Limitations of bolted joins	Joinlox Advantages
Slow and fiddly	Typically many times faster to make a join
Requires torque tensioning for critical joins	Torque tensioning is automatic and set by the design
Requires bolts, nuts or locking nuts, and washers or locking washers	Usually only one joining key per seam
Point loading stresses	Even load
Cannot be used with brittle materials	Suitable for a range of materials, including ceramics and glass
Bolts and nuts relatively slow to make and can only be made out of a limited range of materials	Key or parts can be made of rubber, plastic, steel, aluminium and more to suit desired joint properties
Requires relatively thick bolting flange	Less material needed

Limitations of clipped joins	Joinlox Advantages
Chiefly used because it is fast to join and suited to mass production, particularly of consumer electronic or electrical products and toys	Easy to disassemble joins without damage to parts (but less applicable to this application)
Materials selection is limited to flexible materials such as thermoplastics	Suitable for a wider range of materials
Suited to short lifespan parts with designed obsolescence	More applicable to durable long lifecycle products where the extra cost of tooling can be justified
Clip-type seals are cheaper to make but only have a limited number of open and close cycles	Can be opened and closed many times without reducing effectiveness
When used for pail lids the size is limited because of the forces required to open and close seals	Can be used for much larger and non-circular sealed joints, such as 200-litre drums or shipping container panels

Limitations of glue joins	Joinlox advantages
Chemical incompatibility between materials	Can work with wide range of materials
Required bond strength sometimes takes some time to achieve	Joint strength is immediate
Bond can weaken or fail over time or in different environment	Mechanical bond should typically retain its original properties for a longer life
Can not be easily reversed once bonded	Reusable joints can be disassembled easily and quickly
Volatile Organic Compounds and off-gases can be a health/environmental hazard	None or significantly less off-gassing depending on the materials involved
Bond is sometimes rapid. Precise alignment often difficult to achieve	Self aligning and easily adjusted
Preparation can be vital	Little or no preparation required

Limitations of riveted joints	Joinlox advantages
Time consuming	Quick to fit
Material wastage on some types of rivets	Virtually no wastage.
Usually restricted to flat sheets or through holes	Can be used on a variety of join types
Difficult to remove and replace	Easy to replace worn or damaged parts
Pop rivet shaft can break before parts are drawn together correctly	Joinlox key always pulls the parts tightly together in the correct alignment when locked up
Must be made of ductile material (metals)	Variety of materials can be used
Subject to shear stress during part flexing	Reduced shear stress by creating tensile and bending stresses
Limited control over joint tension	Can be designed to give the calculated pre-tension
Point loading stress where rivets are used	Load spread more evenly along the join
Can crack brittle materials such as perspex as rivets expand	Can be safely designed for brittle materials

Limitations of threaded joints	Joinlox Advantages
Over-tightening can cause jumped or stripped thread joint failure	Joins are made to a preset designed tension and cannot be over-tightened
Large and expensive spanners and tension wrenches are often needed to tighten threads to the correct torque	Can be as simple as hammering a key into position
Limited to use on circular parts	Can be used on multitude of join shapes
Can undo on driven shafts which rotate in both directions	Can take large torsional stresses without unlocking
Grit and debris problematic, especially for plastic threads	Suitable for both soft and hard materials. Can tolerate dirt and debris
Radial alignment of parts is difficult to achieve with precision	Contacts, wires or hoses on one part can be aligned with mating features on the other. No twisting alignment issues
Friction is a problem on large parts and limits the maximum thread diameter	Joinlox keys can be made in suitable length segments to avoid friction limitations
Multistart threads are difficult to make and engage	Easy to engage mating parts, no crossed threads
Not suitable for soft, compressible or elastic materials (ie rubber)	Can be used to join hard parts to soft or brittle to elastic materials
Threads more difficult to machine or mould	Typically can be extruded, moulded, punched or automated easily. Typically has no undercuts

Limitations of clamped joints	Joinlox advantages
Slower to fit	Faster to secure joints
Need more access around clamp for fitting	Usually does not need much access for fitting
Requires correct tensioning	Pre-tensioning is automatic
Suitable for limited materials	Suitable for wide range of materials

Limitations of crimped joints	Joinlox advantages
Used to join metal to incompatible materials, like ceramic or insulated plastic	Can be used for most materials
Joints not designed to be serviced. Non serviceable assembles are discarded.	Solenoids and other composite electrical assemblies can be easily serviced so lower lifecycle cost

Limitations of pressed joints	Joinlox advantages
Requires a press and specialized jigs	Joints can be made in the field without specialized tools
One-use joint. Generally not reversible	Parts can be easily disassembled
Compact joint with minimal visual impact	Can be made with low visual impact but typically not as compact as pressed joints
Good for only some types of materials that are not prone to crack or relax over time	Suited to a wide range of materials
Good for permanent non-reversible factory-made joints in flexible or ductile materials	More suitable for post-production serviceable joins in almost any combination of materials
Usually not suitable for gas-tight joints	Good for gas-tight joints

Limitations of screwed joints	Joinlox advantages
Screw must be carefully tensioned to avoid stripping thread	Joint pre-tension is set by the key design
Self tapping screw joints can be used limited times as the part threads wear out	Can be locked and unlocked many times without damage
Requires multiple screws	Typically only one part per edge
Time-consuming and fiddly	Fast, easy joins
Point loads can lead to joint or seal failure under load	Spread loads give a more secure and reliable join and seal

Limitations of welded joints	Joinlox advantages
Requires specialist equipment and skills	Requires only basic tools and low skill level
Heat affected distortion of materials is always difficult to maintain required tolerances	No heat required and therefore very tight tolerances can be achieved.
Burring on inside of pipe or vessel can be problematic	Can be made without burrs
Slower and more difficult to apply in the field	Fast to complete and no NDT needed. Joints have predictable strength properties
Tricky to automate for odd-shaped parts	Compound curves no real obstacle
Cannot be easily taken apart	Joints usually easily reversible
Soldered joints make replacement difficult	Electrical components easily exchanged, and can still achieve reliable electrical contact