Fasteners can easily be overlooked in the design process. However, evaluating these components and their application during the conceptual and R&D stages can make a profound impact in your project’s long-term success.

According to Würth Industry North America, including engineering experts early on and during the design and development phase, can increase your ability to deliver a product or application at the lowest cost and with maximum reliability and quality. Würth has been supplying OEMs with fasteners since founding in 1945.

The proper design and selection of fasteners can:

• Reduce product and assembly costs
• Drive down the piece price costs of components
• Eliminate expensive manual operations, such as applying thread-locker or tapping.
• Eliminate future downtime or product redesigns

The following figure outlines the cost impact of making changes throughout the production cycle:

Read about one case study here, where Würth engineers suggested a type of fasteners for a customer that met both the requirements of the material and the application — and they have since performed successfully for several years. In fact, the multi-angle, single-lead thread design screw that was recommended prevented material cracking and screw back-out.

Involving fastener engineers at the design phase can prevent costly failures and save. Just be sure to select an engineering team that follows non-disclosure protocols and proprietary restrictions, and that has experience in the industry.