Colorfast Performance:
Won’t chip. Won’t fade. Won’t fail.

It has long been recognised that choosing the correct fasteners is absolutely crucial to the success of a roofing and cladding project. But did you know that choosing EJOT Colorfast self-drilling fasteners, rather than opting for painted metal equivalents or plastic cover caps to achieve colour-matching, can deliver far-reaching benefits that enable all the key stakeholders in the building envelope supply chain to improve the quality of their project?

Let’s start with the basics. EJOT Colorfast is available for the vast majority of EJOT self-drilling roofing and cladding fastener ranges, offering an innovative over-moulded coloured head that is an integral part of its design features. Not only can the head be colour matched…. it will not chip during the installation process resulting in aesthetic consistency and optimum visual appeal.

While aesthetics were the main driver for the development of Colorfast back in the 1990s, its design and manufacturing process, coupled with the superior quality of the JT and JF EJOT fasteners onto which the head is moulded, quickly revealed a host of advantages for installers and those involved in building envelope design and specification.

 

Optimised seal for the envelope

When installed to the correct torque using an appropriate screw gun, the Colorfast design enables the most efficient way for a dependable seal to be achieved at the head, thread and sheet for 100% corrosion resistance above the line of the metal profile. The fastener’s metal/EPDM vulcanised washer is designed for optimum compression to seal and eliminate the risk of air or water ingress.

 

Supporting higher building performance goals

Reducing the potential for air and water leakage is, of course, hugely important in respect of the building’s overall performance. Even the most highly insulated envelope systems will fail to deliver on their performance promise if air within the building is able to escape through the fixing points.
This is because it would result in more energy being used to heat or cool the building, depending on country and climate.

But it is not only preventing the passage of air that enables Colorfast to optimise building performance. The insulating capabilities of the nylon over-moulded head and aluminium/EPDM washer also help to reduce thermal transfer through the fastener itself.

Not only is this beneficial in cooler, more temperate climates, where the aim is to retain heat within a building, but also in warmer parts of the world. Buildings which rely on artificial cooling to maintain comfortable internal conditions, or for uses such as cold stores, will benefit because Colorfast fasteners will minimise heat transfer in the opposite direction – from the outside to the inside. This helps to lower the load on air-conditioning systems, and contribute to buildings being built to a standard that is compatible with ISO 50001 energy reduction goals.

 

Protecting against corrosion

Another key benefit of Colorfast is the high level of resistance to corrosion that the EJOT fastener range offers. Three types of metal are available for the fasteners – the type to specify will depend on the environmental conditions in the building’s location and the envelope’s design life:
 

• Carbon steel with an organic coating – this can be used in the vast majority of standard applications, ticking the box for C4 classification in Australia, for example.
• A2 stainless steel – for applications where there is a more significant risk of corrosion, particularly where the client is seeking a minimum guarantee period.
• A4 stainless steel – ideal for the most aggressive environments, such as those which are continuously moisture-laden like a swimming pool, or where a building is used for particular industrial processes.

Being able to select the most appropriate type of metal for the environment, combined with its installation benefits, means Colorfast can easily meet durability goals to retain its integrity and not fail prematurely. In addition, the risk of rust marks ruining the building envelope’s aesthetics can be significantly reduced, providing the correct grade of metal is used.

 

Providing lasting colour

The composition of Colorfast’s nylon over-moulded head is carefully controlled and continuously tested to ensure it retains its colour in the long term. Key to this is its UV stabilized polymer, ensuring that the colour will not fade or change through long term exposure to sunlight.

A key area of the EJOT UK team’s work is regular recalibration and testing of the nylon composition. This is required to stay compliant with environmental legislation, both in the UK and internationally, which is regularly reviewed and updated. Without this, EJOT would not be able to provide customers with the colour consistency that they have become accustomed to and sets Colorfast apart.

 

Enabling more efficient, better quality installation

The unique design of the Colorfast head is engineered to maximise structural integrity and performance through uniform compression of the washer. With a head moulded over the fastener’s flanged, metal hexagon, the design allows for a bi-hex torque to transmit directly for a positive and secure driving process.

Its design also virtually eliminates the risk of over-driving when the correct installation tool is used. This is achieved through an innovation in drill point design and the bi-hex drive. These are both allied to application-specific thread geometries requiring defined speed and torque. This bi-hex drive innovation, when combined with the bespoke performance of the fastener thread design, delivers all of the installation benefits associated with the fastener today.