It’s easy to assume that plating and coating options for fasteners are “set in stone.” But changes in regulations and standards requires ongoing attention, according to Laurence Claus, founder of NNi Training and Consulting.

“You need to make sure that something doesn’t get dropped in on you that causes surprise,” stated Claus, who has almost 25 years of experience working in the fastener and automotive part supplier industries.

For example, cadmium has been gone for 30 years and its never coming back, but cadmium replacement remains a hot topic, especially in the Defense industry.

Likewise, hex chrome was severely limited 15 years ago.

“It’s been proven to be dangerous to people and the environment,” Claus explained.

EU efforts to ban hex chrome in cars forced the U.S. to follow suit. And it’s possible that a future initiative will ban hex chrome use altogether, he explained.

“We continue to see improvements in chromates and other plating alternatives to address the loss.”

In general, no regulatory changes are imminent, Claus noted.

“Nothing really new to report, but none of these regulations are going away. They evolve over time.”

For example, RoHS – the Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive 2002/95/EC – has had several revisions since it was adopted in 2003.

“Keep these topics on your radar because things change. Every finished being applied to fasteners is a result of some standard, which can get revised.”

By design, industry standards are reviewed and often updated at least every five years. Examples include ASTM F1941/F1941M and ISO 4002, which have undergone significant changes in recent years.

“We will see a rebirth of the discussion about updating hydrogen embrittlement requirements,” Claus predicted.
There are also customer requirements that change, including accelerated corrosion testing, elimination of chrome products and the addition of new plating and coating standards or options.

“It’s really important that we chose platings and coatings based on solutions to the customer’s needs.”