As car designers accelerate the integration of lightweight materials into vehicle designs, collaboration between plastics and fastener engineers has become an imperative. Nowhere is this more evident than during the prototyping and pre-production stages, where fastener choices can significantly influence part performance, manufacturability, and long-term durability. When fastener integration is
Fasteners used with plastics and composites are subjected to different forces than ones used in metals and other materials. Plastics respond in a completely different manner than metals when subjected to mechanical loads. They exhibit behaviors such as creep, anisotropy, and variable tensile strength depending on polymer type and fiber
How to Select Fasteners that Match the Properties of Composites and Plastics Arguably, nothing has revolutionized technological advancement and product design in key industries over the last 75 years like plastics and composites. Advancements in plastic and composite assemblies have driven advancements in key arenas such as aerospace, automotive, medical,
See how the use of exotic materials, plastics and high-stress parts made threaded inserts a vital partner in the Appliance Industry As we move further into the 2020s, every household appliance seems to get more and more complicated. However, one thing remains the same: the need for seemingly simple,
Here at CFI, we’ve been working with components of all kinds for over three decades, including threaded inserts. Typically, inserts are made from brass, due to the material’s versatility thanks to its position in the material science Goldilocks zone of relative strength, cost, corrosion resistance, machinability, thermal conductivity, and lack
In our previous blog, we covered the basics of threaded inserts and more specifically, brass inserts. However, we only touched upon their use in injection molding applications. As we said in our previous blog, injection molding goes hand-in-hand with brass inserts because inserts offer a strengthened connection between plastics and
In a world filled with next-generation materials, is there still room for the threaded insert? Even in non-electrified vehicles, weight has grown as safety protocols demand more safety systems. According to NADA, the average weight of a new vehicle sold in the US in 2022 was 4,329 pounds – 1,000
Selecting the Optimal Threaded Insert Seating Method for Industrial Applications If your plastic or composite assemblies require more strength, heat-set and ultrasonic inserts may be the answer. Heat-Set and Ultrasonic Inserts offer and require more pull-out strength than even traditional press-in inserts. Both of these inserts find their strength by
Why traditional fastener designs may not work Over the last two decades – especially with the advent of heavy batteries in the automotive industry – the race for lightweight and high-performance composite assemblies has taken center stage. These assemblies, typically made from composites like carbon fiber and CFRP have become
Fastener selection plays a vital role in determining long-term part integrity, assembly repeatability, and structural performance. Among the most widely used fastening methods for thermoplastics are heat set inserts and ultrasonic inserts. Both methods deliver durable, threaded metal connections, but they differ in how they interact with molded materials and
