Fasteners are often overlooked in the world of proactive and precision maintenance.
Fasteners are often overlooked in the world of proactive and precision maintenance. Few maintainers have received even basic training on fasteners and how they function. There are a lot of misconceptions about how fasteners actually achieve the required clamping force, through the material elasticity in the threads, with which to hold equipment together, the effectiveness of lock-washers, the roll of lubricants, etc. And, sadly, torque wrenches are a rare sight in the maintainer’s tool box. Here are some common mistakes seen on the plant floor related to fastener management: