Other Industries

One of the main attractions of Fastener Fair Global is the opportunity to assess new products and services that exhibitors have introduced to the market – and this year’s show was no exception – underlined by the three winners of the Route to Fastener Innovation Competition, sponsored by Fastener + Fixing Magazine.

With the three winners announced during the second day of the show, the Route to Fastener Innovation Competition saw twenty applicants – all with innovative solutions introduced to the market in the last two years. Entrants included Akifix SpA, Böllhoff Group, Bossong SpA, BRALO S.A, Dimac Srl, Eurotec GmbH, FAR Srl, GH Induction, GOEBEL Group, Growermetal SpA, Klimas Wkręt-Met, MKT Metall-Kunststoff-Technik GmbH & Co KG, NOF METAL COATINGS GROUP, PennEngineering, The Phillips Screw Company, Rivit Srl, Rotor Clip, SACMA Group, Wafios GmbH and Würth Group.

After careful consideration, first place was ultimately given to Growermetal with its GROWER ECONICAL^® washers. Launched to the market on the first day of the show, the new product offers a 20% reduction in weight while ensuring excellent performance in terms of spring force, residual deflection and uniform load distribution.  

Thanks to its sigmoidal design, GROWER ECONICAL^® prevents the risk of indentation to the bearing surface, allowing for increased usability as both the bearing surface and the bolt underhead are protected from damage. The washer offers maximum lightness while overtaking the performance of standard conical washers, according to standards such as DIN 6796 or NFE 25-510.  

Paolo Cattaneo, CEO of Growermetal, comments on winning first place: “We are all very proud of this result. Whilst it was unexpected, it’s a testament to the hard work of the whole team at Growermetal and the engineering department at Milan University who cooperated with us to develop GROWER ECONICAL^®. The fact that we were also able to win first place in this prestigious award, whilst also celebrating our 75^th anniversary, has made the show even more memorable.”

Second place was claimed by Böllhoff, with the company’s QUICK FLOW^® Plus. The fastener enables the secure joining of thin sheets while removing the need for pre-drilling or nuts. Manufactured from high strength and corrosion resistant materials, the QUICK FLOW^® Plus also features a longer lifespan which decreases maintenance costs while enabling higher reliability to enhance the safety of the joint. Additionally, the unique screw geometry allows for easy and efficient installation.   

Daniel Tovar, head of product management and engineering at Böllhoff mentions: “Coming second in the Route to Fastener Innovation 2025 is a great honour for the entire Böllhoff development team. We are proud of our own achievement and the recognition from the Fastener + Fixing Magazine team. With the QUICK FLOW^® Plus, we have created a solution for resilient lightweight applications, which thus offers a contribution to a resource saving future. The fact that this innovation has now also won an award motivates us to initiate further developments and to enrich the fastening technology market with modern, user orientated solutions.”

Third place was awarded to BRALO for its BT-18N battery operated riveting tool for blind rivet nuts. So that the tool can be better suited to a wide variety of applications, BT-18N can be adjusted under two parameters – ‘S’ mode, which uses full pull force but limits its stroke to what has been programmed, and ‘P’ mode, where the amount of force used by the tool is regulated and a quality control system gives an acoustic signal if the nut has not been riveted properly.  

Other innovative features of BT-18N include interchangeable M3 to M10 nosepieces and mandrels – with the tool capable of pulling up to 18,000N. The tool also provides automatic threading and unscrewing, as well as an auto unscrewing button to avoid jamming. 

“We are really happy with this award,” states Eduardo González, chief strategy officer at BRALO. “I’d like to thank Fastener + Fixing Magazine for this event and for the hard work you’ve put into organising the competition and of course, for this award. I’d also like to thank our R&D department, who have been working closely with customers to bring the BT-18N to life and make it such a success.”   

The 2025 edition of Route to Fastener Innovation saw a wide variety of innovations from international entrants, featuring rivet nuts, screws, PFAS-free coatings, induction hardening technology, as well as machines for nail processing and tapping, among others. 

Other innovations included one from SACMA Group, through its HS ASPE division, with the T10-VT tapping machine – a system which is designed to combine high efficiency, environmental sustainability and operator focused ergonomics. Able to run up to 200 parts per minute, T10-VT has been built for high productivity environments, enabling the efficient tapping of nuts, rivnuts as well as various hollow parts. Other features include dual tapping heads with synchronised servomotors, a conveyor belt with an anti-shock system for damage-free transport of parts, fast tooling changeover for minimised downtime, as well as an integrated electronic system to monitor tap stress based on spindle motor absorption. 

Another notable innovation came from NOF METAL COATINGS GROUP with its PLUS^® VLh 2 Silver. The product was born from the impending ban on PFAS products which will remove the chemical that was once widely used in many different industrial sectors. Part of NOF METAL COATINGS GROUP’s PFAS-free coatings range, PLUS^® VLh 2 Silver can be applied to GEOMET^® base coats and meets REACH regulations. Its innovative feature is the fluorescent pigments thatv enable easy identification of the applied coating under UV light. 

The whole Fastener + Fixing Magazine team wants to thank the twenty contestants who entered this year’s Route to Fastener Innovation Competition. The magazine eagerly awaits Fastener Fair Global 2027 where a new array of innovations newly introduced to the market will be on full display.