fischer has always been at the forefront of innovation and the new fischer ULTRACUT concrete screw is no different. Following the success of their initial foray into concrete screw market the new product from fischer has several enhancements that are not solely focused on higher load levels and shear values but features that truly benefit the customer.
Concrete screws have sometimes been seen as an “unsafe” alternative to a standard through type fixing, with the head especially being “suspect” to some users. However the high performance concrete screws available today hold very little characteristics similar to the standard wood type screw, which is where many of the uncertainties are founded. Concrete screws in the construction market go through rigorous testing to ensure they conform to all ETA’s and are as safe to use and any through type fixing. When using concrete screws the installation instructions should always be adhered to and users should look to use only ETA labelled products (where applicable for safety critical applications).
In construction, the use of concrete screws for more and more applications is becoming a growing trend. For many more applications, speed of insertion is a major factor to the installer and the reduction of installation time being an area that can shortened when using a Concrete screw. With all other features comparable to the through type fixings and load values very similar we should look to the future and expect the use of concrete screws to overtake the through bolt in many more applications.
Some of the key features of the new ULTRACUT concrete screw are in some instances unique, for example the unique saw teeth geometry that allows for easy and faster installation. The screw itself can be re used several times, and a thread guide is available to aid the degradation of the thread. All of this has been introduced with the aim of saving the user time and money. Because of this, minor installation changes can be made during insertion up to 20 mm. The screw can be loosed to allow for slight errors and embedment corrections. The saw teeth geometry and main thread geometry also enable the concrete screw to be installed without drill hole cleaning (in certain cases). This is still in accordance to ETA-15/0352.
All screw sizes can be installed to 3 different embedment depths that offer the user flexibility over a vast array of applications and attachment thicknesses. Alongside these embedment depth options fischer are also releasing a short version of the concrete screw. Thus enabling, where appropriate a much reduced drill hole depth to ensure much quicker installation.
The load values are now significantly higher than many competitors to fischer and above the previous version the fischer FBS, this is apparent in both tensile and shear loading levels. One of the key parameters to the installer is the small minimum edge spacing and edge distances, fischer claim to have one of the best and smallest values in the industry. They believe this can be more important to the installer than having an extra 5 or 10 percent higher loads than the competition.
However the truly innovative and unique feature is that the ULTRACUT concrete screw holds both C1 and C2 seismic approvals, guaranteeing the highest of safety standards and the first concrete screw to hold these approvals in the European market place.
fischer launched the ULTRACUT with diameters from 8 mm to 14 mm in July followed by the 6 mm diameter, more focused on the M&E market, and the stainless steel version towards the end of 2016. All 8 mm diameter sizes will come with and embedded TX drive allowing the user to be truly flexible when installing into tight spaces or to have a choice on using a chuck or a bit for installation.
