Lightweight or sandwich materials make a very wide range of demands on fastening technology. The solutions used must have the highest possible level of reliability and efficiency and at the same time be so designed that they make allowance for the special properties of the carrier material and the requirements of the particular company. KVT-Fastening goes down an innovative path here and relies on the patented multi-material welding technology (MM-W technology) – a process in which thermoplastic fastening elements are permanently bonded to the carrier material by the use of ultrasonic energy. This offers an ideal alternative to traditional fixings such as riveting, screwing, adhesives and other methods.

Traditional fastening techniques are usually based on the principle of compact materials  requiring to be joined together. In lightweight construction however, combinations of fibre-reinforced materials are also used. In MM-W technology, instead of traditional fasteners, thermoplastic connecting elements, for instance shaped as a pin or a sleeve, are used. With a combination of ultrasonic movement and pressure, these are pushed through the covering layer. Through the friction between the surface of the fastener and the component, the surface of the fastener itself becomes the bonding material, while the fastener retains its shape due to its material hardness. This innovative procedure has several advantages such as a substantially quicker processing time – the entire bonding process takes less than a second and cooling down and curing times need not be taken into account. Furthermore, as a rule it is not necessary to pre-drill the material. Another advantage is the great flexibility offered by the technology as there is no need to allow for taking up any tolerance by pre-positioning the fasteners.