How to Ensure Bolted Joint Integrity When Using a Compression Limiter in a Plastic Assembly

Compression Limiters are used to protect plastic components in bolted joints and maintain a threaded fastener’s clamp load by eliminating plastic creep.  To function properly, bearing surface beneath the bolt’s head must extend over the Compression Limiter to contact the plastic component.  This White Paper explores several methods to ensure sufficient bearing surface under the bolt’s head while considering the individual component cost, ease or complexity of assembly, and the overall cost of each configuration to determine which method is best suited for each particular application.