This year, the internationally renowned Global Automotive Lightweight Materials (GALM) Initiative returns to London with the mission of supporting the delivery of aggressive lightweighting by securing the global supply base for aluminium, magnesium, high strength steel and composites; and integrating joining and forming technologies for multi-material manufacturing to enable commercially feasib...

FinnvedenBulten’s Bulten division has signed a strategically important contract for delivery of fasteners to an automotive manufacturer in China. The deal is worth approximately SEK 10 million (1.1 million euros) annually and continues over an unspecified number of years. “Bulten has for a number of years backed a fully owned factory in China with local manufacturing of high quality fasteners....

Balltec Ltd, a designer and manufacturer of high integrity mechanical connectors for use in particularly harsh environments, has fitted RotaBolt® measurement fasteners for the first time on a new offshore chain tensioner system. The RotaBolts have been used on the main structural top yoke beam of the tensioner, which has a load capacity of 1,000 tonnes. Andrew Crowe, senior design engineer at B...

Sigma Components, a supplier of precision engineered components to the global aerospace market, has signed its third long term agreement with Rolls-Royce within the last 12 months. The contract, which is worth an estimated GB£55 million over ten years, will see Sigma’s facilities in the UK and China being the sole supplier of self-locking nuts to Rolls-Royce and its global supply chain. Sigma,...

Here Chris Petts, managing director of Lee Spring UK, explains the importance of selecting the correct fastener or spring to suit application requirements. No matter how large or how small a fastener or spring may be, as a component its importance might be paramount to the form or functionality of a product. Reliability and precision are essential. Selecting the incorrect type of spring, or a s...

In the drive to reduce weight, automotive companies and their suppliers are continually targeting any opportunity available – with many moving from metals to composites. However, although the transition to composites has been embraced, bigHead Bonding Fasteners Ltd says that there are plenty of examples that the transition to composite fastener solutions has been slower or even overlooked. bigH...

The Shard has redefined London’s landscape, becoming the tallest building in western Europe and offering viewing platforms twice the height of those previously available. An important part of the Shard is its double-deck passenger lifts, where Henkel adhesives have been used to bond the structure of the lift cars. The double-deck lifts include two cars, one on top of the other, which enable pas...

Lisa Raynor-Keck, communication specialist at FASTORQ looks at Torque vs Tension, and whether there really is a true winner. The debate rages on about whether torque or tension is the best method to preload a fastener, and it is nearly as controversial as the age-old question of which came first… the chicken or the egg? Each side argues that their method is the best. However, the real question,...

ND Industries® continues to be a leader in the field of pre-applied fastening technology, bringing powerful advanced locking and sealing products to the industry. One of ND’s unique offerings in microencapsulated locking and sealing technology is Expand-A-Seal®. Developed by ND’s research and technology experts, Expand-A-Seal® is a pre-applied, epoxy thread locking solution that provides a tot...

Here HEICO Befestigungstechnik GmbH, located in Ense-Niederense, Germany, explains how its HEICO-LOCK ring lock washers provide high-quality, user-friendly bolt securing for the most demanding applications and are ideal for repeated use. The ring locking system on HEICO-LOCK ring lock washers guarantees that the two wedge lock washers are always fastened in the correct position with the wedge-s...