Monday 3rd Aug 2026
Designing Fasteners for Faster, Smarter Manufacturing
By the time production begins, many of the biggest manufacturing decisions have already been made.
Material selection, component geometry, tolerances and joining methods all influence how efficiently a product can be built. Yet one area is frequently overlooked during design reviews: the fastener itself.
Fasteners are often treated as standard catalogue items selected towards the end of a project. In reality, they influence assembly speed, automation, product quality and long-term reliability. Involving fastening specialists early in the design process can simplify manufacturing long before the first production run begins.
Manufacturing Starts on the Drawing Board
Manufacturing efficiency doesn't begin on the production line.
It begins when engineers create the first drawings.
Every design choice affects how easily a product can be manufactured, assembled and inspected. A fastening solution that looks suitable on paper may introduce unnecessary operations once production starts.
Designing for Automation
As manufacturers continue investing in automation, fastening methods need to support repeatable, high-speed assembly.
Not every fastener performs equally well within automated production.
Well-designed fastening solutions help manufacturers achieve:
- - Reliable automated feeding
- - Consistent installation quality
- - Reduced handling
- - Shorter cycle times
- - Lower variation between assemblies
Self-piercing rivets (SPR), for example, allow materials to be joined without pre-drilling, making them particularly suitable for automated production environments where speed and consistency are priorities.
Rather than adapting automation around a fastening method, manufacturers increasingly select fasteners that complement automated processes from the outset.
Simplifying Product Design
Sometimes the best engineering improvement is reducing the number of individual components.
Custom cold-formed fasteners can incorporate features that would otherwise require several separate parts.
Depending on the application, this may allow engineers to eliminate washers or spacers, reduce the number of assembly operations, improve component alignment, simplify inventory management, and improve repeatability during assembly.
Cold forming also produces excellent dimensional consistency, making it particularly suitable for high-volume manufacturing where repeatability is essential.
Selecting Compatible Materials
Fastener performance depends not only on strength but also on material compatibility. Choosing appropriate materials and surface finishes helps minimise galvanic corrosion, premature wear, fatigue cracking and joint loosening.
Considering these factors during design improves long-term reliability while reducing maintenance requirements throughout the product's service life.
Building Better Products Through Better Fastener Design
Fasteners should be viewed as engineered components rather than standard commodities.
The right fastening solution can improve manufacturability, simplify automation, enhance product quality and support long-term reliability.
At Clevedon Fasteners, engineering support begins long before production starts. By working alongside design and manufacturing teams during product development, fastening solutions can be selected or designed to suit the application, the production process and the finished product.