Fastener Testing

For over 75 years FOERSTER Group has been dedicated to the development and manufacturing of non-destructive testing methods, with a wide variety of methods – such as eddy current or magneto-inductive testing – revealing the quality of metal components and semi-finished products.

FOERSTER’s instruments are used worldwide and in a variety of industries, wherever high material quality is absolutely crucial. “For end-to-end quality control in production processes, we inspect fasteners quickly, reliably and reproducibly for cracks in the material surface, temper and the quality of hardening,” explains FOERSTER. “Since automation plays a major role in the manufacture of fasteners and connectors, we also offer automated test solutions individually tailored to processes in addition to standalone devices. We stand by our customers the
whole way; from their first contact with us to the development of customer specific solutions, through to commissioning and service.”

Reliable quality control

Whether fasteners are simple or complex, the material requirements placed on them are constantly growing and the production process must keep up with those increasing demands. Not least because these parts are exposed to, and must withstand, constantly high loads – with failure resulting in exorbitant costs or, even worse, danger to human life. 

That is why FOERSTER’s instruments, in combination with various sensors, are designed to automatically and non-destructively check fasteners for cracks, temper and material composition – directly in the production line. The components are inspected at high-speed and sorted immediately thereafter. That means customers can quickly and reliably assess and document the quality of the components, making adjustments necessary to the production process. 

Solutions for every type of component

FOERSTER has created a range of testing instruments for a wide variety of fastener products, including: 

• Pegs and cotter pins: Securing elements such as pegs and cotter pins are often exposed to extreme loads. To make it possible to monitor material properties, such as hardening depth and microstructure during the manufacturing process, FOERSTER has developed the MAGNATEST D – an automated and non-destructive testing solution with high throughput speed
• Nuts and bolts: FOERSTER has developed special,
  geometry adapted probes and encircling coils for in-line inspection of temper and microstructure. For additional surface testing, the STATOGRAPH module is used along with specially created rotating probes to check for surface cracks and to guarantee a high-resolution inspection of the material surface. 
• Fittings: A wide variety of fittings are needed to seamlessly connect tubing sections in piping systems. During forming, production related natural defects can occur, which may later cause component failure. In order to find these cracks early on, FOERSTER offers a testing solution using the STATOGRAPH CM+ along with its FLEXPROBES. These flexible sensors can be optimally adapted to the component geometry of the fittings – with large track widths enabling fast and reliable inspection of the entire surface. 
• Clamping rings and springs: Springs and clamping rings are typically under constantly high tension. However, they won’t withstand this pressure for long unless the components used have been correctly heat treated. To ensure this, 100% inspections are carried out during production. With its specially adapted coils and probes, the FOERSTER MAGNATEST D enables stable, fully automated testing of the temper and prevents material mix-ups. By using high performance harmonic evaluation, the MAGNATEST D can reduce interference factors during testing such as geometric part tolerances or temperature influences, thus achieving stable results over the long-term. 
• Hollow bolts: Although hollow bolts have relatively thin walls, they still need to be very strong. This presents manufacturers with enormous challenges during production. To make sure that only perfect components are supplied, 100% quality inspection for cracks and microstructure are required. This is where FOERSTER´s MAGNATEST and STATOGRAPH test systems come into play, in combination with encircling coils and probes. The critical points of the bolts are examined for surface defects and the hardness of the entire component is measured.