SUREFAS CAF-COMPO SNAP STUDS

Usually, our Pittman Award winners are picked almost exclusively in recognition of their engineering and design, especially in the systems category. However, in the case of these composite studs, aesthetics also played a part. Not only that, but this aspect of their design was instrumental in the positive response the snaps received at the recent METS trade show this November in Amsterdam. In photographs for brochures and other marketing needs, boatbuilders usually don’t want the small stainless steel circles typically used for attaching fabric panels distracting the eye from the boat’s lines. As a result, snap studs are often not installed until after the photographs are taken. With these Surefas CafCompo snap studs, however, which are available in white, cream, light gray and black (or any custom RAL color a production purchaser may desire for its application) that is no longer a problem. As a practical matter, because the snaps are not made of metal, corrosion and the resulting stains are also no longer a problem. In use, the studs serve as the base part of a fabric snap or ring-spring press fastener system. Molded of a highstrength UV-stabilized composite with self-tapping threads, they can be installed in fiberglass, plastic or wood in a fashion similar to the common metal studs using a Torx 30 screwdriver bit. A variant with M6 metric machine screw threads is also suitable for tapped holes in aluminum, steel and other hard substrates. The studs are available in standard packages of 10, 100 and 500. $NA. Surefas, surefas.com/ products/caf-compo