Global Automotive Drive Train Supplier Requires Specialized Subassembly Retainer

Axles, CV Joints, driveshafts and similar items are commonly assembled using various brackets and fasteners. To aid assembly and increase efficiency, various retaining methods have been used as pre-assembly retainers. Most of these are crude, but effective.

Beginning in the mid-1990s, bracket bolts were either unfinished or coated with a standard phosphate, threads were coated with nylon for locking and a drop of hot melt resin was applied to temporarily keep it all together for shipping. Since that time, surfaces have been upgraded to high level corrosion resistant finishes and the nylon threadlocking was replaced with adhesive.

In recent years, joint design has become more demanding and therefore requires a more elegant approach to achieving what was once simple. Also, the upgraded design of the system, not only needs a retainer to keep the parts assembled for shipping, but also to hold the bracket in place on the subassembly itself.

Tectorius was called upon by a global leader in drivetrain systems, requesting a new twist to a common concept. Adding the old-style retainer was no longer an option because in order to do so, the part had to be heated, destroying the adhesive threadlocker in the process.

Development of each new compound and product comes with their own special challenges; nothing that the Tectorius R&D team has not seen before. In this case, the end use, evaluation and testing were conducted abroad, compounded by a tight time frame, this project became tougher than most.

In the end, Tectorius Tec-Stay 528 met all the requirements of adhesion, flexibility, and durability without the need of induced heat, it works well with all of the other attributes of the joint system and is found in several auto and truck systems.

Learn more about Tec-Stay here.