Insight

Nord-Lock Group is a pioneer in innovative bolting solutions, with advanced technologies spanning bolt securing, bolt tensioning, expansion bolts and expanding pivot pins. With decades of experience solving engineering challenges all over the world, the company continues to put its customers first, offering products and services to help each of them complete their projects on time.

Founded in 1982, Nord-Lock Group began as a family-owned manufacturer based in the heart of Sweden. Known then as Nord-Lock, the company pioneered the use of geometry in bolting by developing the original wedge-locking washers.

The success of Nord-Lock wedge-locking washers led to a steady growth of the company, and in 1994 it was acquired by Investment AB Latour – an investment company listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange. With the support of a strong and reliable owner, Nord-Lock was enabled to expand on its vision to provide the best possible bolting solutions to customers worldwide.

In 2011, Nord-Lock acquired SuperboltTM, the inventor of multi-jackbolt tensioning technology, founded in Pittsburgh, USA, in 1984. This was followed by the acquisition of Boltight®, in 2015, the UK-based creator of hydraulic bolt tensioning technology. In 2016, Nord-Lock came full circle to acquire another Swedish company, Expander® Group, a leader in pivot pin technology. These four divisions together make up the Nord-Lock Group, home of the most trusted bolt securing technologies in the world.

Nord-Lock Group technologies

Nord-Lock wedge-locking technology
Nord-Lock wedge-locking technology secures bolted joints with tension instead of friction. This prevents bolts from loosening, even when subjected to extreme vibration and dynamic loads. The products increase operational reliability and lower maintenance costs, while significantly reducing the risks of unplanned production stops and accidents.

The system is composed of a pair of wedge-locking washers with cams on one side and serrations on the other. When the bolt and/or nut is tightened, the serrations embed themselves into the mating surfaces.

Since the cam angle, is larger than the thread pitch, a wedge effect is created by the cams, effectively preventing the bolt from rotating loose.

Superbolt multi-jackbolt tensioning technology
Superbolt multi-jackbolt tensioning technology tightens large bolts safely and accurately using simple hand tools. The tensioners take the high preload requirement in large diameter bolting and break it down into manageable torques using the jackbolts threaded through the nut body. Superbolt products are easy to work with and provide an overwhelming mechanical advantage compared to traditional methods.

By tightening the jackbolts, a strong axial thrust force is generated and directed against a hardened washer. The loads are transferred through the nut body, which is positioned on the main thread by hand. A hardened washer is used to transfer the force while protecting the flange face. The axial force of many jackbolts and the opposite reaction force of the main bolt head create a strong clamping force on the flange.

Boltight hydraulic bolt tensioning technology
Boltight solutions make it possible to tighten and loosen large bolts simultaneously while maintaining accurate load. Bolt tensioners stretch the bolt before the nut is wound down under zero friction, ensuring extreme accuracy, speed, uniformity and safety in any bolt tightening situation.

When a tensioner is attached to the bolt or stud, high pressure hydraulics are used to axially stretch the bolt. Bolt stretch/elongation creates the clamping force. As the bolt is stretched, the nut lifts clear of the flange. An access window in the tensioner allows the nut to be turned down with very little friction. When the hydraulic pressure is released, the nut traps the stretch in the bolt retaining the ‘load’.

Expander System pivot pin technology
Lug wear is a common problem with all machinery. Repairs involve a costly, time-consuming process with significant downtime and must be repeated several times over a machine’s life. With the Expander System, the repair can be carried out directly in the worn mountings without welding and line boring – a permanent solution to lug wear.

The Expander System is installed directly into the existing mounting. Upon tightening the fasteners, the washer presses the slotted expansion sleeve up the tapered ends of the pin. The sleeves expand, conform with the wear pattern and lock the system in the lug ears. Once retorqued, the system locks from both sides.

Full lifetime warranty across all technologies
Nord-Lock Group prides itself on providing customers with technologies that have an unmatched reputation for reliability, performance and security. All the group’s products are field tested for thousands of hours, and put through the most demanding trials any application is likely to experience. Nord-Lock expects each and every solution that it produces will perform above and beyond any similar equipment in its class.

To highlight the trust and confidence in its products, Nord-Lock Group launched a lifetime warranty across all its technologies in 2017. The Nord-Lock Group Lifetime Warranty ensures each solution will perform as expected from the moment it is installed until the end of its intended lifecycle.

Unmatched engineering expertise and customer support
Providing its global customer base with high-quality solutions is not the company’s only aim. In fact, Nord-Lock Group has been investing just as heavily in technical support services as it has in the development of innovative products. The company always work closely with its customers to understand their needs, identify and solve their technical problems and support their projects, from the initial planning to installation and ongoing maintenance.

As an example of this support, Nord-Lock Group can provide advanced testing and verification capabilities in its in-house laboratories, a service that is not only available to customers but to anyone facing a bolting challenge. Engineering experts are also available for on-site and remote training sessions that span installation support to assistance with service and retrofitting. With distribution centres in Europe, North America and Asia, the Group also ensures that products can be rapidly delivered to customers all around the world.

Over the past 35 years Nord-Lock Group has undergone a radical transformation, from a family-owned manufacturing company, to an engineering powerhouse, offering multiple technologies and services to the global community of customers and industry experts. What has remained unchanged is the Group’s dedication to providing quality bolting solutions, along with the best support services – thus ensuring that each and every customer is able to complete their projects on time.

Nord-Lock comments: “If you would like more information about any of the Nord-Lock Group technologies mentioned above, please contact us via your local representative, or alternatively visit our website.”

www.nord-lock.com