Good Innovation Doesn't Come Easy
Mar 25, 2014
Our customers often come to us with a request. Usually it’s to make a fastener different, better, or cheaper. We try to oblige, even if it costs us.
Unfortunately, granting our customers’ requests never goes smoothly. We talk about it, look on the internet, and ask those who think they know. Often, the advice we get sounds easy, so we try it. It turns out to be sort of like golfing when your swing only produces slices. We wreck things, break things, order wrong parts, then fix the things we broke, waste time and money. It’s not that much fun and we almost always end up having to “figure it out ourselves.” But, once we’ve cycled through a full season of exasperation, sleepless nights, and finally prayer, we usually find a new innovation that works.
We’ve developed a few products and services recently which are through “exasperation,” and into the “perfection” stage. If you have a request, please let us know. This is what causes us to innovate new products and make us both better.
Key-Rex Nut- Our patented Key-Rex fastener is now available in a nut. The time to make each one has dropped from 5 minutes to 30 seconds. We're now working on automating them.
Keys Made Out of a Shock Steel- They have a 20% higher breakage torque, but we need to formalize the heat treat process. Here, Rodger is checking the Rockwell after heat treating. The Rockwell has to be just right. Too high, the keys turn brittle, but too low, they cam-out.
Heat Treating Our Fasteners so They Are “Lock Hard”- We can do it in our small furnaces…but we need a bigger one with a bullet proof quench. We bought the furnace and now have to put it on line.
Our Own Coating Line- Before we coat the fasteners, the parts have to be cleaned. New cleaning equipment and cleaners are in the works.