Stefan Schumacher,
Posted
04/01/2008
As the pieces that
help hold a structure together, fasteners are an important part of
the construction industry. To that end, fastener manufacturers are
continually advancing and expanding their products to meet the
demands of various building materials and environmental conditions.
As we look forward in 2008, people in the fastener industry seem to
be putting an emphasis on quality as much as cost. Having the right
fastener can benefit a project even if it requires a premium
product.
To gauge the latest trends, new products and biggest challenges in
the industry today, Metal Construction News gathered input from
five fastener manufacturers: Sealtite Building Fasteners, Tyler,
Texas; Simpson Strong-Tie Co. Inc., Pleasanton, Calif.; Threaded
Fasteners Inc., Mobile, Ala.; Triangle Fasteners Inc., Pittsburgh,
Pa.; and Dynamic Fasteners, Kansas City, Mo.
While the many details involved in choosing fasteners will vary
from project to project-and a complete list of manufacturers and
suppliers can be found at the end of the article-the following are
some key points our contributors came up with:
MCN: What are some
of the new trends/issues in the fastener business? Is anything
happening that's changing the way things are done or will be done
in the future?
Joe Stager, corporate marketing and product development, Triangle
Fasteners: Fasteners today are offered with improved plating and
coatings to meet the demand of the panel producer and suppliers.
Today, most exposed fasteners are more corrosion resistant, and
when tested, will achieve a minimum of 1,000-hours salt spray.
Painted fasteners are now available with a powder finish that is
more durable, will withstand more severe weathering environments
and will perform as well as the panel.
Tom Hulsey, director of technical services, and David Quehl,
marketing manager, Sealtite Building Fasteners: With the
improvements in paint systems that protect metal roofing and siding
and with the more extensive warranties that accompany these
improvements, there is a greater need to protect that investment
with a fastener that can provide equal performance. Carbon steel
fasteners are still the predominant screw used on metal roofing and
siding. Protective coatings range from electro-plating covered by a
barrier coating to mechanical zinc plating. All provide corrosion
resistance but not equal to the paint warranties on metal.
Installation of the fastener will degrade the coating. The extent
is dependent on the installer. As a result, more pre-engineered
building companies and components manufacturers specify fasteners
that will match the warranty of the metal panel. These include
stainless-steel caps and zinc-aluminum alloy heads that provide
lifetime protection against red rust. Carbon steel screws generally
carry no warranty against red rust. Depending upon the size and
scope of a building project, fastener cost is a small percentage of
the overall project. However, statistics point to the improper
selection of fasteners as a cause of a high percentage of liability
claims due to corrosion and thread failure.
Jerrad Douberly, assistant general manager, Threaded Fasteners:
One of the more interesting trends we see is manufacturers wanting
to reduce costs by reducing inventory levels. This in turn is
encouraging fastener manufacturers and distributors to adopt Vendor
Managed Inventory. This allows customers to tailor their inventory
levels to their satisfaction. We are also seeing "just in time"
orders coming through the system. The value-added services fastener
distributors are offering is taking the place of just having the
cheapest price. The distributors who offer more value-added
services to their customers will be the ones who prevail over the
competition in the future.
Clark Allen, product manager for Quik Drive, Simpson Strong-Tie: A
lot of people are looking at areas where they haven't looked
before, like composite decking. There are 80 companies offering
lumber that's a mix of recycled material and wood, and there's some
unique challenges to fastening [to] that. You have to have
especially tight fasteners to cap off that mushroom instead of
having a balloon of plastic wherever you insert a screw. In the
last six or seven years [composite decking] started to take off. In
the last two or three years, it's exploded. It's recyclable,
green-friendly, lasts forever, but you need a premium product to
fasten it.
MCN: Are there new
products/advancements coming into the market?
Ken Webb, sales manager, Dynamic Fasteners: Recently, Dynamic
Fastener introduced the Fenderhead #14 Diameter stout T-5 with 5/8
inch [26 mm] drill capacity. The giant washer face measures 5/8
O.D. and provides superior pull-over values and creates more than
100 percent additional bearing area as compared to the common
7/16-inch [11- mm] O.D. washer face.
Simpson: Quik Drive PROPP150, an auto-feed screw driving system
for precision placement fastening for standing-seam metal roofing.
This is a tool that the industry has been begging for. You have a
guy on a metal roof. With standing seam it's fastened with clips.
You have a guy trying to hold his screwgun, trying to hold clips
and with his fourth hand trying not to fall off the roof. The
challenge is to precisely put the screw in the hole of the clip.
You have to have a tool that can get up close to the seam but also
put a screw in the hole that attaches the clip. [The Quik Drive
PROPP150] will allow you to fasten the standing-seam roofing in
half the time.
Sealtite: For exposed fastener buildings, low-profile, round head
screws with an internal drive are now available. They provide a
more attractive appearance than traditional Hex Washer Head screws,
especially on sidewall applications.
MCN: What are some challenges facing the industry? Are there
installation problems? Other things people should consider?
Threaded: One of the more common problems we discovered is that
some customers are not always aware as to what types of fasteners
and accessories are available to them. Often a customer will ask
for a fastener or accessory that is simply not readily available or
is obsolete. If the customer knows what types of products are
available to them before a plan is finalized, they may be able to
save money and time throughout the construction process. When the
contractor chooses fasteners for metal building projects it would
be well advised to require a fastener that compliments the material
being fastened. For example, if you have a panel that has a
lifespan of 30 years, you want to make sure you choose a long-life
fastener. Cheaper is not always better.
Simpson: If you're fastening metal to pressure-treated wood you've
got to make sure you have the right coating or the right material,
stainless steel or coated otherwise. ACQ [lumber] is harsh on a
traditional fastener. A regular screw somebody would've used 10
years ago won't work on the ACQ (which most people still use for
things like decks and docks).
Sealtite: Proper installation techniques continue to be a
challenge for builders. Investments in proper tools and accessories
can ensure a finished appearance that will please any building
owner. Cost is an important issue, but the proper fastener
specified and installed at the beginning of the job will act as
insurance for many years to come.