We built our reputation at Associated Fastening Products, Inc. on providing the finest quality standard and custom fasteners available. However, our manufacturing capabilities are only part of the story. We maintain a team of expert engineers to tackle the most complex fastener design challenges.
Our engineering capabilities were well exemplified in the project illustrated below. One of our industrial clients was having a problem with their U bolts. We have a long history with this customer and are considered one of their best suppliers, which is why they enlisted us for help. These parts were experiencing a high level of rust and accelerated corrosion in the field. After a consultation, we discovered that their uncoated U bolts were experiencing metal-on-metal contact with the pipes they were fastening. This was causing an accelerated rate of corrosion for all the involved parts. We were able to solve this problem with our custom-designed, rubber sleeved U bolts.
We offer custom designed U bolts coated with rubber and polyurethane. This coating creates a seamless, vulcanized material that can be applied to any kind of U bolt. It not only helps eliminate corrosion problems for a broad array of applications, but also offers excellent shock and vibration absorption. We provided full design and manufacturing of these parts. Because of the level of strength needed, we used 1022 steel for the main part of the U bolt. Once formed it was then finished with RoHS compliant zinc, after which the rubber sleeve was applied. Tightest tolerances were held to ±0.005″.
Our customer was well pleased with our results; the rubber sleeved U bolts solved their corrosion problems. We were able to complete this entire project, from design through delivery, in a turnaround time of just four weeks. We now produce 17,000 of these products for our customer annually. To find out more about this project, please contact us directly.