Bossard AG recently worked with Hinni AG, a Swiss manufacturer of hydrants, to find a more efficient manufacturing method for fastening solutions.
Hinni’s hydrants are mostly assembled by hand in individual process steps. The high number and variety of hydrants Hinni offers was presenting it with a challenge as far as production was concerned. Hinni was using screws for the internal and external parts of the hydrants, with each screw being lubricated by hand and then fastened in a separate step. This extra step was not only making the manual workflow more laborious, it also led to some inconsistencies in the screwing process.
Thanks to the collaboration with the Bossard engineering experts, Hinni found a new optimal solution. The company now uses screws that are fitted with the ecosyn®-lubric tribological dry coating developed by Bossard, which offers various advantages.
For instance, fully coated screws can be used during production, which eliminates the need for the laborious intermediate step of separate lubrication. In addition, the consistent preload force guarantees the operational reliability of the hydrants.
Black coated elements are installed to ensure that there is a visual difference to the uncoated screws. This makes it obvious to the engineer who performs maintenance work on the hydrants that the parts in question are ecosyn®-lubric coated elements.
An additional advantage of this dry lubrication is that it provides a consistently even preload force, even in the case of repeated tightening (up to five times with reproducible friction values). Bossard points out that this is especially important for the audits conducted at regular intervals.
“With ecosyn®-lubric customers are able to produce more efficiently, helping to reduce costs and at the same time increase productivity. In addition, due to the standardised and secure screw connections with ecosyn®-lubric, Hinni AG is able to meet its promise to its customers – reliable yet innovative.”
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.
