Industrial fasteners are the little items that help keep machinery, equipment, parts and more secured and working properly. Industrial fasteners include items like screws, nuts, bolts and specialty fasteners — all of which are designed to keep specific types of industrial materials firmly in place. Whether you need to connect machine parts or secure the bearings and gears inside an automobile transmission, industrial fasteners can help you get the job done.
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done
Learn the nuts and bolts about industrial fasteners
Screws are good for solid materials, snap fasteners close and lock into place, and bolts are used to assemble parts by securing with a mating nut.
I recommend: GlobalSpec is an engineering search engine that explains how certain industrial fasteners are used and also provides links to hundreds of manufacturers of nuts, bolts and screws.
Atlantic Fasteners stocks more than 22,000 varieties of industrial fasteners, offers
online seminars to help you get the most out of industrial fasteners and provides a
chart that details how far nuts and bolts travel in one turn. At the
Industrial Fasteners Institute, you can search for suppliers by product category.
Investigate specialty fasteners
Specialty fasteners are available to meet industry-specific needs. For example, the types of bolts used by plumbers are different than the bolts used by someone constructing a commercial airplane.
I recommend: Cherry Aerospace sells a variety of industrial fasteners for use in the aerospace industry, including
shear pin fasteners and
blind bolts. Fasteners sold by
Scovill can be used in the electronics, marine and footwear industries. For self-clinching fasteners for industrial and electronics equipment, visit
Captive Fastener.
Compare bulk rates on screws and other industrial fasteners
Even if you know exactly how many screws and bolts it will take to complete your current project, it never hurts to have extras on hand for future emergencies.
I recommend: Bolt Depot sells bolts by the piece, box or in larger bulk and offers a host of
downloadable fastener tools and charts. Or, you can check out the
specials on fastener sets at
NutsandBolts.com.
Don't forget tools and accessories for industrial fasteners
Industrial fasteners are useless without the proper tools and accessories, such as screwdrivers and washers.
I recommend: At
S&J’s Discount Tools, you can find a variety of fastener tools, including this
1/4-inch ratchet buddy, which will help you take the slack out of bolts and nuts.
CPO is an authorized dealer of the Robert Bosch Tool Corporation and carries a wide range of screwdrivers, drills and other fastener tools. At
American Fasteners Technologies Corporation, you can find a huge selection of washers and industrial fasteners.