Applying anti corrosion coatings, plating or other treatments to bigHead fasteners means that one is no longer working with a steel substrate for the purposes of adhesive bonding. Whilst a selected adhesive may be excellent for bonding steel, it may not be so compatible with different coatings or treatments.
Sometimes the coating or treatment itself can also be an issue, especially if it is susceptible to failure or detachment at loads that one would typically expect the adhesively bonded fastener to withstand.
Nobody likes to see adhesively bonded fasteners falling off unexpectedly. When it comes to anti corrosion coatings, bigHead explores the compatibility between different adhesive systems and different coatings and treatments. It does this by preparing test specimens and mechanically testing them.
The company began by supporting student projects at Cranfield University, which grew into a Knowledge Transfer Partnership. It now has its own bigHead testing laboratory for doing this work. The testing and evaluation helped identify potential lack of adhesion, cure inhibition issues, or coating detachment issues – some of which are undetectable by visual examination alone. With this information, bigHead can help customers and clients decide on the right fastener coating or treatment for a given application.
“Working with bigHead means customers and partners have access to information and expertise that helps them avoid issues from the outset, saving them time and money on selection and testing. As new products and combinations arise, we can carry out testing to provide definitive answers; saving our customers and partners the need to do this. We even share examples of things to look out for on our TecHub, so that everyone can be aware of the key issues. The great benefit to all this? Safety and reliability for everyone by minimising the chance of fastening failure due to adhesive and coating incompatibility,” comments bigHead.
Having spent a decade in the fastener industry experiencing every facet – from steel mills, fastener manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, as well as machinery builders and plating + coating companies, Claire has developed an in-depth knowledge of all things fasteners.
Alongside visiting numerous companies, exhibitions and conferences around the world, Claire has also interviewed high profile figures – focusing on key topics impacting the sector and making sure readers stay up to date with the latest developments within the industry.
