be adjustable or rigid and may or may not include rubber inserts that prevent slipping.
• Indexing and Positioning Elements help you to remove or re-position elements quickly. They include spring and lateral plungers, ball-ended thrust screws, index plungers, ball-lock pins, and indexing handles.
• Hinges enable lids, doors, or other moving objects to open or close. They include free-swinging versions with through holes, threaded inserts, or threaded studs.

This list represents only our standard range of access hardware products. We can deliver over 10,000 customized solutions based on your specifications and drawings, or that are jointly developed by your engineers and our product specialists. For more information, please reach out to your local Bossard contact.

Productivity is everything in your operations. So, it only makes sense that you choose fasteners that will support your efforts to save time while still focusing on quality. At Bossard, we have the solution in the form of self-tapping screws.

Save on the Process

When you’re working with wood, plastic, or metal, you typically must drill a pilot hole before using a screw. This means that you have to change the bit on your screwdriver at least twice if not three times because of gaging the size.

With a self-tapping screw, you save time. This is because they drive their own hole. All you need is a screwdriver and the self-tapping screws. You can create perfectly fitted threads just like that.

Ideal in So Many Scenarios

You will find that self-tapping screws are great for use in a variety of scenarios. Particularly when you are fastening two materials together, you can use these.

You can choose the type of screw tip that works best for the scenario, too, including:

• Blunt 
• Flat
• Sharp 
• Piercing

Once you identify the type of tip that you need, the rest is, as they say, history.

Of course, there are a few things to know when you’re dealing with self-tapping screws. If you ever need to disassemble the application, stripping the screws is possible. When you reassemble, you would need a slightly larger screw. To avoid stripping, use a metal insert from the very beginning. This may be necessary if you plan on disassembling and assembling at any point in the life of your application.

Shop for What You Need

At Bossard, we have a wide array of self-tapping screws that you need to boost productivity and get the job done. These screws come in a variety of shapes and sizes like all the traditional screws you use.

The only difference is, when you begin using these, you’ll see that the time to get the job done decreases, as do labor costs.

For more information on self-tapping screws, contact us at ProvenProductivity@bossard.com.

Meeting top quality standards, especially in fastening technology, requires thorough testing of your prototype or products. Bossard provides Expert Test Services at one of our 14 accredited testing laboratories around the world that meet ISO/IEC 17025 certification. The following tests are available.

Available Testing

• Coating Thickness Measurement – measures thickness through X-rays to verify the required protective coating.
• Corrosion Analysis – looks at the type of corrosion that may appear on your components and develops countermeasures to reduce it.
• Failure Analysis – determines why a bolted joint fails, such as corrosion, change of friction conditions, or incorrect tightening torque.
• Fastening Optimization – helps you choose the right fastener for your application and provides specifications if desired.
• Friction Coefficient Testing / Torsion Testing – determines the friction coefficient, tightening torque, and clamp force of your bolted joint.
• Hardness Tests / Hardness Profile Measurements – uses measure indentations to test surface hardness, core hardness, case hardness, hardness profile, and other mechanical properties.
• Joint Design Calculation – discovers what loads and stresses a critical bolted joint undergoes. We can then recommend how to optimize the joint during design and assembly.
• Loosening Analysis – determines if you are using the right clamping force for highly loaded bolted joints. It considers the temperature of use, vibration, and forces to transmit, among other factors.
• Salt Spray Test – examines how a spray of a saline solution affects various coatings created to prevent corrosion. The test may last up to 1,000 hours.
• Spectral Analysis – identifies a wide range of materials using, for example, such ranges of 31 different elements for iron and 21 different elements for nickel
• Tensile and Compression Strength Testing – calculates yield point, elongation at fracture, tensile strength and other mechanical characteristics.
• Torque Analysis – tested in our labs or at your location on original working pieces made from metal or plastic. It gauges the tightening torque of your application.
• Ultra-Sonic Preload Measuring – evaluates how the length of a screw changes when tightened (pre-load). You can measure ultra-sonic preload with your application at your location.

