WCA May 2022

Products

Swedish specialist fastener maker Bumax has supplied premium stainless steel fasteners to a pilot hydropower project in France, verifying that the fasteners suffered no corrosion, wear or galling after two years of operation in extreme conditions. The Bumax premium stainless steel fastener solution was verified by the two year pilot project, which contributed to the development of the next-generation tidal turbine. “This is extremely encouraging for the future of sustainable renewable energy solutions since wear and tear and maintenance are major challenges for power plants in extreme conditions like choppy and salty waters with strong currents,” said Lars Holm, managing director of Bumax. “Europe also needs to develop new sources of reliable renewable energy, which this project will lead to.” Bumax 88 fasteners were used on the 1 MW HydroQuest tidal turbine installed off the coast of Brittany in northwest France. After more than two years of operation at the Paimpol-Bréhat site at 30m depth, the turbine fasteners showed no traces of corrosion or galling. Tests of the mechanical properties (both strength and ductility) of the bolts conducted by Bumax after the pilot project showed that they had maintained their properties. Raphaël Coquet, project director at HydroQuest, said, “No issues were found related to bolting during this project, and our team didn’t have any issues with galling during disassembly. These lessons give us positive learnings for the long term deployments, and we are confident to manufacture our future turbines with Bumax bolts.” Cable glands and cable clamps Berardi Fasteners has begun a partnership with a German producer of cable glands. The products are all manufactured with modern injection moulding and multi spindle CNC machines, ensuring quality. cable glands is accurately checked with a digital comparator, regularly tested in Dimensional conformity of

Photo credit: www.berardi-screws-bolts.com

Cable glands in a range of materials

and post-sales assistance for standard cable glands, cable clamps and special items. Berardi Bullonerie Srl www.berardi-screws-bolts.com

a controlled-temperature lab. The main types of cable gland produced include nickel-plated brass, PA66 plastic, stainless steel and ATEX-compliant materials.

Berardi’s technical office guarantees pre-

Bumax contributes to next generation of tidal turbines

The Bumax 88 grade was se- lected for its high molyb- denum content and high pitting resistance equivalent number (PREN), which indi- cates a high resistance to localised pitting corrosion. The 316L grade stainless steel is well established in demanding

HydroQuest is developing new tidal turbines, using Bumax fasteners

over a lifespan of 20 years. In addition to durability, the fasteners had to be easy to install. HydroQuest is using the knowledge gained from the pilot to design the next generation of tidal turbine, which will also use Bumax 88 bolts. Bumax www.bumax-fasteners.com When used with Camo Universal Deck Clips, the ClipDrive is a fast, easy and comfortable way to fasten leading grooved decking. After securing the first board with Camo Starter Clips, a field of deck boards and Camo Clips are set in place. Camo offers Edge Clips to fasten deck boards in a 90° pattern, Edgex Clips to install at any angle deck pattern, and Edgexmetal Clips for 14-18 gauge metal frames. The clips do not require partial installation, staying in place on the joist or the groove of the board. For the most efficient installation, two to four Camo Lever tools can be added to the job to lock in the field of boards and clips. Camo Fasteners www.camofasteners.com

marine applications that require durable and maintenance-free fastener solutions. The tidal turbine prototype was designed by HydroQuest, a French turbine technology developer of vertical axis turbines. The Paimpol-Bréhat site is owned and operated by the energy company EDF. The project partners wanted a maintenance-free fastener solution for tidal turbines to minimise operation costs

Stand-up fastening innovation Camo has introduced the next generation of stand-up fastening with the ClipDrive™. Designed for fastening Camo Universal Deck Clips, the ergonomic, lightweight tool attaches to any drill and allows the user to stand comfortably while fastening any type of grooved deck board.

“We’ve been working closely with contractors to get a deep understanding of their everyday job-site challenges,” said Doug Hutchings, vice president of product development at National Nail. “Building on existing Camo innovation, the Camo ClipDrive answers the call for a better way to install grooved deck boards.” The ClipDrive features a height-adjustable handle and weighted nose, so the tool can be quickly swung from joist to joist and the exposed screw head easily targeted.

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May 2022