Fastening devices and methods of utilizing the same. The fastening devices include a handle, a trigger mechanism, a fastener magazine, a fastening head, and a tab feed structure. The tab feed structure includes a tab magazine, a feed rail, and a tab advance mechanism. The tab magazine is configured to contain an accordion-folded stack of tabs, which is defined by a first subset of a plurality of interconnected tabs. The fasting device is configured to, upon actuation of the trigger mechanism, urge a fastener through a leading tab of the plurality of interconnected tabs and into a workpiece to operatively affix the leading tab to the workpiece and also to advance a tab strip, which is defined by a second subset of the plurality of interconnected tabs, toward a fastening region with the tab advance mechanism. The methods include methods of utilizing and/or loading the fastening device.

A fastener for fastening an elongate object to a support structure, the fastener comprising a body portion formed entirely of one or more electrically non-conductive materials and comprising a bridge, a first column extending substantially perpendicularly from a first end of the bridge and a second column extending substantially perpendicularly from a second end of the bridge, the bridge and columns together forming a U-shaped receptacle for engaging the elongate object, and a nail formed entirely of one or more electrically non-conductive materials and partially contained within the first column of the body portion for positively engaging with the support structure upon the application of force by a driving mechanism thereby fastening the elongate object to the support structure.

An activatable material coated device comprising a device and an activatable material, comprising at least about 5.5% or greater blowing agent, blowing agent accelerator or both. The activatable material is milled into a particulate size of from about 500 microns to about 10000 microns and the device is heated to a temperature of at least about 30 C. but below an activation temperature of the activatable material and contacted with the particulate of the activatable material, adhering the activatable material to the device.

A method of applying a corrosion-resistant coating to a fastener that includes preheating an area of the fastener to be coated to elevate a temperature of the area and spraying the preheated area of the fastener with a molten or semi-molten metal. In one embodiment, a corrosion-resistant coating applicator includes a support structure, a rotatable slotted fastener conveyer supported by the support structure, a feeder configured to feed fasteners to the rotatable slotted fastener conveyer, a fastener aligner configured to make head portions of the fasteners aligned with each other, a heater configured to heat head portions of the fasteners as the fasteners are being conveyed by the slotted fastener conveyer, and a sprayer configured to apply a corrosion-resistant coating to the heated head portions of the fasteners being conveyed by the slotted fastener conveyer. The present disclosure also provides corrosion-resistant coated fasteners made using the coating methods and/or coating apparatus.

A compression-self-adjusting staple that comprises a substantially U-shaped staple having a bridge, two legs extending from the bridge at an angle thereto, and a compression device. The compression device is at least partly disposed between the legs and has a bias portion with a compression surface that is movably disposed between the legs and a compression resistor. The compression resistor is connected to the bridge and to the compression surface and is formed into a plurality of bends that resist movement of the compression surface towards the bridge with a pre-set compressive force.

An apparatus including a first block; a first strip having a first side with a first attachment device and an opposing second side with an adhesive; and a first pin having a head portion and an elongated portion which is connected at a first end to the head portion, which projects from the head portion of the first pin, and has an opposing second end at which there is a point. The head portion of the first pin is configured to be attached to the first block in a first state, and the first side of the first strip is attached to the first block by the first attachment device and the elongated portion of the first pin projects out through a first opening in the first strip. The pin is inserted into the wall and the first strip is attached to the wall by the attachment device.

An apparatus including a first block; a first strip having a first side with a first attachment device and an opposing second side with an adhesive; and a first pin having a head portion and an elongated portion which is connected at a first end to the head portion, which projects from the head portion of the first pin, and has an opposing second end at which there is a point. The head portion of the first pin is configured to be attached to the first block in a first state, and the first side of the first strip is attached to the first block by the first attachment device and the elongated portion of the first pin projects out through a first opening in the first strip. The pin is inserted into the wall and the first strip is attached to the wall by the attachment device.

The invention relates to a connecting element (4, 5), in particular a screw (4) or a nut (5), for mechanically connecting components (1, 2), the connecting element (4, 5) consisting at least partially of a material with a mechanical tensile strength of at least 350 MPa. According to the invention, the material of the connecting element (4, 4, 5, 8) has an electrical conductivity of at least 50% IACS. The invention also relates to a corresponding production method for a connecting element (4, 5) of this type.

A compression-self-adjusting staple that comprises a substantially U-shaped staple having a bridge, two legs extending from the bridge at an angle thereto, and a compression device. The compression device is at least partly disposed between the legs and has a bias portion with a compression surface that is movably disposed between the legs and a compression resistor. The compression resistor is connected to the bridge and to the compression surface and is formed into a plurality of bends that resist movement of the compression surface towards the bridge with a pre-set compressive force.

A substantially U-shaped staple has a bridge, legs, and an internally disposed compression device with a bias portion having a compression surface movably disposed between the legs and a compression resistor connected to the bridge and to the compression surface and is formed to resist movement of the compression surface towards the bridge with a force.