Physical AI and EV Era Demand Rethinking of Fastening Technology

In manufacturing, fasteners have long been considered "mature technology." The prevailing view held that specifications were already set, performance was sufficient, and only price competition remained. Many companies have treated fastening technology as a simple procurement item rather than a core design element. However, recent changes in the industrial environment are shaking these assumptions.

The key issue is not technology itself but changing conditions. Today's industries have entirely different requirements from when existing fastening technologies were designed. This gap is becoming increasingly apparent.

A prime example is the Russia-Ukraine war. This conflict demonstrates that the center of battlefield operations is shifting from large weapons to small unmanned systems. The Iran-Israel conflict in the Middle East similarly unfolds around low-cost drones and unmanned equipment, revealing the same trend. Combat efficiency is now determined not by equipment size but by precision and efficiency.

These systems share extreme design conditions: limited space, weight reduction requirements, continuous vibration, and repeated fatigue loads. Simple fastening is insufficient in this environment. Fastening structures become design elements that simultaneously determine weight, space, and durability.