Online Learning Library

Did you know there are at least 10 different types of strength tests relating to fasteners? Fastener Specifications and Test Reports are loaded with technical terms that you must understand to make the fastener and to know if it was properly made. This webinar explores the must-know terms - as well as some of the most misused and misunderstood - Fastener Testing Terminology. We also look how to know when a particular test is required, when it is optional, and when it just not practical or possible. And how do we know how to conduct these tests anyway? You will learn how to read and understand the laboratory test reports for the fastener product that you buy, use and sell. You will learn how to tell kips from ksi from psi from MPa, and HRC from HRB from HB from HRN from HRN from HV.  This is a technical webinar, but the content is appropriate for all levels of experience. Anyone involved in the sales, purchasing, inspection, testing, quality assurance or engineering specification of fasteners should attend. Fastener Testing Terminology is presented by Carmen Vertullo, owner and founder of Carver Labs. Read more

There is a lot of risk involved with gasketed joints. The proper selection and installation of the fasteners is essential to controlling that risk. This webinar will help solve and prevent one of the costliest bolting errors ever. Leaks and joint failures in pipes, valves and tanks cost millions in lost product, pollution, clean-up costs, down time, repairs, fires, explosions, and even injury and death.  Gasketed joints are used in water infrastructure, refineries, food processing plants, all kinds of engines, aerospace, chemical and pharmaceutical operations and the oil and gas industry. These joints seal every imaginable kind of liquid and gas – water, steam, air, acids, sewage, alcohol, foods, fuels, reactor coolants, crude oil, natural gas, cryogenic fluids, and even beer and wine. You only get one chance to get a gasketed joint right; it takes training and proper bolting to ensure the job is done right the first time. While most bolting suppliers may not be gasket suppliers or experts in gasketed joints, they certainly bring value by having the necessary technical resources available to their customers. Who Should Attend This is a technical webinar but is appropriate for all positions and levels of experience in the fastener industry.The content is essential for suppliers and users of bolts in gasketed joints who wish to control the tremendous risk associated with this bolting application. Bolting suppliers are encouraged to invite infrastructure clients to view this webinar. There is some simple math, so have a calculator handy. Fastener for Gasketed Joints is presented by Carmen Vertullo, owner and founder of Carver Labs. Read more

In the 1967 movie The Graduate, the young 21-year-old protagonist Benjamin, receives some advice from his middle-aged neighbor, Mr. McGuire - “I just want to say one word to you - just one word - plastics - there is a great future in plastics.”  The producers of this movie had no idea just how prophetic these famous lines would become. Today, plastics have become a common part of everyday life and their use continues to accelerate and grow.  Thermoplastics, however, are a unique breed of materials and behave differently than many of the materials traditionally utilized by manufacturers and designers. This means we must evolve our understanding of how we use and apply these materials. Perhaps no discussion on this subject is more important than understanding how to fasten and connect these materials. Upon completion of this webinar, participants should have a fundamental understanding of thread forming into plastics, what constitutes best practice, and why some screw designs are better suited for these applications than others. Fastening into Plastics is presented by Laurence Claus, director of education and training for Industrial Fasteners Institute.  Thank you to Semblex for sponsoring this webinar. Read more

This 90-minute webinar presented by John Metcalf of Peak Innovations Engineering, is appropriate for all skill levels. Knowing how to handle customer rejections is an important skill to learn to make the best of a difficult situation – and be better for next time. Relationships matter.  Read more

Hardness is an essential property of all engineering materials – especially metals. Fasteners made of metal derive their mechanical properties from processing that is designed to change their condition. Sometimes it’s by heat treatment and sometimes it’s by cold working. But no matter how the fastener arrives in its final condition, the way we know it is there is through examining it for hardness. Understanding hardness in fasteners is the key to understanding strength and performance. This webinar will help inform you on all aspects of hardness as it relates to fasteners. Hardness Testing for Fasteners is presented by Carmen Vertullo and Rob LaPointe.  Read more

There is no quality assurance problem that gets suppliers in more trouble than Hydrogen Embrittlement (HE). This could easily be the most important training your company EVER engages. Even if you do not process fasteners that are HE susceptible, you probably sell them or handle them somewhere in the supply chain, so it is critical to have a good understanding of Hydrogen Embrittlement, its causes, its effects and how to prevent and detect it. Hydrogen Embrittlement is presented by Carmen Vertullo, owner and founder of Carver Labs. Read more