Industrial Fasteners for Agricultural Machinery

Many industries are undergoing significant change, and the agricultural machinery industry is no exception.  

The agricultural machinery industry has seen unprecedented demand for its products over the last couple of years. Worldwide labour shortages and increasing requirements for food have led to a surge in popularity of mechanised agricultural processes, creating significant market opportunities for agricultural machinery manufacturers. This is also evidenced by the significant amount ‘AgriTech’ startups over the past year. 

Alongside this, manufacturers are increasingly investing in smart technologies and advanced agricultural robotics, including automised drones and seeding and spraying robots. Plus, like many other industries, they’re also forging ahead with zero-emissions technologies, like electric and hydrogen fuelled tractors, in an effort to reduce the sector’s considerable emissions. 

To meet this demand, then, it’s crucial agricultural machinery manufacturers optimise their products for use, down to the smallest of parts. Industrial fasteners may be some of the smallest parts in an agricultural machine, but they can often be the most impactful – they quite literally hold a product together. Plus, industrial fasteners may only be 1% of a project’s budget, but they can make up 50% of a product’s parts. 

Many agricultural machines require standard industrial fasteners, but these parts still need to be optimised for use. However, with the rise of zero-emissions technology and robotics, increasing numbers of agricultural machinery manufacturers require engineered industrial fasteners. 

In any case, industrial fasteners for agricultural machinery need to meet high tolerance demands, and if these parts aren’t made a priority, they can loosen in their application, or worse, break. This can then lead to product downtime or maintenance, which can lead to warranty claims, reworks and damaged business reputations. 

Not only do industrial fasteners for agricultural machinery need to withstand considerable weight, but they also need to be resistant to vibration, thermal expansion, and harsh fertilisers and chemicals to avoid erosion. 

Agricultural machinery manufacturers working with zero-emissions technologies are more likely to require engineered industrial fasteners. Heavier parts can heavily deplete battery performance. As aforementioned, industrial fasteners can make up a significant number of a product’s parts, and changing the geometry of a fastener can reduce a product’s overall weight by as much as 35%. A 10% reduction in vehicle weight, crucial for hydrogen-electric machines, can result in a 6-8% improvement in fuel economy, so reassessing the size, structure and material of these small parts can have an overwhelming impact on battery and machine performance. 

At Optimas, we’re experts in supplying industrial fasteners for the agricultural machinery industry. Previously, Optimas partnered with a compact tractor manufacturer, who had been receiving multiple warranty claims due to a failing joint. Our engineers worked to find out the root cause of the product’s failure, leading to a complete redesign of the part and change of coating to optimise it for use. Not only did the manufacturer cease to receive warranty claims, but two separate part numbers could be removed from the tractor’s Bill of Materials (BoM), increasing production efficiency and consolidating their supply chain. 

Alongside delivering bespoke engineering solutions for our customers, we also produce and distribute a range of standard parts in a wide variety of materials. Here are just a few examples: 

• Shear Bolts 
• Hex Flange Screws 
• Locking Nuts 

Whether you need standard or engineered fastening solutions, our engineering and industry expertise combined with our partnership approach can optimise your product’s performance. Contact us to maximise your product output.