THE IMPORTANCE OF SELECTING HIGH QUALITY FASTENERS
Billions of fasteners are manufactured every year. They play a critical role in the safety, reliability, and the cost of manufactured products. There may not seem to be much difference between high-quality fasteners and low-quality, manufactured fasteners. In fact, fastener quality can differ from one manufacturer to another due to a lack of commitment to quality control. High quality fasteners are much more likely to conform to their standards and specifications. When choosing a certain type of fastener, choose a high-quality, reputable fastener manufacturer.
- Choosing the right materials:
Fasteners are manufactured from a wide variety of materials including aluminum, bronze, alloy, carbon steel, stainless and others, which are produced in a wide range of grades dependent on their chemical composition and intended use. For example, stainless steel fasteners are commonly made of 302, 303, 304, 316, 410 and 416 stainless. These stainless steels have varying proportions of iron, chromium, molybdenum, and nickel, resulting in fasteners with tensile strength, hardness, elasticity, corrosion resistance, magnetism, and other qualities. Manufacturing metal fasteners to precise standards is complex and expensive. Low-quality fasteners may not meet material or dimensional quality standards.
- Manufacturing Standards:
Fasteners are subject to various quality standards. Manufacturers of high-quality fasteners, also engage in various quality testing procedures to ensure their product meet U.S. and international standards. Because these manufacturers have a stringent testing and quality management systems, customers have confidence that their fasteners will meet the various required quality standards.
3. Maintaining Manufacturing Tolerances:
High-quality fastener production is more likely to maintain consistent tolerance on the various attributes of the fastener. For example, out-of-tolerance fasteners may have inconsistent threads, threads with burrs, major diameter, pitch diameter and various other deviations from the governing standards and specifications. The major problem with over and under-size screws is that they don’t fit in their intended tapped hole properly and may damage the threads. Slightly out-of-tolerance screws may cause subtle issues. For example, oversize threads require a higher prevailing torque to install. Production line employees that use a specific torque on a fastener will reach the prevailing torque before the threads are correctly seated. This will result in an improperly installed fastener.
4. High Quality Finishes:
Finishes are another area in which high quality fasteners excel. Finishes are applied to fasteners to improve corrosion resistance and appearance. High-quality fasteners provide a consistent finish that conform to their respective governing standard. Low quality fasteners may exhibit unpredictable finish and uneven thickness.
High quality fasteners require maintaining a significant investment in a quality management system. Quality management systems govern manufacturing processes, operational procedures, inspection regimes, and schedule audits. The goal is that the fasteners adhere to strict quality control standards. In contrast, manufacturers of high-quality fasteners are happy to invest in quality control. It allows them to consistently deliver high quality fasteners that their customers need and expect.