What are Powder Activated Fasteners?
Definition of Powder Activated Fasteners in Construction
The application of a fastener by means of an explosive charge that forces a pin or nail through a chamber and into the substrate.
Powder activated fasteners are generally used to install products on concrete surfaces, hang wires for acoustical ceiling grid, etc. The use of powder activated fasteners is extremely common on a large construction project and must be monitored for safety compliance. The use of this technique allows the efficient installation of partition wall plates that are at fastened to the concrete floors by the use of powder activated fasteners. The technique is referred to as shooting or shot and has allowed a very efficient means of fastening items to masonry surfaces. The use of this type of fastener is also used on structural steel and miscellaneous metal. The size of the charge used as well as the type of nail allows the use of this fastener on different materials.
Shooting into a masonry unit, such as a block uses a much smaller powder charge than shooting a pin into a steel beam. Caution must be used with these types of fasteners to prevent blow through of the pin. This means that the charge was too large or the substrate hollow or too soft for the application. A blow through can send a pin flying into the air causing severe damage to anyone or thing in the way. There are automatic tools that are equipped to shoot several pins in succession without having to reload the tool. This type of technological advancement and continued development, has caused these types of tools to be widely used on construction sites.