A quick guide to eliminating fastener failure

To help manufacturers reduce lead times and avoid product recalls, fastener specialist TFC has released a quick guide illustrating the common quality issues often encountered with fasteners and how they can be detected. For manufacturers working with c-class components, it provides a visual guide to the equipment used to check fastener quality. It can be accessed for free on the TFC website here.

Quality is a priority for most manufacturers, particularly in sectors like automotive, oil and gas, medical and aerospace, where fastener failure could lead to safety problems. If fasteners are not up to specification, it can increase costs and extend lead times while the correct parts are delivered. If the problems are not picked up, it can lead to a defective product going out to market, risking reputational damage, and a costly recall.

In the quick guide, TFC illustrates the common quality issues found in fasteners, including incorrect dimensions and measurements and inconsistent finishing. It also explains the corresponding methods of detection for each. The guide covers verniers, micrometers, microscopes, PMI testing, shadowgraphs, and more.

“Problems can occur for many reasons, such as errors during picking or labelling. Many problems with fasteners cannot be detected by the human eye, which means manufacturers and distributors must understand common quality issues,” said Brian Vince, group quality manager at TFC.

“Fasteners play a crucial role in the assembly of a product for manufacturing industries, yet some sources of fastener supply pay no attention to quality standards,” explained Morgan Burgoyne, managing director at TFC. “The industry has historically had quality problems and we are keen to set a new benchmark to work to. TFC has always been dedicated to quality, having an in-house test lab staffed by an expert team, who work closely with our customers to provide the highest standard of products.”

At TFC’s in-house quality laboratory, it tests fasteners to ensure that its customers receive the correct parts, to specification, over 99 percent of the time. It holds ISO 9001, as well as industry-specific certifications like Aerospace BS EN9100:2009/9120:2010 standards (AS 9100C and AS 9120).

It can be accessed for free on the TFC website here