Which Fastmount® Clips Should I Use?

Product Applications

Architectural Clip Selection Guide

Technical Notes

Pull-out force

The pull-out force will vary depending on the clip type and are specified on each product sheet. They are generally minimum 11 lb. (5kg) for typical standard range clips and 22 lb. (10kg) for heavy duty clips.

The shock load is less and can be as low as 4.4 lb (2kg), depending on the type of shock load. Clips never load simultaneously on a panel, so if a panel has 10 clips it does not mean the force required to remove the panel (or the force the panel will take) is 10x 11 lb. (5kg).

Clip spacing and panel loads

Panels need to be supported evenly around the perimeter to eliminate sagging. The clip spacing requirements will vary depending on the application. Although many of the Fastmount® clip sets will hold more than your theoretical panel load, the reality of unknown conditions means panels and clips could be subjected to shock loads (g-forces) from seismic shocks.

Fastmount® with different materials

You can mount Fastmount® clips into or onto most panel products such as plywood, MDF, plastic, fiberglass, HPL, sandwich panels and composite panels. It is not recommended to use very heavy materials. The LP-DF8 coarse thread female clip is designed to work with drywall, for wall panels only. Installation with the standard profile series should use 2-4 PC-VM1 or PC-VMX clips to relief shear tension and support panel weight.

Drill setting and self tapping clips

The clutch setting on battery drills when fitting clips varies from drill to drill. It will depend on the battery charge condition and on the material you are screwing into. Once 2 or 3 test clips have been fitted, you will have a good feel for a setting that screws the clips home, but does not over tighten them. If the clips are breaking, the drill setting is too powerful. Some hard materials require a chamfer at the hole edge.

Adhesives for surface mount clips

The patent pending super-groove design means the Fastmount® surface mount clips use a mechanical engagement to secure the clip, so adhesive selection is mostly dependent on the panel material.
We recommend two-part epoxies that are suitable for panel materials. A typical two-part epoxy will hold the clip at over three times the clipping load 66-88 lb (30-40kg) per clip.