Fastener

Three Critical Fastener Truths

“Your bolts are breaking in my engine blocks!” The purchasing manager was furious! This was a massive, costly failure. Someone would pay. The unimpressed fastener engineer on the other end of the phone replied wryly.  “What did you want to break?” WHAT???? It was simple.  Tremendous shear and tension had built, and something had to...

14 June 2022

How to reduce “Cam-Out”

Cam-Out – we’ve probably all experienced it. Perhaps we’re putting a faceplate on an outlet, or driving into metal. So we pull out our trusty slotted screwdriver, and start to turn the screw. But the slot depth is shallow, perhaps it’s a struck slot instead of a saw slot, or maybe, this screwdriver has seen...

24 March 2022

Platings and Coatings

What is the main purpose for plating and coating hardware? Hardware is usually coated or plated for corrosion resistance. Corrosion can seriously affect the performance of hardware and so it may need these secondary processes to extend its lifetime. The main difference between the two is that coatings utilize a specific solution and do not...

21 October 2021

Top Four Fastener Trends Observed in 2021

1. New Materials “If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it…” But that isn’t Fast-Rite’s way. We say, “if it can be better, then why not?”. Fasteners were traditionally made from metal and plastic but there are other materials that can be more suitable with enhanced solidity. Materials such as ceramics, carbon fiber and special alloy...

16 August 2021