As a core component of furniture construction, fasteners are critical elements that ensure structural integrity, durability, and aesthetic finish. The choice of fastener depends heavily on the materials being joined, the required strength, the frequency of assembly/disassembly, and the visibility of the joint. This white paper introduces the most common types of fasteners used in furniture manufacturing and assembly, detailing their structure and typical applications. Common Fasteners in Furniture Construction Furniture utilizes a diverse range of fasteners, from simple nails to complex concealed hardware. Understanding these types is essential for [...]

A vented screw, also known as a vacuum screw or hollow screw, is a specialized fastener distinguished by a central hole drilled completely through its axial core. This seemingly simple modification is critical in applications where trapped air, gas, or fluid can compromise system performance. The primary application of vented screws is in high-vacuum and ultra-high-vacuum (HV/UHV) environments, but their utility extends to cleanrooms, sealed enclosures, and other critical machinery. Primary Application: High and Ultra-High Vacuum Systems The core function of a vented screw is to eliminate virtual leaks in [...]

Mechanical fasteners (bolts, screws, nuts, rivets) often fail for a few predictable reasons. Industry studies agree that fatigue is by far the leading cause – roughly 85% of bolt/screw failures stem from cyclic loading. Other common failure modes include static overload (yield or shear), thread stripping, stress corrosion cracking, and metallurgical issues like improper heat treatment or hydrogen embrittlement. Failures typically initiate at stress concentrators – for example, in bolts the first engaged thread or the fillet under the head is often the weakest point. Understanding these mechanisms helps engineers [...]

Overview: Lock nuts are fasteners designed to stay tight under vibration and stress. Two common types are nylon-insert (Nylock) nuts and all-metal prevailing-torque nuts. This report compares these types in terms of their materials, how they lock, environmental performance (temperature and vibration), reusability, cost, and sourcing factors. The goal is to give sourcing managers a clear technical comparison and help guide component selection in different applications. Material Composition: Nylon Insert vs All-Metal Nylock nuts are typically made of steel or brass with a polymer (nylon) insert molded into one end [...]

The global fastening landscape is shaped by history, engineering standards, and supply‐chain realities. While nearly all countries have officially adopted the metric system, inch-based (imperial) fasteners remain deeply entrenched in U.S. aerospace and many automotive applications. Procurement managers must understand why these legacy units persist and how they affect sourcing and standardization. This whitepaper examines the historical roots, technical nuances, and practical implications of imperial vs. metric fastener usage, with a focus on aerospace and automotive industries and the challenges of a dual-standard supply chain. Historical & Technical Roots of [...]

Introduction Fasteners (screws, bolts, nuts, washers, etc.) are critical components in virtually every manufactured product and facility maintenance process. Although individually inexpensive, fasteners often comprise a large share of unique parts in a company’s inventory. For example, a factory’s bill of materials might be 40–60% fastener-related line items, yet these constitute only ~10–20% of total parts cost. This imbalance means procurement teams spend significant time and resources managing dozens or hundreds of fastener SKUs (Stock Keeping Units) for relatively low spend. Fastener standardization is the practice of reducing the variety [...]

Self-tapping and thread-forming screws are widely used to join parts without pre-tapped holes. These fasteners are categorized by their point and thread geometry, which determines how they engage the material (either cutting/chipping or displacing material). Common types include Type A (coarse thread, pointed), Type B (fine thread, blunt), Type AB (combination of A and B), and Type 25/BT (chip-cutting point for plastics), as well as advanced thread-forming designs like Taptite, Plastite, Hi-Lo (double-lead), and EJOT PT® screws. This report explains how each type works, compares their performance (torque-to-strip ratios, thread [...]

What Are Metric Thread Tolerance Classes? Metric thread tolerance classes are a standardized way to specify how tightly or loosely a bolt and nut will fit together. If you’ve seen designations like “M10 x 1.5 – 6H/6g”, those last characters (6H/6g) are the tolerance classes for the internal thread (nut) and external thread (bolt). In simple terms: Tolerance classes ensure compatibility: They control the allowed variation in thread size so that any bolt of a given class will fit any nut of the matching class. Prevent jamming or wobbling: By [...]

The table below lists ISO metric screw thread sizes from M1 up to M100. For each size it gives the standard coarse and fine thread pitches (in millimeters). The “Nearest Inch Thread Size” column shows the closest common Unified thread (UNC/UNF) nominal size for reference. If no direct UNC/UNF equivalent exists, it is marked “N/A”. (Fine-pitch variants are blank where none are defined.) Metric Thread: Nominal diameter (M#) in millimeters. Coarse/Fine Pitch: Standard ISO metric pitch in millimeters. Inch Equivalent: Closest Unified nominal size (e.g. 1/4-20 UNC) or N/A if [...]

Introduction In an era of Industry 4.0, artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the global fastener industry. Manufacturers and distributors are deploying AI to drive efficiency, improve quality, and deliver smarter services. AI tools are being used at every stage of the fastener supply chain – from automated machining and inspection in factories to data-driven demand forecasting and sales support. This report examines current real-world AI applications in fastener manufacturing, quality control, predictive maintenance, supply chain optimization and sales automation, and evaluates their impact on future market trends, competitive dynamics and [...]