Electrical connection being fastened on steel

Fast, simple and reliable electrical connections

Steal back time when fastening on steel

Electrical connections are often needed on steel structures to provide a physical connection to earth for elements such as instrumentation panels, pipe flanges and other electrical equipment. By earthing (or grounding) the elements, you protect the equipment as well as reducing the risk of electrical shocks for people around them. This is particularly important in energy and industry settings, with outdoor environments such as power plants, oil refineries and offshore platforms.

Primarily these connections provide three important functions:

Bonding
Simple act of joining two elements together – such as pipe flanges, cable trays or steel structures – so that at least one of them is then earthed so the electrical current can be discharged
Earthing (or grounding)
Connecting a part which does not normally carry current – such as equipment, junction boxes or storage vessels – to the earth
Lightning
Can be either direct (a lightning strike) or indirect (through power and communications lines or through the earth via the earthing system) and protection is based on catching the current and discharging it to earth (lightening conductors, catcher rods etc.)

Alternative methods for fastening on steel

Alternative methods can be time-consuming, labour intensive and require extensive rework to coated steel. For example:

Welding

Time consuming preparation of the coated steel e.g. with an angle grinder
Creates a lot of sparks, which can be a hazard
An experienced and certified welder is required
May require a hot work permit and, on some sites, a dedicated fire watch
Multi-layer painting common in the Oil and Gas industry can take 3 to 6 days, including drying time, meaning expensive and time-consuming rework

Through-bolting

Drilling process can be time-consuming depending on the thickness and hardness of the steel
Steel exposed from the drilling must be properly coated to avoid corrosion
Access to both sides is needed
Installer needs to work with small parts such as nuts, washers and bolts that may get dropped or lost

Clamping

Limited in direction of attachment of the component since clamps require a specific orientation relative to the structural steel
Access to both sides of structural steel is needed
Very high material costs, especially for corrosion-resistant clamps in hot-dip galvanized or stainless steel

Find out more

Two fast and reliable ways for fastening electrical connections on steel

Diagram of a cross-section of steel showing blunt tip fastening

X-BT blunt tip fastening

A revolutionary fastening technology where a blunt-tip stainless steel fastener with a smooth cylindrical or conical shank is driven by a powder-actuated tool into a pre-drilled hole in the base material, creating a high-quality connection.

No damage to the corrosion protection coating in non-through penetration applications
Fastenings in less than 2 minutes

Duplex stainless steel fasteners for highly-corrosive environments.

Watch the blunt tip video

Diagram of a cross-section of steel showing blunt tip screw fastening

S-BT blunt tip screw fastening

A revolutionary fastening technology where a blunt-tip stainless steel fastener with a screw type shank is driven by a torque controlled screw driver into the pre-drilled hole in the base material creating a tapped connection.