For more information about our Expert Test Services, please contact us at ProvenProductivity@bossard.com.

With the capacity to analyze your current processes and improve the design of reliable products, Assembly Technology Expert (ATE) services seem ideal for prototyping or the creation of new products. But what if you want to improve a product that already exists or your current use of fasteners? That’s where Expert Teardown comes in.

What Is Expert Teardown?

As its name explains, Expert Teardown disassembles your pre-existing product to discover how it uses its current parts and fasteners. Our engineering specialists look at every inch of the detached components to understand how they function alone and as a part of the whole, and how they advance relevant operating requirements and standards. Our staff can then come up with ways to improve reliability and quality while saving you time and money.

Some of the benefits of Expert Teardown include optimized process flow, increased efficiency with reduced complexity, a safer design, and lower total costs.

Packages

Expert Teardown is available in three packages.

• Basic. This package focuses on Analysis, which looks at fastener use and assembly into the final product. Improvement potentials and tentative cost savings may arise.
• Advanced. By building on the findings of the Basic package, this option emphasizes the Verification of processes, estimated costs, and projected results. Bossard will confirm recommended solutions on- and off-site before presenting them in a technical report. Physical examples are also shown.
• Superior. After the groundwork laid by the Basic (Analysis) and Advanced (Verification) packages, implementation can proceed. It starts with detailed design specifications and thorough documentation of new assembly procedures. Bossard completes assembly and usage instructions. After reviewing the results, training in the new implementation proceeds on- and off-site.

If you want to find out how Expert Teardown can affect your particular product, please contact us at ProvenProductivity@bossard.com.

Although fasteners may form a small part of your manufacturing process, their successful use has a big effect on how your product hangs together in your customer’s eyes. Learn all that you can about fastening technology through Expert Education, a major part of our Assembly Technology Expert services. We customize our training sessions to your application and business.

Options

The following are some of the training formats available:

• Seminars. Our live seminars combine both lectures on theory and practical workshops to teach fastening topics. You can join scheduled public sessions or have us develop a customized seminar for your employees held at your location.
• Webinars. This option maximizes convenience by giving you short learning sequences that you can view at your desk or home when you have free time.
• E-Learning. We’ve developed an Internet-based platform that allows you to go through a wide range of fastening information by self-studying at your own pace.

Topics

While we can cover any fastener information during our sessions, the following are some of our most popular topics. They are available both as public seminars or personalized to your needs.

• Basic Introduction to Fasteners. All about fastening elements and how to choose the best ones. Why do DIN, ISO, and A2 matter?
• Technical Introduction to Fasteners. How bolted joints work and how they’re affected by assembly tooling. Discover the mechanical properties of fasteners, how to prevent corrosion, and how multinational fasteners affect costs.
• Securely Fastened Joints. Designing and defining a bolted joint to optimize quality and lower the Total Cost of Ownership.
• Corrosion. Reducing or avoiding corrosion on any joint with the correct materials, design, and coatings.
• Cost Savings. How to save on costs by up to 40 percent by choosing the right fastener.

The following seminars cover the qualifications needs of those involved in fastening technology, according to VDI/VDE 2637 standards.

• Technical Fastening Competence. Guidelines and standards for the use of fasteners and components.
• Design of Bolted Joints. How to design joints and choose fasteners for the best tightening methods.
• Calculation of Bolted Joints. Calculating bolted joints and selecting the correct fasteners for tightening.
• Innovative Assembly. Evaluating and standardizing tooling used for tightening.

Find out more about our Expert Education options by contacting Bossard at ProvenProductivity@bossard.com.

Our Assembly Technology Expert (ATE) services aim to make your company more competitive by maximizing your use of fasteners and reducing the time to market of any products that depend on them. Derived from the well-known industry techniques Gemba-Walk, Walk-the-Line, and more, Expert Walk is one of the more extensive ATE methodologies.

