The growing importance of electrification in all products highlights the need for consistent, reliable circuits. Interrupted circuits are not only frustrating for customers, interruptions can damage the system or lead to safety hazards - generating costly warranty repairs and potentially harming the brand’s reputation.
Add to this the labor-intensive process of fabricating the all-important grounding studs required in these systems. Threaded studs require surface and hole prep to allow conductivity. And when welding studs, surfaces need to be cleaned prior to welding and again after, adding to the cost and time required for fabrication - and that's assuming the manufacturer can hire enough qualified welders to keep up with the demand.
These are challenges everyone has faced for quite some time. And the more we add options like GPS and self-driving or move to hybrid or electric power generation, the more these challenges rear their heads.
Maximize Productivity with Consistent, Repeatable Fastening
Photograph of a Class 8 truck on an empty highway at sunset, from Shutterstock
Huck has long been a trusted partner when it comes to engineered joints in industrial applications. Huck fasteners provide consistent, maintenance-free joining in applications ranging from Class 8 truck frames to solar panels to rail track. And every one of these applications provides a case study in how an engineered fastener solved a joining problem, cleared a production bottleneck, or addressed a labor shortage.
Though grounding isn’t a classical joining situation – a stud isn’t trying to securely fasten two pieces of metal together – it does pose many of the same challenges as fastening did in commercial transportation. Manufacturers are asking questions that sound very familiar:
- How do I fabricate a ground that doesn’t vibrate loose?
- How do I reduce the labor cost of cleaning paint off the frame?
- How do I address my shortage of skilled welders?
- How can I create a ground without weakening the surrounding material?
- How can I increase production throughput in my existing location, with my existing workforce?
There are other challenges to grounding beyond securing the ground, and these are equally important. But solving one half of the problem – and it was a big half – was what led manufacturers to Huck® in the first place.
Create Vibration-Resistant Connections That Never Need Re-Tightening
To understand how the Huck® Grounding Stud fastens securely to a frame or structure, it is necessary to understand how Huckbolts® work.
Two-piece Huck® fasteners, called lockbolts or Huckbolts®, comprise a pin and a collar that are fastened using a Huck® tool. These are similar conceptually to a bolt and a nut. The pin, like a bolt, is inserted into one side of the structure and the collar, like a nut, is placed on the pin from the other side.
Installation of a Huckbolt®, however, is very different from traditional threaded fasteners, and this is key to how it achieves its exceptional resistance to loosening.
Direct tension installation
During installation, the Huck® tool pulls the pin and de-forms the collar into the grooves on the pin. This creates a permanent installation with consistent, measurable, repeatable clamp that doesn’t weaken the surrounding material (Newer versions of the Huckbolt® like our Bobtail® fastener have an available collar cutter that adds removability to the system).
Another benefit of using the Huck® system is that it reduces reliance on highly skilled labor with intuitive fastening solutions. The tool is easy to learn, minimizing training time while maximizing productivity.
Together these benefits – maintenance-free fastening and fast, easy installation – solve a significant number of challenges facing grounding in electrification.
Revolutionary Bonding Effect
The true function of a grounding stud is to complete a consistent circuit. For a Huckbolt® to truly provide consistent, reliable conductivity, it needs to do more than form a grounding stud that doesn’t come loose. It would need to:
- Install consistently
- Create good contact to produce conductivity
- Form a 100% reliable bond
- Resist corrosion
The patent-pending design of the Huck® Grounding Stud builds off the Huckbolt® platform and addresses all of these needs, delivering a truly revolutionary bonding effect that completes a consistent circuit.
How Huck® Grounding Stud Works
When Grounding Stud is inserted into the structure, the installer will apply the Huck® tool to the other side. When the tool is actuated, it draws the interference-fit knurls into the pre-drilled hole. The fit of the knurls is tight enough to remove any paint that might be in the hole and creates good contact to produce conductivity.
With the pin drawn into the hole, the installer will then spin the collar on the lock grooves of the pin and reapply the Huck® tool. They will actuate the tool again, fully seating the pin and de-forming the collar into the pin grooves to lock Grounding Stud in place. The clamp generated by this direct tension fastening provides little opportunity for water or other corrosive elements to penetrate the hold and degrade the conductive contact between Grounding Stud and the structure.
Installing a Huck® fastener using a Huck® battery tool
Huck installation allows Grounding Stud to be installed consistently, with no special skills required from the installer. It’s that same installation that creates the 100% reliable bond between the interference-fit knurls and the structure, both by making good contact to produce conductivity and by clamping tightly to the workpiece to prevent corrosion.
But Huck Grounding Stud improves conductivity with its plating too. The standard zinc-nickel coating has shown exceptional corrosion resistance while also producing excellent conductivity.
Huck Grounding Stud Helps Build More, Faster
The Huck® Grounding Stud
All in all, Grounding Stud delivers on the features required to complete consistent, reliable circuits that manufacturers, and their customers can depend on. Its excellent conductivity and maintenance-free, vibration resistant fastening, produce the reliable bond necessary for uninterrupted electrical systems.
But Huck® Grounding Stud also also solves the problem of how to scale faster in the same way as traditional Huckbolts: by allowing manufacturers to build more using the same footprint, with the same labor force. Installation is so simple, anyone can do it with minimal training. That reduces training costs and addresses the welding skills gap with a safe method of fastening that has the added benefit of increasing throughput. Add in the potential maintenance or warranty cost savings, and Huck® Grounding Stud is worth considering for any application that relies on electrification.
Frequently Asked Questions
What prevents Grounding Stud from loosening?
Huck® Grounding Stud installs using direct tension fastening. As part of this process, the collar is de-formed into the lock grooves of Grounding Stud to form a permanent lock that resists vibration loosening.
What industries utilize Grounding Stud?
Any application with electrification is a good candidate for Huck® Grounding Stud. These include: Electric vehicles (electric trucks, electric buses, electric cars), Maritime or Workboat (electric tugboats, electric ferries), high speed Rail, alternative energy (wind, solar, charging stations).
How does Grounding Stud create reliable conductivity?
The standard zinc-nickel plating on Huck® Grounding Stud offers exceptional corrosion resistance and excellent conductivity. The interference-fit of the knurls provides good contact for conductivity and the fastener clamp provides little opportunity for corrosion penetration of the application.
How do I request a demo?
Contact us HERE.
