First published: 7th April 2016 By Christie Jones, market development manager, SPIROL International Corporation Ref: FFT160407 The weakest sections of many plastic part designs are the joints and assembly points. During screw assembly of mating components, the screw has to be tightened with sufficient torque to produce the recommended axial tension load between the host component and the thread...

Justin Lawrence, a TFC senior design engineer, fields questions about interchangeable retaining rings and Smalley's stock materials. What are the differences between a Spirolox retaining ring with an RR/RS part number and a Smalley WH/WS part number? Are they interchangeable? “This is a very common question asked by those customers familiar with the original Spirolox® manufactured parts. They a...

When designing a new project, manufacturers in many cases will focus on 'high value' components, however the importance of specifying the correct fasteners for the type of application can be of great importance. Weight, cost, ease of installation and product standardisation are key features for manufacturers to consider, increasing the need for them to involve a business with expertise in faste...

Heavy machinery used for construction has a built-in flaw, despite the best efforts of the manufacturers. Relying on pivoted joints that allow elements of the equipment to move on their axis, it consists of a steel rod and a lug in which it rotates. A small difference in size between the diameter of the pivot pin and the lugs is unavoidable due to the need for assembly. This gap is ‘wear waitin...

PEM® concealed-head self-clinching studs and standoffs for thin metals provide permanent mating threads and promote smooth and unmarred designs.  Supplied by PennEngineering® they install permanently in thin metal assemblies to provide strong and reusable threads for mating hardware while preserving a smooth and unmarred appearance on the side of the sheet opposite installation. The concealed-h...

First published: 23rd March 2016 By John Arnold, sales and marketing director, APM Hexseal Ref: FFT160323 ‘Dry’ embedded O-ring sealing fastener technology (with optional thread locking) and ‘wet’ liquid adhesive thread locking, have been the choices for pump manufacturers and users for more than half a century – wherever secure sealing under pressure as well as fastening has been required. Flu...

The function of the design engineer is changing as professionals increasingly play a more active role in an engineering company’s value chain. No longer are they responsible for the conceptual aesthetic and ergonomic aspects of a new product design, but they are increasingly accountable for the cost of producing a product in the most effective and efficient way possible. As a result, there is a...

GESIPA® has invested in its UK manufacturing facility over recent years in order to achieve a strategy to centralise its production of threaded inserts and carry-out a gradual transition of the product range from catalogue parts to specialised products. Growth of GESIPA® has been very evident in terms of bespoke blind rivets nuts and rivet nut studs manufacturing. Today, around 430 special typ...

The Adhesive Technologies business unit of Henkel has started the construction of a new production facility for aerospace applications at the site in Montornès del Vallès (Montornès), Spain. Henkel’s new line will serve the growing demand for high-impact solutions supporting key trends in the global aerospace industry such as light weighting and automation. The facility will include new buildin...

First published: 29th September 2015 By Jozef Dominik, owner, FERODOM s.r.o Ref: FFT150929 For engineers involved in the design and maintenance of bolted joints there is one very important maxim: ‘There is no universal remedy for loosening of bolted joints’. Click here to download