Automotive Lightweighting and Manufacturing Solutions
Today’s technology presses for ideas to reduce the weight of all consumer goods. From automobiles needing greater fuel efficiency to evaluating different assembly methods for alternative materials that lead to a less costly, product-friendly experience - the focus is falling increasingly on fasteners to help achieve these goals.
Semblex is committed to helping achieve accurate results by offering a wide range of fasteners. The following recommendations represent how the correct fastener selection can provide breakthrough assembly methods when meeting weight reduction requirements.
Please get in touch with Semblex for engineering assistance and consultation regarding your application needs.
Light Metals
Light MetalsMost commercial light-weighting efforts focus on replacing steel with lighter metals such as Aluminum, Magnesium, and Zinc. These fasteners are designed to provide maximum performance and repeatability in these particular materials.
Featured Products - ALtracs® Plus, TAPTITE PRO®, Mag-Form®
Thin Sheet
Thin SheetSheet metal can replace heavier cast components. However, special fasteners are needed to provide adequate thread engagement due to the small material thickness.
Featured Products - SHEETtracs®, FASTITE® 2000™
High Strength Steel
High Strength SteelHigh Strength Steels can be used for lightweighting yet provide additional consumer safety protection. Historically, harder steels presented challenges in being able to use a thread-rolling screw.
Featured Products - Rolok® HS®
Flow-Drill
Flow-DrillUtilizes the Flow-Drill process to not only drill the holes to fasten into but also to create an extruded boss for the screw threads.
Featured Products - OptiFlow™, FDS®
Performance Plastic Fastening
Performance Plastic FasteningTraditional plastic fasteners are inefficient and require more material in the screw and boss. These higher-performance fasteners allow design changes for shorter screws and smaller bosses.
Featured Products - EVO PT®, DELTA PT®, REMFORM®II™
Removing Locking Hardware
Removing Locking HardwareMany solutions for preventing fastener loosening involve adding hardware such as lock washers, lock nuts, brass inserts, and applied patches. Lighter fasteners can often replace these.
Featured Products - TAPTITE PRO®, Rolok®, POWERLOK® II™, EVO PT®, DELTA PT®, REMFORM®II™, EJOT SpringHead®
Reducing Head Material
Reducing Head MaterialTraditional internal and external hex drives require excessive wrenching height, resulting in tall head designs. Using new drive technologies, we can reduce head heights and weight without compromising installation performance.
Featured Products - Mortorq® Super, External Torx Plus® Low Profile Head