How to Heat Treat Fasteners

Those who work in the aerospace and aviation industries know better than anyone how important it is to have everything, every piece from the enormous fuselage to the smallest nuts and bolts, be perfect. When it comes to getting massive hunks of metal weighing in the tons to be airborne and fly, every little detail needs to be calculated and accounted for. So, even aviation industrial fasteners, like other metal items and components, are often heat-treated in order to achieve the “perfect” level of rigidity, smoothness, malleability, or strength.

Heat-treating, or annealing, may seem like a simple process, but it actually involves a lot of consideration. Fastener distributors need to think about the chemistry of the elements, cleaning and drying the parts properly, and making sure that the functional shape of the fastener is not damaged or altered in any way, to name a few. When heat-treating a fastener, the chemistry needs to be noted because even something as simple as an excess of 0.003% of Boron used in the process can result in significantly reduced strength.

Failing to clean and dry the fastener properly can also have disastrous effects as contaminants and dirt can lead to corrosion and degradation of a fastener that would otherwise have a longer life. Damaging the threads of a fastener during the handling stage of heat-treating can also similarly disastrous results. When the tread is flawed, the fastener may end up with gaps or damaging the other components it is attached to. There are a lot of little details that need to be considered when heat-treating a fastener.

Fortunately, you don’t need to be an expert on heat-treating fasteners yourself. Instead, you can contact us at NSN Fulfillment and have us do all the worrying. NSN Fulfillment, owned and operated by ASAP Semiconductor, should always be your first and only choice for your aircraft fastener and aircraft component needs. We are a premier supplier of aviation parts and we can help you find any aircraft fasteners, even the hard-to-find and obsolete.

With our knowledgeable staff, massive inventory, strict quality assurance, and 24/7 service, we are always ready to help you find all the aviation parts you need. If you’re interested in obtaining a quote for an aircraft fastener or other aircraft components, feel free to email us at sales@nsnfulfillment.com or call us at +1-714-705-4780.