What do all of these have in common?
Spring pins. Tension pins. Slotted tension pins. Locking pins. Locking dowel pins. Trigger Pins.
If you haven’t figured it out yet, they are all names for the same thing – the Vogelsang Rollpin®, a multi-purpose, non-threaded, versatile and economic fastener used across myriad industries in a vast array of applications.
The Rollpin’s history is the history of Vogelsang Fastener Solutions itself. As we celebrate 50 years in North America, it is only fitting that we highlight this truly unique and foundational product, one that manufacturers of everything from airplanes to cosmetics cases wouldn’t be the same without.
Find out why the Rollpin is so important, where it can be found, and what benefits you can expect from this fastener.
A Rollpin By Any Other Name Is Still An Excellent Fastener
Whether you call it a slotted tension pin, locking pin, or something else, Rollpins are hollow cylinders that are slit longitudinally over their entire length to permit compression during insertion. This design gives them a unique, self-locking quality.
Chamfered edges facilitate insertion without disrupting the hole diameter or tolerance in any way. These tried and true fasteners can be used in stampings, castings, forgings, sintered metals, hard rubber, and plastics.
For manufactures, it is a fastener which not only simplifies design but reduces assembly and production costs, particularly since it can be installed in a single operation.
Why Choose Rollpins?
The benefits of Rollpins are myriad. They reduce the weight of an application by eliminating the use of solid pins, taper pins, dowel pins and other types of fasteners. Lower weight is notably important in firearms, automotive, and medical industries.
These slotted tension pins also improve safety in applications such as construction equipment, particularly as hinge points and bearing retainers. They are distinctively designed to break at specific shear strengths to protect the user or the application. For example, when used on construction bucket teeth, they will break before the construction part breaks, allowing for easy, safe, and cost-effective replacement.
In addition to their weight savings and safety benefits, these self-locking pins can dramatically reduce costs. Per piece they are far less expensive than solid pins, screws, and other alternatives.
You’ll be impressed by how these fasteners simplify product design, increase product reliability, and reduce production costs and rejection losses.
More Rollpin Highlights And Advantages
The combination of material, hardness, and design of these slotted tension pins provides a stronger joint than many of the solid steel pins, taper pins, or grooved pins of like diameter.
All standard parts are made from high carbon spring steel that is heat treated to achieve optimum shear strength. The standard finish is plain and oiled.
They can accept a wide variety of platings and coatings, with specialized platings available on request. Plating options include mechanical zinc plated, phosphate and oil, black oxide, and many other corrosion resistant options that can be of particular benefit to auto, firearms, and medical industries.
They can also be manufactured with special slot designs per your specification, including semi-circle, wave, traverse wave, and trapezoid.
They are universal, easily installed, reusable, self locking, can be double pinned, and of course custom-engineered to meet your requirements.
In short, Rollpins can be designed with unique features to fulfill the most demanding applications. From high carbon spring steel to 18-8 nickel chromium steel; flared tension pins to headed tension pins; specially closed gaps; locating features for smooth locking to prevent pins from rotating; unique bevel angles; designs created specifically for use in automatic feeds, and other options, these pins excel in hinge applications, shafts, as fasteners, hinge stop pins, assembly pins, dowel pins, locating pins, shear pins, at pivot points, and more.
Industries That Benefit From Rollpins
We’ve mentioned firearms, medical, auto, and construction, but they versatility of Rollpins doesn’t end there. This pin has found a niche market in just about every manufacturing industry where two components are being joined and where you don’t want to have the fastener extend beyond your application.
Other industries include wind power, railroad, mining, transportation, agriculture, pumps (wastewater, oil), material power handling, off road equipment, waste management and recycling, and plenty more.
If you don’t see your. Industry for application listed here, just ask. One of our engineers can work with you to select or design the fastening pin that meets your needs.
The Vogelsang Advantage
Vogelsang Fastener Solutions offers the largest product offering of metric slotted tension pins in the world. Pins range from m1 to m50 outer diameter, all the way up to 250mm in length.
Our heavy duty ISO 8752 pins are available in diameters of M1 to M50, and are favored in applications where more shear load is required. You can increase your shear strength by inserting a smaller pin into a larger pin to strengthen your application.
Our light duty ISO 13337 pins are available in lengths up to 250mm and are specifically designed for weight savings and soft material applications like plastics and soft metals like aluminum. They range in diameters for M2 to M50.
All Vogelsang pins are manufactured in NATO countries, ensuring the most consistently high-quality products on the market. Inch pins are made exclusively in the USA, and metric pins are made in Europe, all to our exacting standards.
We have thousands of standard items in stock and ready to ship. See our stock program page for an idea of the stock items we carry. If you don’t see the part you want, just ask; there are many more parts not listed.
You can call or request a quote online and we will respond promptly.
If you need something custom, just give us a call or contact us online and one of our engineers will assist.
Rollpins® have been reliably helping manufacturers save money, enhance safety, increase fastening security, and improve application outcomes for half a century. If you want to know more or are interesting in finding the right part for your application, we’re here to help.