Together with one or more of your engineers and front-line workers, a Bossard team member walks through your entire manufacturing process to discover what happens during production. As we inspect your assembly lines and workstations, we focus on fastening technologies and how to optimize their processes and tools.

Benefits

Optimizing how fasteners integrate into your process can lead to time and cost savings when it delivers better products and eliminates waste. Quality goes up when you use the right fasteners and look at more efficient ways to assemble your product. Your productivity goes up even as the cost of production goes down.

Packages

To give you the best results, you can choose from three Expert Walk packages that offer different combinations of Analysis, Verification, and Implementation.

• Basic. This initial package focuses on Analysis. Bossard examines your entire production line is to verify assembly processes and technology, particularly when they involve fasteners. We estimate the potential cost savings of any improvements based on the Total Cost of Ownership, which combines the cost of quality, service, delivery, and price.
• Advanced. Building on the Basic foundation, this package continues with Verification. It proves that technical improvements are possible while recommending proposals for new and proven solutions. We present a report about these proposals and provide physical examples.
• Superior. Starting with Basic and Advanced services, this package proceeds with Implementation. It develops a plan with a project team that prioritizes goals. We lead the R&D team during implementation of the proposals, review the results, and lead training both on- and off-site.

Our Expert Walk can be the first step to developing the best solutions for your fastening challenges. Please contact Bossard today at ProvenProductivity@bossard.com to discover how this method can work for your company.

When you develop a prototype, you consider every component and process. You want the final product to meet or exceed your well-considered specifications while getting to market as quickly as possible. Efficiency, process optimization, and continuous innovation help develop your competitive edge.

To assist in implementing these strategies with your fasteners, we’ve introduced our Assembly Technology Expert (ATE) services. The services can help reduce costs and cut production time. They focus on educating you on the science of fastening, boosting product design by improving joint assembly, and optimizing the fastening process.

Take Advantage

To advance these goals, you can take advantage of the following ATE services:

• Expert Education. Become an expert in fastening technology by attending training sessions customized to your operations. Discover the engineering principles, applications, and assembly technologies needed to integrate fasteners into your production process.
• Expert Design. Focusing on fasteners at the start of product design can change the game for your product success. Bossard’s expertise in fastening technology, assembly methods, and technical resources help in choosing the right fastening design, speed up assembly processes to reduce production cost, and lower the life cycle cost with the best fastener quality.
• Expert Walk. You can reduce cost, optimize assembly, improve quality, and increase productivity by looking at your operations. By walking through your assembly lines, work areas, and fastening elements, you can hone your processes and production tools.
• Expert Teardown. Build up the unexpected potential of your products by tearing down and looking at their joints and fasteners. We’ll disassemble your creation into its individual components and fasteners. Our technical specialists can then examine every inch, understand functionality, and recommend improvements to quality, reliability, and cost.
• Expert Test Services. Bossard ensures that your prototype and products meet quality standards through testing in one of our 14 state-of-the-art accredited labs around the world. Our testing facilities have ISO/IEC 17025 certification.

Resources You Can Use

We invite you to gain more information about fasteners and ATE services by exploring our online Technical Information and Tools. Check out our white papers, tables, and articles on fastening technologies, and use our online calculators and converters. You can also contact us through our convenient website form or at ProvenProductivity@bossard.com.

Lean Bonding is an innovative new method of fastening composites and thin metal materials.  Developed by bigHead® Bonding Fasteners, a part of the Bossard Group, Lean Bonding allows users to bond fasteners to composite surfaces with incredible speed and strength, while also providing a solution that does not require drilling holes which can weaken the base composite material.

Lean Bonding allows fasteners to be permanently fixed to a suitable composite surface in as quickly as ten seconds! The process involves use of a bonding fastener equipped with a pre-applied adhesive, activated via rapid induction heating. After applying the fastener to the desired surface, the dry adhesive film rapidly cures, permanently securing the fastener.

