Fabricators who are switching PVCu profile systems, either as a forced change or through choice, must ensure the fasteners they use every day in window and door assembly are suitable for the new systems being introduced. That’s the message from Rapierstar, the largest specialist fastener supplier the UK and Irish window and door industry, who work with fabricators to ensure their suite of window screws is optimised to enable them to deliver high quality finished products in a safe, efficient factory environment.
As part of our support to the industry, the Rapierstar team advises on which fasteners to use in all areas of PVCu window and door manufacturing, from attaching door hinges on outerframes and casement friction stay screws to frame coupling and mechanical jointing. Our technical guidance is particularly beneficial to fabricators when they are switching to a new and often unfamiliar profile, as it cannot be assumed the screws that worked well on their previous systems will be equally effective on the new one.
Andy Holland, Technical and Marketing Manager at Rapierstar says: “It is easy to think the same screws will work across different PVCu profile systems, but this is often not the case. Achieving the high standards you’ve set yourself when manufacturing with a new profile may require screws in certain areas of assembly to be a different length, diameter or head form – or even a completely different type of fastener.
“Changing a few types of screws may seem like a very minor change, and one that could perhaps be regarded as a relatively low priority when you have an extensive list of things to consider when going through the process of switching profile. But, as we’ve seen in our work with numerous fabricators over the past three decades, reviewing which fasteners are needed and making changes before you go into production using a new profile can make a huge difference to factory productivity, operative safety and quality.”
Rapierstar’s team of technical consultants can provide fabricators with specialist guidance which can pay dividends thanks to their decades of experience and the company’s new technical centre at our HQ and distribution centre in Cheshire. This facility is equipped with state of the art technology where testing can be conducted using different profile and hardware combinations in order to demonstrate the improvements possible by changing from one screw to another.
A comprehensive review of fastener use is also provided to PVCu window and door manufacturers through Rapierstar’s fastener health check service. This is a complete audit of the fasteners used throughout assembly for all window and door styles, as well as how workstations and stock management systems are set up, on which the team can make recommendations for improvements and even reduce the number of different products needed through fastener rationalisation.
Fabricators can also access guidance through Rapierstar’s Recommended Fixings Manuals (RFMs) which are produced for all the main PVCu systems, including Eurocell, VEKA, Liniar and Deceuninck. These detailed technical documents which show the correct screws to use for specific systems are available free to download.
If you would like any assistance when switching to a new PVCu profile system, please contact us.
