One of the most important factors in the successful deployment of construction fasteners is understanding how they have been designed to work and which installation techniques are required.
But with the vast number of systems and products available in today’s building envelope market, combined with numerous different fastening systems, even the most experienced roofing and façade installers say they sometimes find it difficult to know how to achieve the best installation results.
Installation best practice is, therefore, a crucial aspect of construction that can be the difference between a problematic, inefficient building and a first class, highly sustainable one. This is not something that usually grabs the limelight when industry leaders talk about raising standards, but for EJOT UK it is absolutely a focus for the team within its Applitec Centre, with its Technical Services Team Leader Stephen Holl taking the lead.
Stephen says: “It is really important that installers – and specifiers – have easy access to the recommendations of fastener manufacturers. And, in the case of EJOT, our recommendations include best practice.
“This is why we’ve invested a lot of time developing the resources, including technical literature, animations and videos, to help customers, as well as providing the most suitable tools and accessories, such as our VACUtest seal testers and nosepieces for use with self-drilling fasteners.”
Developing solutions to tomorrow's fastener challenges
EJOT UK’s Applitec Centre is equipped with technology and equipment that enables the technical team to research, develop and test fastening approaches to meet the needs of materials on the horizon, as well as those already being used within the building envelope sector as Stephen explains.
He continues: “Products change, particularly in respect of material thicknesses, and that means fastening techniques will need to respond accordingly. This is why it is important for our Applitec Team to stay ahead of the curve and help customers maintain high standards, both reactively and proactively.
“One of the key trends in construction that’s driving change is lightweighting. Materials are getting thinner and purlins are even becoming lighter too. That means the yield of the steel may go down too, and this can create challenges that building envelope designers and installers haven’t previously experienced.
“We therefore have to develop fastening concepts and designs to make sure they work with thinner materials.”
Filling the void by providing effective checking procedures
Another dimension to the Applitec team’s work is to help customers implement processes for checking the quality of their installations. This, Stephen believes, is more important than ever given how the UK construction industry has changed in recent years.
Stephen explains: “Many forward-thinking installers are putting their own best practice checks in place and that is something we can help with. Our advice is to check at the beginning of the project, randomly throughout the job and at the end, and record the results. On completion you can then answer the question of ‘how do you know your entire roof is installed correctly?’ with confidence.”
Helping installers respond to change
EJOT UK’s team is also focused on helping the construction industry support the younger generation of installers, who will find the newer materials and systems to be the norm during their careers, as well as ensuring the valuable knowledge and skills of more experienced installers is retained within the sector.
Stephen adds: “The transfer of knowledge from the more experienced to novices needs to be carefully balanced with new ideas, processes and ways of working with new materials. Training and support from industry bodies like the NFRC, SPRA and MCRMA is obviously helping here, but we have a responsibility too.
“A typical example would be the use of impact drivers to install self-drilling fasteners. These fasteners are technical products that need to be installed at the correct speed using a professional screw gun, equipped with a clutch mechanism. EJOT and other industry OEMs are highlighting such issues and supporting installers to work responsibly.
Going above and beyond
The complexity of fastening for the building envelope means that the technical team’s work goes way beyond the design and application of the fastener. They have to take time to understand the entire system of which the fastener plays a key role.
Stephen adds: “We receive all kinds of enquiries to our technical helpdesk. For example, there are instances where the designer, architect or structural engineer has had to re-assess the number of purlins required. Site conditions may also come into play, of course. And if the purlins are out of line, that could be causing a problem relating to fixing. Although none of these are strictly fastener problems, we will do everything we can do to help.
“The good thing about being a manufacturer is that we’ve got manufacturing knowledge – we know about the materials used, the way they are manufactured and how they interact with the system or assembly. We work closely with the EJOT team in Germany and visit our colleagues in Bad Laasphe regularly.
“We can help OEMs if they need any testing for their products, such as to confirm performance figures. There are numerous different types of testing we can do including tensile testing, pullover testing and installation testing.
“There is a huge number of fasteners within the EJOT portfolio which can be drawn upon when needed. And with many of our OEM customers, we have a close relationship where they consult with us first when they are considering making changes, particularly with systems.”
Sharing the knowledge
A final area of Stephen’s work is internal team training. That means colleagues from every department within EJOT UK’s manufacturing and distribution facility, must spend time in the Applitec laboratory learning the technical principles behind the EJOT products.
Stephen explains: “When the company invested into Applitec’s laboratory, it effectively created an academic learning centre too. We have a fully operational roof rig which is ideal for all internal staff to come in and understand how our products perform and what it feels like to install them. It’s an informal process that everyone seems to enjoy!”
