Industrial fasteners are very significant in industries and machines. Almost every machine has a fastener. There are different sizes and types of fasteners which are designed for various uses. Sometimes fasteners are used wrongly and can lead to mechanical damage. Lack of knowledge is the major cause of the inappropriate use of fasteners. Others use the wrong fastener to cut costs, but what they don’t consider is their impact on the item.
When deciding on which fastener to use, the following five mistakes should be avoided:
- Using wrong threaded fastener
Most industrial fasteners have different threads pattern. People make the mistake of trying to force fasteners when assembling parts. When you do this, the parts are going to wear due to friction. If you are using the right fastener, it should be easy to drive it with your hands. If you are unsure about the type of fastener to use, use fastener measuring tools.
- Buying the poor-quality material and grade.
Most fasteners are used to assemble metallic parts. When buying a fastener, ensure you look at the quality because it will affect the durability of the parts being assembled. The mistake people make is going for cheap fasteners that are not resistant to corrosion. What happens after using them is that they start rusting. Well, we all know that rusting is a major agent of wear and tear, which means it will wear out the other part. When buying fasteners, go for stainless steel.
- Assembling two reactive metals materials.
This is a common mistake people make but is due to a lack of knowledge in metal reactions. When you fasten two reactive metals together, the chances are that they will wear and tear each other down. A good example of metals that can react is steel and aluminium. Aluminium is a very weird metal and can react with almost anything. To be accurate, ensure you don’t assemble it with any other metal.
- Using the wrong fastener driver.
You don’t use your hands to assemble your fastener. There are drivers designed specifically for each fastener. There are the star and straight drivers which are used to fasten star-headed and straight-headed fasteners, respectively. What happens if you use the wrong driver? For instance, you will destroy the star patterns if you use a straight driver on the star-headed fastener. Therefore, removing it won’t be easy. Some use screw machining to drive in the fastener.
- Not using locking fasteners where necessary.
Locking fasteners are special fasteners that are used in some special situations. It is mainly used in assembling parts that will be constantly exposed to expansion and contraction forces. The benefit of these fasteners is that they have a nylon lining around the top. When you assemble parts using them, they can resist friction due to the smooth movement given by the nylon lining.
Bottom line
Using an industrial fastener inappropriately is a serious mistake because it reduces the lifespan of the item. If you do not know how to use fasteners, you can hire an expert on the job. Avoid the mistakes listed above to increase the durability of your fastener.
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