New Thread Locking & Sealing Division Announced in U.K.
The Electrolytic Plating Company Ltd (EPC), the sole UK licensee of the TUFLOK® NYLOK® BLUE® NYLON TORQ-PATCH®, has recently established a new Thread Locking & Sealing division. Deputy Editor Claire Edwards visited Aldridge, UK, to see how the new facility is enabling EPC to deliver an end-to-end full service for its customers.
Formed in 1896, EPC is an established barrel plating and surface coating company that offers a number of processes—including zinc flake coating, zinc alloy plating and zinc plating (zinklad licensed). It is also a licensed applicator of Dörken, Magni and Atotech systems and specialises in meeting OEM and global specifications. EPC was awarded the license for the TUFLOK® NYLOK® BLUE® NYLON TORQ-PATCH® in 2014, which is compliant with IFI, DIN and major OEM specifications including IFI-524.
“We drew on our extensive experience to establish the new division in order to grow to meet our customers’ requirements for a coatings and patches package—they both go hand in hand,” explains Andrew Dawson, operations manager at EPC. “Even though ultimately the distributor is our customer, we have an extensive knowledge spanning over 100 years, which allows us to deliver effective communication and expert technical support to end users across all key industries—particularly at the design stage.”
Operational since January this year, the new division encompasses a modern office environment and an on-site testing facility. The new site also houses a number of state of the art NYLOK licensed processing machines and equipment, with the capabilities to apply TUFLOK 180° (standard) or 360° (optional) radial coverage to a wide range of screws from M1.6 to M30.
TUFLOK—often referred to as the ‘blue patch’—is a cost-effective self-locking element comprised of nylon permanently bonded onto the threads of a fastener. When engaged, it creates a wedge between the fastener and mating part compressing the nylon—creating metal to metal contact opposite the blue patch. This metal to metal contact results in a positive resistance to vibration and loosening. EPC points out that since nylon has great memory characteristics, this locking element can be reused several times—ensuring a quality, cost saving solution.