Sunday 10 December 2017

Plastic Fastener Manufacturers Partnering with Automotive Manufacturers to Stay Relevant

Globally, plastic is being increasingly utilized to manufacture fasteners. Demand for plastic fasteners is likely to remain high in the automotive industry in the coming years owing to their lightweight and low cost. Moreover, these fasteners offer a wide scope of technological innovations to enhance their properties in terms of mechanical resistance and strength.

Automotive fasteners refer to a collection of mechanical components or devices used in automotive and vehicle assemblies. These components or devices include nuts, bolts, studs, screws, pins, shims, rivets, and tie rods. Automotive fasteners are generally used for joining or affixing parts of a vehicle together to avoid wobbling or separation. They are also helpful in transmitting loads and preventing leakage of joints.

Development of Plastic Fasteners to Join Foam and Honeycomb Structures

A majority of manufacturers have established long-term contracts with automotive companies. Automatic Plastic Fastener manufacturers are focusing on developing products that suit requirements of varied end users. For instance, in October 2016, fastener manufacturer EJOT and Weber Screwdriving Systems came together to develop a friction-joining process that combines elements of plastic fastener anchors, spin-welding technology, and automatic screwdriving for plastic parts assembly for Audi. The process can be used with honeycomb and foam core structures. It can also be used to fasten glass-reinforced plastic and carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic.

For this process, EJOT created two types of thermoplastic fasteners: one made up of polypropylene, designed to be an anchor point for a threaded fastener, and the other made up of 30 per cent glass-filled nylon PA 6, which is designed to act as a direct fastening element.

Market Insights

Rising sales of automobiles worldwide can be one of the primary factors augmenting the global automotive plastic fasteners market. According to Grand View Research Inc., plastic fasteners are increasingly replacing metal fasteners owing to their lightweight, high corrosion resistance, high electrical insulation, and low cost. These fasteners also come in different shapes and colors that help automobile manufacturers improve aesthetic appeal of vehicles. These factors are, therefore, expected to stoke the growth of the market.

On the other hand, these fasteners exhibit low tensile strength and severe performance degradation at elevated temperatures. This can adversely affect market growth. Some of the key players in the market are Precision Castparts Corporation; Alcoa Inc.; ARaymond; Sundaram Fasteners Limited; and Illinois Tool Works Incorporated (ITW).

In-Depth research report on Automotive Plastic Fasteners Market:
https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/automotive-plastic-fasteners-market

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