Fastener Fair Global 2025 in Stuttgart: our key takeaways

Fastener Fair Global in Stuttgart is Europe’s largest trade fair for fasteners. RS Randack visited the March 2025 edition and talked to manufacturers of tooling, coating systems, testing equipment and raw material. Three observations that affect our work in Hagen:

Zinc flake and anti-friction coatings are gaining ground

For high-strength bolts from property class 10.9 upwards, electroplated zinc is specified less and less often because of hydrogen embrittlement. Zinc flake systems and anti-friction coatings with a defined coefficient of friction are the standard in plant engineering, energy and offshore. RS Randack rolls threads for coated parts at the lower tolerance limit so that they still gauge correctly after coating; more under hydrogen embrittlement.

Documentation makes the difference

Buyers require 3.1 and 3.2 certificates to EN 10204 with complete batch traceability and, for safety-critical parts, inspection by an independent body. This is exactly what RS Randack’s in-house materials laboratory, with third-party inspections by all common inspection bodies, is designed for; see inspection certificate 3.1 and 3.2.

Special parts remain skilled craftsmanship

The fair showcases automatic machines for quantities in the millions. Parts to drawing in small batches from difficult-to-machine materials, on the other hand, are still made where forge, toolmaking, turning shop, thread rolling and laboratory are under one roof. How this works at RS Randack: the ten production steps.

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