Key Trends Driving the Growth of Industrial Fastener Industry

Powdered metal methods are often used to produce unusual but highly functional fastener forms that are difficult to make with other heavy metals.

Alternative Thread Designs for Superior Grip

For many years, the conventional 8-round thread design has been utilized in the oil and gas business. However, the previous design may not be suitable for the high operating needs of deepwater drilling.

In most thread designs, the first thread's root bears 65 percent of the tensile strain. For improved functionality, innovative thread designs specific to the kind of application might be devised. To counteract this phenomenon, manufacturers are focusing on research and development in order to establish an effective system for spreading the load across all threads in the fastener.

In the case of heavy machinery, a thread design that distributes tensile load equally over all threads has the potential to minimize point loading and make fasteners less vulnerable to stress-induced damage. For OEMs, participating as active design partners is emerging as a new trend. This will help them produce customized thread designs that suit the operation without compromising the tensile strength, mechanical properties, and sturdiness of fastener material.

Nano-laminated Metallic Coatings

Nano-laminated metallic-coated fasteners are a recent addition to the industry. These fasteners are coated in electro-deposited nickel, zinc, and other comparable alloy coatings with special chemical characteristics that inhibit surface-type corrosion.

Nano-laminated coatings are a type of material made up of nanometer-scale layers that vary in composition, material microstructure, and phase. In industrial fasteners, nanolaminate metallic coatings provide a tiny, corrosion-resistant layer that protects the substrate material from oxidation.

With many years of research, testing, and field trials in unconducive environments, Seattle-based Modumetal concluded that a metal formulation of zinc and nickel provided effective corrosion resistance in surface appliances. The firm has also released a nano-laminated coating named - NanoGalv coating system. This coating was applied to industrial fasteners such as studs, nuts, and bolts, with the coating layer being approximately 8 microns thick. This turned out to be successful as the K-factors in fasteners were not affected.

What’s Next?

Today, a growing number of novel materials are being produced and used in a wide range of applications. Powdered metal technologies are being utilized to make unique yet highly functional fastener designs that would be hard to manufacture using more traditional methods. Chemical components like magnesium are now employed in the production of fasteners like hex head cap screws and titanium in socket head cap screws, which was unheard of only a few years ago.

Every industry is now growing at an exponential rate. Moreover, with the Indian government actively working to transform the nation into a manufacturing hub, in the coming days the demand for fasters will grow exponentially. Furthermore, with the introduction of niche products, in the future it will be imperative for the fastener manufacturer to move towards bespoke solutions. With this change, the fastener industry of India will for sure make some rapid stride in developing new innovative products.