LOCTITE® 243 Blue Medium Strength Threadlocker

Henkel is continuously upgrading its engineering adhesives to improve performance characteristics and extend their scope of use, but the company’s ongoing development programme isn’t solely focused on adhesive formulation. 

LOCTITE 243 is a medium strength threadlocker that secures all types of threaded fasteners like nuts, bolts and studs, at the same time sealing them against corrosion. While there are naturally exceptions in some cases, LOCTITE 243 will be suitable for the vast majority of standard threadlocking applications and you are unlikely to need another grade very often.

Threadlocking adhesives have a long and successful history in many industry segments, and there is now growing evidence to suggest the renewable energy sector is increasing its uptake of these advanced products. Among the drivers behind this notable trend at wind farms is the fear of vibration loosening and corrosion, effects that often lead to the catastrophic failure of conventional mechanical locking devices such as spring washers, nylon ring nuts and flat washers.

In the development of its new tram model, the TMK 2200, the Croatian locomotive, tram and train builder, Končar, worked closely with Henkel’s engineering adhesive experts to select the best products for use in both assembly and maintenance.

Whether they manufacture food, medicines or heavy machinery, maintenance incidents are something that all industries have in common, and something they all want to avoid or at least minimise.

A gigantic Berg Propulsion propeller with a diameter of more than nine metres dwarfs the men standing next to it and at every stage of its manufacture, LOCTITE® engineering adhesives from Henkel have an important part to play.  

We have introduced new packaging to thwart those who seek to imitate their products.

More than 50 years ago, LOCTITE® introduced the world’s first ever anaerobic threadlocking adhesive. Despite the maturity of the technology, it has been continually developed to provide new benefits and the company now asserts that its latest generation threadlockers are ‘the best ever’.

Henkel’s LOCTITE® threadlocking adhesives prevent self-loosening and secure any threaded fastener against vibration and shock loads.  Many are easy-flowing liquids which completely fill the gaps between mating threads. When used to assemble threaded fasteners, LOCTITE® threadlockers permanently secure assemblies and eliminate fretting corrosion.

Two of the most popular products in this range – LOCTITE® 270 and 243 - exemplify the advances that have recently been made. LOCTITE® 270 is a high strength adhesive, ideal for permanent locking of assemblies that do not require regular disassembly for maintenance.  Its medium strength counterpart – LOCTITE...

The prospect of a threaded fastener becoming loose on a vehicle is concerning as it might cause damage and, potentially, prove dangerous. To overcome the limitations of conventional solutions for threaded fasteners, such as mechanical, friction and locking devices, more and more car repairers and restorers are turning to threadlocking adhesives. Indeed, this fact is confirmed by Henkel, owner of the LOCTITE^® range, which has conducted a new survey in conjunction with a nationwide provider of both car parts and servicing/repairs.

Unfortunately, solutions such as tab washers, nylon ring locking nuts and saw-tooth flanged bolts all have their limitations, which include differential thermal expansion and corrosion. For this reason, increasing numbers of those performing vehicle repairs and restorations are turning to threadlocking adhesives, as confirmed by the new survey.

Scores of customers were asked about their experiences of using general-purpose threadlocking...

Henkel, whose brands include LOCTITE^®, is on a mission to demonstrate the importance of locking threaded assemblies against vibrational self-loosening and has released a powerful new video and education guide to support this initiative.

There are several different methods of addressing the problem of self-loosening and most of them include the use of mechanical devices to lock threads and maintain the desired clamp load.  Common solutions are a double nut that increases contact through more thread interface, a spring washer to increase bolt tension through its spring action or a nylon insert which creates interference between itself and the bolt threads.

The limitation of all these methods is that none tackle the gap that exists between the threads of the bolt and nut.  The gap appears tiny to the naked eye, but it is still large enough to allow side to side movement of the bolt within the nut caused by operational vibrations.  This movement...