Engineering Support Services
We take a systemic approach to customized fastening solutions and services, and our engineering services are available to support your manufacturing needs and maximize assembly productivity.
Our team of highly creative, multi-disciplined engineers take a systemic approach to customized fastening solutions and services. Our engineering services are available to support your manufacturing needs and maximize assembly productivity.
Fastener Selection
Our Application Engineers work directly with customer design and engineering teams to provide fastener and assembly advice, joint strength and performance requirements, conversions, and the selection of finishes, materials, and heat treatment.
Application Component Design
Design your optimal fastener solution. If your existing fastener and component styles do not meet your needs, we can use our broad manufacturing capabilities and extensive engineering experience to design the optimal fastener solution for you. Performance and envelope requirements are defined to find the optimal joining solution for your application. From fasteners to components and engineered assemblies, we ensure the solution we design adheres to global standards.
Prototype Samples
From application opportunity to idea generation through concept development, our disciplined prototype sample program can help you solve your challenging fastening problems. Samples from tooling followed by testing and value analysis complete the review and approval process.
Joint Analysis
Joint analysis involves the testing and evaluation of application prototypes to help improve design and in-service performance, while minimizing manufacturing costs. Our engineering software includes FASTCALC II™ and JointWorks™ and this helps to predict areas of risk and to detect design improvement options.
Model Shop
Our model shop and technical center are dedicated to stretching the limits of our design and manufacturing capabilities. Our model shop provides support for major programs where research and product/process development is crucial to bringing a concept to reality. We can quickly produce prototypes and small lot samples for customer testing to ensure the parts meet your exact requirements before production begins.
Performance and Application Testing
Application testing is an important technical resource for evaluating fastener and joint behavior. As a world leader in fastener, mechanical, and performance testing, we are equipped with state-of-the-art testing facilities to analyze every aspect – from the fastener to the entire final assembly.
Our analysis capabilities include:
- Tensile / compression / shear
- Torque / tension with angle analysis
- Pull-out / push-out
- Joint durability
- Fastener fatigue
- Clamp retention using thermal soak and cyclic test principles
- Hydrogen-related failure from stress corrosion and hydrogen embrittlement
- Fastener-drive-system analysis, including drive-tip engagement, wear, fatigue, and ultimate strength
- Joint pressure distribution and leak prevention
- Molding and optimization of plastic boss designs
The benefits of application testing include:
- Prototype joint research and validations
- Assembly method recommendations
- Field failure analysis
- Equipment / test method recommendation
- Engineering services
We can also test fastener sizes M0.8 to M25, and portable equipment is available for use on customer assembly lines.
In addition, our metallurgical laboratory provides raw material evaluation, chemical analysis, and failure analysis in order to identify and resolve potential problems.
On-Site Assembly Evaluations
Organized review of an assembly line to evaluate joint designs and assembly methods resulting in proposal of ideas to reduce overall costs. This evaluation can improve product quality, streamline assembly methods, reduce labor usage, minimize component costs, and reduce scrap rates.
On-site assembly evaluations are often initiated in conjunction with a product teardown.
Product Teardowns
Our product teardowns are an organized method of disassembling a product to evaluate joint designs and assembly cost drivers. We utilize the principles of Design for Assembly (DFA) and Design for Manufacturing (DFM).
A product teardown focuses on total cost and includes disassembly and analysis of an entire product to evaluate each component and joint design. Conducted from a manufacturing, service, and end-user point of view, a product teardown utilizes DFM and DFA principles to identify possible cost savings from fastener consolidation or replacement, improved assembly methods, and reduction of scrapped rejects. Our product teardowns include an end report and formal presentation at your facility.
Fastener Training Seminars
We conduct fastening technology training seminars for our customers' engineers. These seminars can be either market segment or fastener group specific, and can deal with common fastening problems and solutions.
Subjects covered in the seminars include:
- Bolted joint behavior
- Torque / tension relationship
- Tightening strategy
- Seating torque value development
- Fatigue considerations
- Plating and finishing
- Manufacturing processes
- Fastening into metals & plastics
- Imperial and metric standards
- Stress corrosion and hydrogen embrittlement
- Custom presentations to meet specific needs