Threadlockers ensure reliability for specialist vehicles

In automotive applications there is no margin for error - every part must do its job. This is why Local Motors uses Loctite threadlockers for two very different applications: the Rally Fighter, a high-performance, off-road racing car; and the Strati, a 3D printed, electrically powered road car with just 49 parts.

Making sure the Rally Fighter could withstand racing in extreme conditions without constant maintenance was a huge challenge. And so was eliminating from Strati many of the 25,000 or more parts found in a typical road car.

Off-road racers like the Rally Fighter (pictured here) are subject to jarring bumps and vibration that can shake loose even the sturdiest nuts and bolts. Applying Loctite threadlockers to those fasteners gave Local Motors confidence that once the company's mechanics tightened a bolt or screw, it would stay tightened, even under the demanding conditions of off-road racing. Similarly, every one of Strati's 49 parts is critical, so making sure the fasteners stay tight was also essential to realising Local Motors' concept for this groundbreaking vehicle.

Jay Rogers, Local Motors' co-founder and chief executive officer, comments: "People think about assembling parts but they do not think about how to make them stay together, and when we introduce them to Loctite they are exposed to a world they never knew before."

In addition to 3D printing, Local Motors' business model includes new concepts in crowd-sourced design and co-manufacturing, being flexible in its designs and, as in the case of the Strati, going from concept to driving in just four months. Local Motors credits Loctite with helping make that possible.

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