The bolt is used everywhere in modern construction and manufacturing.
The first threaded bolts are believed to date back to the 15th century when they were used in a printing press invented by Johann Gutenberg. The principle is unchanged but major improvements have come with new technologies such as Teflon coating.
Want to know which types of bolts you should use to get the job done? Click here to nail down the best types of bolts.
The Best Types of Bolts
The range of different types and size of bolts is huge. They come in many different materials and have different thread pitches or counts. Bolts are designed for a specific application and so the right bolt depends on the application.
Selecting the best bolt for your application can come down to the bolt’s coating. A PTFE coating, better known as Teflon coating can make the difference between an average bolt and the best bolt for the job.
Teflon coating on frying pans is famous for making them non-stick. This and other properties make Teflon coated bolts seriously worth considering for your construction or manufacturing application.
Life
How long a bolt lasts is dependent on the environment and application. A bolt can be stressed by forces on the bolt, by weather conditions or other conditions.
A Teflon coating increases the protection of the fastener and so increases its lifespan.
Easy
The Teflon surface you find on a non-stick pan is slick. The non-stick quality means that food, even burnt food slips off the surface. It’s this quality that makes a Teflon coated bolt so easy to work with.
The low friction surface slides against other surfaces easily and smoothly. This reduces the force or torque required to fasten the bolt. Just as useful, a Teflon coated bolt is easier to loosen too.
The easy, low friction fastening and loosening of these bolts reduce the effort you need to use to work with them. Whether you use power tools or a manual wrench, that can make a day working with fasteners a lot easier.
Safer
Straining and heaving at a bolt can be dangerous work. Using a power tool on a seized-up bolt can lead to accidents too.
A wrench can slip causing grazed knuckles. A power tool can twist or slide and cause much worse damage.
Because a Teflon coated bolt tends to be easier to fasten and loosen there is less likely to be an accident working with them.
Temperature Tolerance
Teflon is used for cooking equipment so we all know that it can handle high temperatures. Frying pans and ovenware benefit from this feature.
Temperature tolerance may not be a requirement of all applications for bolts. When it is, are the bolts you currently use the best for the job?
Teflon coating can handle temperatures as low as minus 454 and as high as 600 degrees Fahrenheit for short periods. It can handle up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit for longer periods.
Strength
A basic requirement of a bolt is that it stays in place until or unless it is loosened. Teflon shows a measurable improvement in bolt strength. But there is more to carrying a load than the tensile strength of a bolt.
Self-loosening of a bolt when it is carrying a load is also a risk to the strength of a fastening. This effect can lead to damage to the thread, the bolt and ultimately to a failure of the fastening. Fatigue and self-loosening are the most common forms of failure in threaded fasteners.
Tests on Teflon coated fasteners show that they are less likely to self-loosen. The coating has an anti-loosening effect. Where the strength of the fastening is important or where there is more risk of self-loosening, Teflon coated bolts are the best solution.
Repels Chemicals
Some applications expose bolts to chemicals. These chemicals can have corrosive effects on metal. Acids are especially damaging to metals and can lead to damage to the integrity of the fastening.
Teflon is resistant to many chemicals outperforming stainless steel easily. There are few more resistant materials available. It even has excellent resistance to hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid which are damaging to stainless steel.
Corrosion resistance
Oxidation or corrosion is common in steel construction. Rusting metal components are weakened and are also difficult to maintain. Resistance to rusting is a very useful feature to have in a bolt.
Teflon coated fasteners are excellent at resisting rust. When a steel bolt would be ruined by rust a Teflon coated bolt can continue working well for much longer. This keeps the fastening stronger and more effective throughout its life.
A rust-free bolt is a more reliable bolt. It is less likely to shear or come loose and so is safer and more reliable. Where a steel bolt might literally crumble away a Teflon coated bolt will keep its integrity and strength.
Non-Stick
Being able to fasten a bolt may be the most obvious feature a bolt needs but loosening a bolt can also be very important. Whether it’s for maintenance or some other purpose being able to disassemble components may be important to you. This is when a non-stick coating comes into its own.
The non-stick quality of Teflon makes loosening a coated bolt much easier than a conventional bolt. Teflon achieves this in two ways.
Firstly, the main cause of bolts sticking is corrosion. Because Teflon is resistant to corrosion coated bolts don’t seize-up. Teflon coating also reduces friction and so just as an egg slides off a non-stick pan so a bolt slides out of its nut.
Electrical Insulation
If it’s important for your application that the bolts don’t conduct electricity a Teflon coated bolt may be the best for you. Teflon acts as an insulator inhibiting the flow of electricity.
Best Value
The best bolts for your application may not be the cheapest. The best value may be found by specifying the most durable, easy to use and safest types of bolts.
Find out more about why you need Teflon coating.