Despite their apparent design simplicity, fasteners are one of the most misunderstood parts of the vehicle. Selecting the wrong fastener for the job can lead to escalating vehicle warranty costs and potentially disastrous recalls. Indeed fastener failure is ultimately one of the main causes of vehicle recall campaigns in North America and Europe.

The humble fastener has evolved from a mere commodity to a highly engineered, multi-purpose component. While the most common techniques include mechanical fastening such as riveting, threading and welding, chemical fastening methods are increasing in importance. Growth in the adhesives market is being driven by strong end-user demand and new product developments that enable adhesive compounds to increasingly serve as direct replacements for mechanical fasteners.

Increased demand for high performance products that can replace mechanical fasteners and attach plastics, rubber and aluminium components are becoming more prevalent in new cars. The potential use of self-securing or ‘snap-fit’ solutions and the problematic field of bonding painted plastic parts together are also topical. Overall, vehicle makers are looking for more user-friendly fastening systems, which are economical to use.

Vehicle recycling is also a major challenge for the adhesives industry with respect to disassembly. Vehicle makers are looking for adhesives that will cure in seconds, hold that bond for the life of the car and then fall apart on command; a tall order. For all these reasons, the fastener manufacturer’s relationship with its material suppliers is critical.

Report coverage
This report from ABOUT Automotive reviews the key market drivers for vehicle fastener systems. It provides analysis on a number of key areas, including:

• The market for automotive fasteners, determining the trends and topical issues;
• The main manufacturers serving the sector;
• Trends in key product and process technologies, both current and future;
• Market forecasts for mechanical and adhesive fastener volume demand through 2007; and
• OEM trends and rationale in adopting different types of fastening techniques

Profiles of manufacturers/suppliers:

• Emhart
  
• Finnveden
  
• ITW
  
• LISI
  
• Nedschroef
  
• Nifco
  
• Raymond
  
• SPS Technologies
  
• Textron Fastening Systems
  
• TRW Engineered Fasteners
  
• 3M