Bay Supply Blog - Rivets, Fasteners, and Tools

When choosing a fastener supplier, what is your primary criterion? Many buyers look for the best price and the fastest availability of parts. Selecting a vendor based on price and available inventory may get you out of a temporary jam if you need fasteners in a hurry to maintain production. Still, you need to consider other criteria when choosing a fastener supplier that can help you build your business.

Manufacturers need different types of fasteners for industrial applications. Some jobs require closed-end rivets, and others need trifold rivets. Other products use general-purpose and high-clamp assemblies. You want to choose the right industrial fastener, whether you are manufacturing appliances, assembling recreational vehicles, or building computers. You also want to choose industrial fastener brands that work well together to ensure lasting performance.

Blind rivets have been used for more than 100 years, but they’re still misunderstood. British inventor Hamilton Neil Wylie first patented the blind rivet design in 1916. Since then, blind fasteners have been used for everything from making automobiles to manufacturing appliances.

There are specialty fasteners for every conceivable application, including fasteners that seal out moisture and can withstand harsh environments. For critical applications in aircraft, robotics, automobiles, military equipment, manufacturing, marine environments, and construction, you need fasteners that resist corrosion, withstand pressure fluctuations, and deliver lasting performance. That’s when engineers prefer ZAGO fasteners.

Threaded fasteners need a solid substrate for lasting performance. The threads must be solidly anchored in the material without loosening or pullout, which can be challenging with softer materials, such as wood and plastics. Threaded holes can also become stripped over time, requiring some way to restore the threads.

Emerging industries are continually finding new applications for commercial fasteners. The market for commercial solar installations has been booming in recent years, and manufacturers such as Howmet Aerospace have been developing new Huck brand adapters specifically for installing solar arrays. One of the latest innovations is the Huck BOMtail, designed specifically for commercial solar panels and trackers.

Chances are, you will find fasteners used to assemble products in every factory. Nuts, bolts, anchors, lockbolts, and other industrial fasteners are essential to manufacturing everything from computers to airplanes. 

Production lines that use precision manual processes tend to be slow and require workers to set and inspect fasteners one at a time. Automating the process saves time, labor, and money. However, to automate production, you need speed fasteners that shorten assembly time while ensuring consistent quality.

When it comes to industrial fasteners, the primary goal is to create secure and lasting joints. Superior performance is the criterion for choosing the best fastener for any application. The fastener must maintain joint integrity over time, especially for applications in which added stress and joint failure could be disastrous. That’s why Huck fasteners have become so popular.

Rivets, lockbolts, blind bolts, and other fasteners are incredibly versatile and can be used for various applications, but sometimes, you need a specialty fastener designed for the task. Fascomp is a specialty fastener maker that creates electronic hardware specifically designed for electronics installations and components.

Technology has changed the retail business, and it continues to do so. Rather than ordering goods from a catalog or local store and waiting for them to be delivered, orders are now fulfilled overnight. Large retailers, such as Amazon and Walmart, even offer same-day delivery in some regions.