Fastener Finish Considerations: Deciding on Platings and Coatings
A fastener’s finish or coating is just as important as the fastener’s design when you want the fastener to last for the life of your product. When you are trying to decide on the correct finish consider these factors: safety, corrosion protection, resistance to damage from handling, criticality of the joint, functionality, cost and availability.
Safety. An improperly applied fastener finish may make the fastener fail. A common failure point that can be introduced by finish is hydrogen embrittlement. Hydrogen embrittlement reduces ductility and load-bearing because the metal absorbs too much hydrogen during the plating process. Choosing a dip-spin coating or Bossard’s ecosyn® tribological dry coating over using an electroplated finish can
alleviate this risk.