This article is not another article about torque, tension, hydrogen embrittlement, flexural modulus, and numerous other common subjects covered about fasteners and fastening applications. It is simply about what is going on in the fastener industry today that will influence your work.
Mike McGuire, Zygologist
The number one problem today for the domestic fastener manufacturer is they have a shortage of skilled workers to run the machinery to produce the fasteners. The United States government is aware of this problem, but aid is moving slower than a snail.
More than 200 billion screws are used every year in the United States. There are more standard sizes of fasteners than all the other component industries combined and then you add in all the “Special” fasteners.
85-90% of the standard commercial industrial mechanical fasteners are imported from China and Taiwan. The problems multiply here, no one in the U.S. has any plans if a typhoon, or worse, a tsunami hits Taiwan or the Eastern shore of China. Production would be shut down in a matter of a few weeks or a month because of a shortage of fasteners. Second thought, it is not if China takes over Taiwan, but when and how our government reacts, China could stop shipments of fasteners to the States and again in a matter of a few weeks production of all types of products would shut down.
Ever wonder how a mechanical engineer, civil engineer, or a design engineer knew how to put together a product with the effects of vibration, wind load, temperature changes, moisture, corrosion, and improper installation among other potential problems? There is not one engineering school in the United States that has any coursework in fasteners or fastening application engineering. Ask your engineering friends how many hours of fastener education they received in college. The answer you will get is “None.” Most fastener engineers learn from the College of Hard Knocks.
Fasteners are only about 2% of the total cost of the components in a product but cost 4-5 times as much to install. This Total Cost of Ownership in Fastening is the 15% – 85% Rule. The 85% is made up of Sourcing, Application Design, Ordering, Logistics & Handling, Quality Inspection, Stocking, Pre-Assembly and Final Assembly. Fastener engineers can cut down on these expenses by evaluating their application design early in the process to ensure the best performance.
The Industrial Fastener Market is estimated at $86 billion and projected to be $121 billion by 2030. The Automobile industry is the largest consumer of fasteners, followed by Aerospace and Construction in third place. However, the EV automobile market uses fewer fasteners and nylon fasteners are replacing the typical steel fasteners in many applications. Your car in 2030 may be “Snaped Together” instead of screwed together. Adhesives are also playing a significant role in replacing metal fasteners.
Fastener innovation is led by the United States. Every week there seems to be one or more applications for a patent or tradename with the USPTO. The website www.usfastenersources.com annually recognizes new innovative fasteners that will be available “off the shelf” for fastener distributors and end-users.
Fasteners are classified as a Type “C” Component because they are a low-cost, high-volume component. I think the “C” should stand for a “Critical Component.” 80% of automotive re-calls are fastener related. 43% of the weight of the weight of the airframe on commercial airplanes is fasteners. On a Boeing 747-400 there are three million fasteners, which includes 850,000 rivets.
Fasteners and Fastener Application Engineers do not get the respect they earn, but they are especially important to the design and production of successful products. Re-read the subtitle noted above. Keep up the excellent work, read all the articles, catalogs, and brochures about fasteners and fastening applications you can get firsthand. Have the suppliers of your fasteners join in and give you help, when and where it is needed. Your suppliers will be very willing to help. Finally, test and evaluate all the design stages to always improve the application and performance of the fasteners.
Filed Under: Fastening + joining, Trends