The Keep-Nut was recently chosen as the perfect anchor and cladding system for the recent renovations at the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, MO. Set to open in July of 2018 the new Museum and Visitors Center will be featuring Ceaserstone Quartz Panels hanging from the walls and ceilings throughout.

Lami Wood Products out of St. Charles, MO was put in charge of the project and reached out to our representatives at Chemical Concepts for our best recommended fastening system. The Keep-Nut by Special Insert came to mind as their perfect option. 

Description of Application

For this particular application Lami Wood Products was looking for a 1/4-20 thread heavy duty fastener with significant pull-out strength in Caeserstone Quartz. Their goal was to use these fasteners in the Quartz and to fasten the Keep-Nut in with a Unistrut Fastening System.

Our Answer: IM4S/P1.4-20/H8.5 (4 Crown Keep-Nut)

Although the IM2S/P1.4-20/H6 (2 Crown Keep-Nut) is standard the 4 crown Keep-Nut will handle a much higher pull-out strength while only inserted 8.5mm (0.33”) into the stone with a 1/4-20 thread. Our other options were as follows:

Installation

The next task was installing the Keep-Nut into the Quartz using CNC Equipment then attaching each insert to the Unistrut framing system. These steps included:

• Using our 11.8mm CNC Bit to drill each hole
  • Easily the most important item during the installation process our 11.8mm ½ GAS CNC Drill Bit makes sure each drilled hole is done to perfection. Since each insert has a unique metric diameter these bits were specifically made to drill each hole to the correct diameter.
• Testing each hole with the Go/No-Go Hole Tester
  • This tool helps test each holes depth and diameter before inserting the Keep-Nut
• Inserting the Keep-Nut with the Keep-Nut Insertion Tool
  • The Insertion or Setting Tool is used to punch the insert into each drilled stone without using direct contact which could cause damages.
• Threading in our 1” Allen Post with Threadlocker to Mount to Unistrut Framing System
  • With this specific application Lami Wood wanted assurance that their posts would stay in the Keep-Nut Inserts for as long as possible. For this Chemical Concepts recommended using a 1/4-20 thread post with threadlocker at the base.

Completed Project Photos

While we are thrilled to see how successful the use of Keep-Nut from Special Insert is in this expansion project with the Gateway Arch we are just as excited to hear about how the Keep-Nut is the perfect fastening system for all of our customers’ projects. Can your next project be made more successful by using the Keep-Nut anchoring system? Our experienced sales team will be happy to answer any questions that you might have.

Just email us at [email protected] or call us, toll-free, at 800-220-1966. We’ll be happy to help!

A Few Key Advantages of the Keep-Nut from Special Insert

• Easy Installation
• Quick Assembly
• No Need for Adhesives
• Internal Assembly, meaning no awkward panels with posts sticking out
• Crowns are designed to take axial force which reacts radially against the hole walls when pulled. This causes the crowns to flex, providing that high strength without failing
• The internal threading cannot be exceeded which prevents threading too far into the insert which can cause an extraction effect and eventual failure