scope:

This guideline applies to all joints using threaded fasteners in the automotive industry. This concerns all equipment and companies involved in vehicle manufacturing, component manufacturing and the maintenance and repair of vehicles.

It is recommended that this guideline also be applied to joints using threaded fasteners outside this scope.

Purpose

This guideline provides a basis for the classification of joints using threaded fasteners and serves as an aid to the selection and use of corresponding fastening tools/fastening systems. The aim of the guideline is to provide the user with the basic requirements for selecting fastening tools and thus ensure the safe and reliable fabrication of joints in the car manufacturing industry.

This is achieved by:

• clearly classifying joint types in categories

• defining the minimum requirements for fastening tools/fastening systems for each category

• defining the minimum requirements for the detection of errors within the respective category

The minimum requirements given are universally applicable and solution-independent, i.e. they are not tied to specific system structures, fastener designs or assembly technologies.

A suitable selection for the respective application must be made on the basis of the minimum requirements given.