Major decision making in domestic fastener industry

In recent years, the fastener industry in China has experienced remarkable growth and transformation. Over the past decade, the sector has seen a significant increase in production capacity, sales revenue, and export volumes, establishing itself as a major player on the global stage. In 2012, China's fastener production reached 6.6 million tons, a threefold increase from 2 million tons in 2001. The industry's sales revenue hit 65 billion yuan, which was 5.2 times higher than the 1.25 billion yuan recorded in 2001. Export volume also surged to 2.464 million tons in 2012, up from 520,800 tons in 2001, with foreign exchange earnings from exports reaching $4.512 billion—nearly nine times the amount in 2001. These figures highlight the industry’s impressive expansion and its growing influence in international markets. By 2012, more than 95% of fastener companies had transitioned into joint-stock or private enterprises, boosting industry vitality and fostering innovation. There were over 4,000 large-scale companies operating in the sector, and the product structure continued to evolve, with increased production capacity and improved efficiency. China became one of the world's largest manufacturers of fasteners, significantly enhancing its position in the global market. The industry has also undergone structural adjustments, with a focus on industrial concentration and corporate restructuring. Three major clusters have emerged in the Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta, and Bohai Bay regions, including key cities like Jiaxing, Ningbo, Wenzhou, Dongguan, and Xingtai. Leading enterprises such as Jinyi and Shanghai Standard Five have played a crucial role in driving growth, with their combined sales exceeding 35 billion yuan, accounting for over half of the national sales. Technological innovation has been another key driver. Fastener companies have embraced modern technology, upgraded equipment, and improved product quality. A growing number of firms specialize in high-strength and heat-treated fasteners, reflecting a shift toward more advanced and specialized manufacturing. In addition, many companies have expanded overseas, entering emerging markets in countries like Hungary, Malaysia, and Indonesia. This global outreach has helped diversify market exposure and reduce dependency on traditional export destinations. Corporate restructuring has also accelerated, with strategic partnerships and mergers helping to consolidate resources and improve efficiency. These moves have not only enhanced competitiveness but also supported the industry’s long-term sustainability. Looking ahead, the Chinese fastener industry continues to adapt to changing market conditions. It is shifting from a focus on quantity to quality, emphasizing brand development and service-oriented models. By 2014, production is expected to reach 7 million tons, further solidifying China’s position as a global leader in fastener manufacturing.

Check Valves

A ball check valve is a check valve in which the closing member, the movable part to block the flow, is a spherical ball. In some ball check Valves, the ball is spring-loaded to help keep it shut. For those designs without a spring, reverse flow is required to move the ball toward the seat and create a seal. The interior surface of the main seats of ball check valves are more or less conically-tapered to guide the ball into the seat and form a positive seal when stopping reverse flow.

Ball check valves are often very small, simple, and cheap. They are commonly used in liquid or gel minipump dispenser spigots, spray devices, some rubber bulbs for pumping air, etc., manual air pumps and some other pumps, and refillable dispensing syringes. Although the balls are most often made of metal, they can be made of other materials, or in some specialized cases out of artificial ruby. High pressure HPLC pumps and similar applications commonly use small inlet and outlet ball check valves with both balls and seats made of artificial ruby, for both hardness and chemical resistance. After prolonged use, such check valves can eventually wear out or the seat can develop a crack, requiring replacement. Therefore, such valves are made to be replaceable, sometimes placed in a small plastic body tightly-fitted inside a metal fitting which can withstand high pressure and which is screwed into the pump head.

There are similar check valves where the disc is not a ball, but some other shape, such as a poppet energized by a spring. Ball check valves should not be confused with Ball Valves, which is a different type of valve in which a ball acts as a controllable rotor to stop or direct flow.

A diaphragm check valve uses a flexing rubber diaphragm positioned to create a normally-closed valve. Pressure on the upstream side must be greater than the pressure on the downstream side by a certain amount, known as the pressure differential, for the check valve to open allowing flow. Once positive pressure stops, the diaphragm automatically flexes back to its original closed position.

A swing check valve or tilting disc check valve is check valve in which the disc, the movable part to block the flow, swings on a hinge or trunnion, either onto the seat to block reverse flow or off the seat to allow forward flow. The seat opening cross-section may be perpendicular to the centerline between the two ports or at an angle. Although swing check valves can come in various sizes, large check valves are often swing check valves. The flapper valve in a flush-toilet mechanism is an example of this type of valve. Tank pressure holding it closed is overcome by manual lift of the flapper. It then remains open until the tank Drains and the flapper falls due to gravity. Another variation of this mechanism is the clapper valve, used in applications such firefighting and fire life safety systems. A hinged gate only remains open in the inflowing direction. The clapper valve often also has a spring that keeps the gate shut when there is no forward pressure. Another example is the backwater valve (for sanitary drainage system) that protects against flooding caused by return flow of sewage waters. Such risk occurs most often in sanitary drainage systems connected to combined sewerage systems and in rainwater drainage systems. It may be caused by intense rainfall, thaw or flood.

A stop-check valve is a check valve with override control to stop flow regardless of flow direction or pressure. In addition to closing in response to backflow or insufficient forward pressure (normal check-valve behavior), it can also be deliberately shut by an external mechanism, thereby preventing any flow regardless of forward pressure.

A lift-check valve is a check valve in which the disc, sometimes called a lift, can be lifted up off its seat by higher pressure of inlet or upstream fluid to allow flow to the outlet or downstream side. A guide keeps motion of the disc on a vertical line, so the valve can later reseat properly. When the pressure is no longer higher, gravity or higher downstream pressure will cause the disc to lower onto its seat, shutting the valve to stop reverse flow.

An in-line check valve is a check valve similar to the lift check valve. However, this valve generally has a spring that will 'lift' when there is pressure on the upstream side of the valve. The pressure needed on the upstream side of the valve to overcome the spring tension is called the 'cracking pressure'. When the pressure going through the valve goes below the cracking pressure, the spring will close the valve to prevent back-flow in the process.

A duckbill valve is a check valve in which flow proceeds through a soft tube that protrudes into the downstream side. Back-pressure collapses this tube, cutting off flow.

A pneumatic non-return valve.

Multiple check valves can be connected in series. For example, a double check valve is often used as a backflow prevention device to keep potentially contaminated water from siphoning back into municipal water supply lines. There are also double ball check valves in which there are two ball/seat combinations sequentially in the same body to ensure positive leak-tight shutoff when blocking reverse flow; and piston check valves, wafer check valves, and ball-and-cone check valves.

Check Valves, Water Check Valves, Brass Check Valves, Sanitary Check Valves

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