Automated, semi-automated or manual installation methods are available, and cause no damage to the base material. Successful Lean Bonding is compatible with fiberglass, reinforced plastics, aluminum, steel and carbon fiber reinforced plastic. It is suitable for use with a variety of adhesives, fastener coatings, and sizes. Additionally, using a pre-applied adhesive ensures uniform adhesive thickness and repeatable bond quality. This makes it the ideal solution for the many technical challenges experienced when assembling composite materials that are not suited for clinching, riveting or welding.

Lean Bonding is a reliable process that offers excellent versatility for high and low production levels and can offer profound improvements in speed, quality, and cost.

Some Facts About Lean Bonding:

• The fastener has a 24mm head, comes in M5 and M6 sizes, and in 16 or 20mm lengths
• Wide range of OEM-approved finishes available
• Polyurethane and epoxy based adhesive options are available

Bossard is the industry leader in fastening products and solutions, and Lean Bonding is just one reason why global market leading manufacturing companies choose Bossard as their preferred and trusted supplier for innovative fastening technologies.

To learn more about Lean Bonding and Bossard’s other effective industrial processes, check out www.bossard.com or contact us at ProvenProductivity@bossard.com.

Laser cutting sheet metal has some serious benefits in time savings and accuracy. It can also cause some headaches when cutting holes for direct fastener assembly.

For many years, manufacturers alike have used thread forming screws with standard machine screw threads and case-hardened special points. These screws use pre-made holes, forming their own threads into the mating material. The thickness of the material generally dictates the size of the hole needed to create the lowest driving torque and highest stripping torque which leads to the best joint performance.

Drilling or punching into mild steel creates holes for these screws. Hole size recommendations exist for each size and thickness of the material. But, when laser cutting holes, we often see the heat affected zone, which makes the surface of the material around the hole somewhat harder. If using standard hole recommendations for drilling or punching, problems can occur during assembly.

Common Assembly Problems:

• Hard start – screws spin
• High drive torque – gun will not seat screws
• Breaking screws before seating

These problems usually show that the hole size is too small. With oversized holes, we often see threads stripping rather than achieving their assembly torque.

While it is difficult to provide recommended hole sizes for each material type, each thickness, and each method of preparation, performing a drive/strip torque test in a controlled environment may be the best way to ensure the best joint performance. Let’s look at an example of a test recently done by a Bossard engineer:

Plate steel provided by the customer with incrementally larger sizes of laser cut holes:

Graph of a typical test:

Graph of the average data for many hole sizes:

Typical summary data from one hole size:

By performing a joint analysis in our laboratory, we can recommend the proper hole size for your design to ensure optimal performance.

If you have interest in any type of joint analysis, check out Bossard’s latest Assembly Technology Expert services, especially the Expert Test Services pillar, or contact us at ProvenProductivity@bossard.com.

Doug Jones
Applications Engineer
djones@bossard.com

Your design has been in production for a while, and now it’s time to look into cost savings. Fasteners are such a small fraction of the total design cost, is it worth looking for savings in this area?

While it’s true that the cost of the fastener may be small, there are many hidden costs that are often overlooked when purchasing hardware. We call this Total Cost of Ownership, or TCO.

To better explain the TCO model in fastening, we use the iceberg model.

Total Cost of Fastener Ownership

On average, the fastener itself makes up only around 15% of the total costs. The remaining 85% of the costs come from development, procurement, testing, inventories, assembly, and logistics. This chain of events is adding costs to the entire fastening ecosystem.

Let’s look at an example from the Bossard Cost Savings Calculator.

If you have any interest in finding hidden cost savings in your design, check out Bossard’s latest Assembly Technology Expert services, or contact us at ProvenProductivity@bossard.com.

Doug Jones
Applications Engineer
djones@bossard.com