NORTH AMERICAN NEWS 9th

IFI Standards edition includes changes in 49 of 99 fastener standards

It started with a phone call to the director of engineering technology at the Industrial Fasteners Institute. “I can find the information on NE style nylon lock nuts, but where do I find the information on NTE style lock nuts…” the caller asked Joe Greenslade.

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reenslade found the caller was correct. ASME B18.16.6 contained only information on one of the seven styles of nylon insert lock nuts. A revision of B18.16.6 was soon undertaken. The result was an expansion of the

standard to include all available styles of nylon insert and all- metal lock nuts and the replacement of IFI 100/107 in early 2014. The extensive revision of B18.16.6 is one example of changes in 49 of the 99 fastener standards in the upcoming 9th

edition of

the IFI’s Inch Fastener Standards. The new text will be published by July 2014. When Greenslade gets a technical question separately from

multiple users, it is a clue to a standards problem. From there it may take three or four years for the appropriate committees to find a resolution. Greenslade told GlobalFastenerNews.com that most of the changes in the 9th

edition was published in 2011. Just a decade ago, each new edition of the IFI’s Standards required three people and took years to compile and prepare for publication. Today’s technology enables small print runs, allowing more

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frequent updating without needing to scrap huge quantities of left over books as in the past. Now the master version is digitally updated perpetually. The 2014 Standards is ready to print except for a few impending

standards committee decisions, Greenslade said. It will cost US$345. The 9th

and the multi-user digital version. Greenslade uses the digital edition for his own searches.

“Information is so much easier to find; data to share with others by ‘snipping’,” he explains. Subscriptions to the online version IFI Technology Connection

edition are minor, “but significant enough to be

made.” For example, “the chemical requirements for SAE J429, grade 8, have been tweaked to align it with ISO 898-1 property class 10.9 materials so producers can make both inch and metric fasteners from the same materials, simplifying producers raw material inventories,” he explained. The IFI used to update the Standards every decade or so.

However, changes in technology mean both more changes in fasteners, and being easier to update the text. The 1,146 page

are accelerating and Greenslade predicts that by 2020 the IFI book will only be available as a digital edition. The Technology Connection has both inch and metric fastener standards online in one location. “Users find all relevant information on a given fastener in seconds using pull down menus, in addition to having many other technical tools and resources available,” Greenslade explained. Standards data is updated immediately and thus provides the users with the latest information.

www.indfast.org Titanium fastener producer relocates

Fastener manufacturer Allied Titanium Inc has moved its western headquarters to Sequim, WA. Founded in 2007, Allied Titanium is headquartered in Delaware with manufacturing facilities in China. The company offers over 93,000 different products.

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hristopher Greimes, CEO of Allied Titanium, stated: "One of the big benefits of locating in Sequim is that the city is on the forefront of sustainability. Titanium is the ultimate green material and we felt we would

fit right in, building a state of the art factory in harmony with the Earth.”

In 2012, Allied Titanium leased a 20 acre farm in Sequim to use as a staging area for the future establishment of the operation. It moved accounting, upper management and shipping and receiving to the property. In December 2013, Allied Titanium purchased 5.5 acres at 1400 E, Washington Street in Sequim. Since then the company has moved its sales team and is in the process of moving shipping and receiving, as well as setting up the fabrication shop, which will support the construction and maintenance of a new factory at that location. Greimes said his company settled on Sequim for many reasons, including: Affordable electrical capacity; high internet

speed; employable workforce; great education system; clean water and the reuse water available for industrial use; low crime; affordable land and cost of living; and close proximity to a port.

Allied Titanium plans to manufacture products in Sequim that meet or beat the current costs of manufacturing in China. The factory will use cutting edge technology and robotics and employ between 50 to 150 workers. Marine products will be fabricated using high-speed robotic water jet machines and wire-fed tig welders. Grade 5 titanium fasteners can be produced at high-speed on automatic machines. Until recently the use of titanium was limited due to the

expense of materials and the high cost of refining. As steel prices rise and smelting technology advances, titanium becomes a more affordable option for the military and marine and aerospace industries. "Operating our facility in China opened our eyes to the positive impact that affordable titanium is having on China," Greimes said.

Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 88 July 2014 edition will again be available in both the printed