Insight

Over the past 12 months, the global demand for industrial fasteners has continued to rise. Due to the rapid growth in the technical and mechanical industries, the market for such components is predicted to reach US$83.8 billion (approximately €70 billion) by 2020¹. 

The automotive sector is one of the key arenas driving the demand for fasteners, however the focus on using lightweight materials is creating new complications for traditional fastening techniques and their coatings. Here, we take a look at the key challenges and opportunities facing the industry in 2018. 

Advanced auditing

Across the fastener industry, providing the correct application and consistency of coatings is vital. For instance, sacrificial coatings, such as zinc and zinc-nickel, are used to protect iron or steel components against corrosion. In such cases, it is important for the parts to be assessed with the latest equipment, such as neutral salt spray, cyclic corrosion, thickness and coefficient of friction testing. If there is a lack of regulation, this can be detrimental to the safety and performance of fasteners, increasing the likelihood of parts failing. More emphasis must be placed on a risk-based approach to auditing throughout the supply chain, to ensure that all coatings have been applied in-line with specifications and ISO quality standards. 

Take the automotive sector as an example. OEMs have already recognised the importance of auditing, with the forthcoming changes to the ISO/TS 16949 certification, which defines the requirements of a quality management system for organisations within the industry. The new accreditation includes the guarantee of coating performance and safety of fastener components. Quality assurance systems, such as MacDermid Enthone Industrial Solutions’ ZinKlad programme, tackle the key issues in high performance automotive coatings, to ensure consistent results across components, including fasteners throughout the supply chain and on a global basis. As part of the ZinKlad programme, applicators are audited on a quarterly basis to ensure processes meet the quality and safety standards specified by OEMs – particularly crucial for safety critical and powertrain fasteners. 

High performance coatings

High performance coatings for fasteners is also a top priority for specifiers across the industry, particularly where safety is critical. As previously discussed, corrosion resistance is an important factor for hazardous applications such as automotive, where parts could fail if coatings don’t function to the topmost standard. In addition, coatings that provide the desired coefficient of friction is another key feature that is imperative to end applications, as it enables components to reach maximum joint security. To guarantee safety and reliability, quality assurance systems should be in place to ensure coatings deliver consistent high performances and meet industry regulations, around the world. 

New opportunities

With the fastener market expanding at a rapid rate, there are a number of opportunities that lie ahead. Compared to the beginning of 2017, the consolidation of coatings to cover multi-metal and multi-substrate materials has become a key focus within the industry, driven by the interest for lightweight components and the reduction in steel usage. This presents a clear demand for manufacturers to specify effective coatings for application on multi-substrate materials, including aluminium, magnesium and plastic. These coating procedures will enable fastener manufactures to save on processing costs and replace heavier parts with lighter equivalents, without compromising on the efficiency or quality of final components. From a technical perspective, there will be a shift in the market for higher mutli-substrate compatibility, particular in automotive applications. This will enable the weight of vehicles to be partially reduced, resulting in improved fuel economy. 

In addition, as the worldwide marketplace becomes ever more competitive and globalised, there is a need for fastener suppliers to offer products that deliver global consistency. By maintaining comparable standards at both local and international levels, OEMs that specify ZinKlad coatings can be assured that the fasteners they receive will be identical in both look and performance across the world, regardless of the region they were manufactured in. As well as improving ease of business and speed of operations, this enables companies to increase product safety and minimise risk.

Looking ahead

While the move towards lightweight components has had a significant impact on the fastener market as a whole, understanding the implications of using lighter materials is a key priority for many manufacturers and specifiers. Gaining deeper knowledge of such lightweight materials and exploring alternative coating systems to meet demand, will enable manufacturers to increase time and cost efficiencies in the production process and improve the properties of end products. For instance, to ensure effective grounding, coatings on fasteners need to be reliable to prevent the screw from insulating. By improving the auditing process for coating application and gaining further understanding into new materials and procedures, the industry will be able to deliver higher quality and consistent fasteners, which meet the growing and diverse sector requirements.