Prevent loose bolts with Strainlabs

"Bolts are by far the most common method of joining components," says Csaba Madru, CEO and one of the co-founders of Strainlabs AB.

Bolts are found throughout industry, and it is well known that they can loosen. They are therefore inspected regularly, often manually - a process that is not always entirely reliable or safe.

What can your company do?
"We offer a reliable solution to this problem and already serve around 30 customers in sectors including rail, mining, process industries and smart machinery. We are now targeting the defence industry, where our intelligent bolts can provide significant value."

Can you describe your business concept?
"Our business concept is to make operations simpler and safer for our customers. With our technology, manual inspections are no longer required. Instead, personnel can focus on productive tasks that create greater value for the company."

The sensor developed by Strainlabs fits inside the head of bolts as small as M10. In the standard configuration, it records a measurement every ten minutes and sends the data to a cloud service, where it is processed automatically.

"You receive a warning before a failure occurs. What would previously have resulted in a breakdown or operational shutdown can instead become a straightforward corrective action," says Csaba Madru.

"In the cloud service, users create a digital twin of their facility, factory or industrial operation. Each bolt has a unique ID, so the digital twin shows the exact location of every individual bolt. This also helps users understand the potential consequences if a particular bolt begins to cause problems."

Is there an alternative to cloud-based monitoring?
"Yes. Companies can also download our free app to a smartphone. Compatible Bluetooth-enabled bolts communicate directly with the app, allowing users to access measurement data on site. The app is designed for fast verification, inspections and spot checks, and complements the continuous monitoring provided by the cloud-based system."

Which market is currently your largest?
"Our broadest market segment is critical bolted joints, particularly within the process industry," says Csaba Madru, adding:

"We have recently attracted interest from the defence industry, where I believe we can offer substantial value for mission-critical assets. These may include infrastructure or systems that are not necessarily part of a weapon - for example, a bridge component, a structural installation, a building or anything else that must function reliably."

Where are the sensors and the other system components manufactured?
"Everything is manufactured in Sweden, and all our subcontractors are based here. It is a fully Swedish-developed and Swedish-manufactured product that we market and sell. Our strong quality management also enables multi-sourcing, giving us access to several potential suppliers within Sweden. This helps us maintain a reliable supply capability, which feels increasingly important in an uncertain world - not least for the Swedish defence industry, which can have full confidence in our system."