Riveting is widely used in applications where light weight and high strength are critical requirements. Preferred to methods such as welding where deformation and modification of material properties can occur, riveting is still a widely used mechanical fastener.

How it works

Many orbital riveting applications require a method to rivet to force. The orbital head moves down onto the part through the riveting process. Using a Process Signal Conditioner (model PSC 100, 200 , 300™), the force is continuously monitored until the set-point force is reached at which point the orbital riveting cycle is complete and the head retracts.

The piezo-strain transducer is mounted on the riveter frame and provides an output relative to the micro deflection of the frame during the orbital riveting operation. The sensor is connected to the PSC Module for signal conditioning and amplification providing a 0-10VDC output to the PLC analog input card. This analog input is scaled to engineering units and displayed on the operator interface. A user configurable set-point is also displayed which determines the relative peak force for the parts. The PLC program can provide an alert or inhibit the process if the force observed varies outside of acceptable tolerance.