Pre-lubricated stainless steel fasteners reduce costs and minimise downtime
Jos Lavrijsen, Segment Leader at Fabory, discusses the challenges of machine downtime caused by cold welding (galling) and the role of preventive lubrication. He explains how pre-lubricated bolts help reduce the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and minimise the risk of machine downtime for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and end users.
Within the European machinery manufacturing sector, stainless steel fasteners are often a small component but can have a disproportionately large impact on costs, complexity and operational risks. This is particularly true in industries such as food and beverage processing and pharmaceuticals.
When bolts seize, gall, or require manual lubrication to prevent galling, the result is additional labour, production delays, and unnecessary waste. As a result, more and more OEMs are switching to pre-lubricated stainless steel fasteners, reducing the risk of performance issues in end-customer machines.
Galling: a small problem with major consequences
Stainless steel threads can seize unexpectedly when not lubricated or improperly lubricated, particularly during high-speed assembly. Manufacturers estimate that approximately one in every hundred bolts seizes, often because a fastener was accidentally not lubricated or not lubricated correctly.
When galling occurs, the bolt effectively welds itself to the nut or thread. Resolving a seized fastener can easily take twenty minutes or more. In many cases, cutting, drilling or grinding is required to remove the bolt. These actions are undesirable in hygienic food-processing lines or clean machine-assembly environments.
For end users who modify equipment on site, a seized bolt can even lead to production downtime. In addition, removing a seized fastener may release metal particles into sensitive production environments.
Manual lubrication: a hidden cost factor
For many OEMs and end users, manually greasing bolts has long been considered a necessary inconvenience to prevent galling. In practice, an operator picks up a bolt, applies grease with a brush, sets the applicator aside and then installs the fastener. Although this may seem quick, the process typically takes about 5 seconds per bolt.
After installation, excess grease often accumulates and must be removed to prevent contamination of the machine, which can require additional time. In customer assembly studies conducted by Fabory, manual lubrication and subsequent cleaning have added up to 25 seconds per fastener.
In larger machine assemblies with thousands of fasteners, this adds up quickly. At one manufacturing facility, replacing manual lubrication with pre-lubricated fasteners generated calculated annual savings of more than €200,000 through reduced assembly labour and associated process costs.
Results depend on application, assembly volumes, labour costs and existing lubrication processes.
Depending on the type and quantity used, eliminating anti-seize compounds can save approximately €3,000 annually.
In addition, machine builders and end users often apply lubricants inconsistently. Some use specialised anti-seize products, while others rely on readily available alternatives such as petroleum jelly or copper grease. These products are not always designed for stainless steel fasteners, may not be food-safe, and can raise regulatory or environmental concerns.
Manual lubrication also generates waste. Cleaning excess grease results in contaminated cloths, used brushes, disposable gloves and packaging materials, much of which must be disposed of as chemical waste. It is estimated that roughly ten per cent of all grease used ultimately ends up in the waste bin.
Pre-lubricated fasteners make assembly more predictable
Lubrinox fasteners are designed to prevent galling, minimise machine downtime and reduce the TCO. Each bolt and nut is supplied with a factory-applied lubrication coating that significantly reduces friction while remaining completely dry, odourless and invisible.
The coating ensures consistent friction properties (approximately 0.12 ± 0.04), making tightening torques more predictable and requiring less force during installation. Because the coating is bonded to the metal, it does not smear, wear off or attract dirt. This helps keep workspaces clean and improves hygiene.
Lubrinox fasteners are also detectable under ultraviolet light, which supports quality inspections in regulated production environments. They also operate reliably across a wide temperature range, from freezer storage conditions to high temperatures in processing equipment.
Lubrinox is food-grade compliant and supplied clean and dry, supporting applications where hygiene and controlled production environments are important.
Fewer steps, more efficient assembly
For machine builders, this results in a simpler assembly process. Operators only need to pick up the bolt and install it, as the entire lubrication procedure is eliminated. Instead of spending 25 seconds per bolt, operators spend only the installation time. Across a full machine assembly, this results in significant and consistent time savings.
Lubrinox fasteners are already used in industries such as food processing, dairy, pharmaceuticals, petrochemicals and general machinery manufacturing. In practice, they are suitable wherever stainless steel is essential, and hygiene is a priority. They are available directly from Fabory in a wide range of common DIN and ISO standards, with full batch traceability.
In industries where margins are tight and production schedules are demanding, eliminating 25 seconds of wasted time per fastener is not a minor improvement but a clear competitive advantage.
How Lubrinox Reduces Total Cost of Ownership
- Reduced assembly labour - No separate lubrication step.
- Reduced rework - Lower risk of galling and seized fasteners.
- Reduced downtime risk - Easier installation and disassembly.
- Reduced consumable costs - Less reliance on separate lubricants, brushes, gloves and cleaning materials.
- More predictable assembly - Consistent friction characteristics support more repeatable tightening.
Fabory expanded the Lubrinox range by more than 1,200 articles in 2026, giving manufacturers a broader choice of pre-lubricated stainless steel fasteners. Read about the Lubrinox range expansion.
About the author
Jos Lavrijsen is the segment leader at Fabory and has been with the company since 1999. Jos specialises in fastening solutions for industrial manufacturing and Total Cost of Ownership optimisation.