Riveting is old technology.  Place a rivet in a hole, apply pressure to and deform the tenon to create the head, and you create a permanent bond.

But riveting is not an unchanging technology, according to Orbitform sales VP Bryan Wright.

“When you think of the process broadly as just one of many permanent mechanical fastening methods, you’ll find that the innovation abounds,” writes in The Fabricator.

What works best depends as always on the application, including workpiece thickness, joint strength requirements, part volume, and required flexibility.  But before digging deeper, it’s important to understand the technology options along with the ingredients that can get the best out of each process.

Wright discusses impact riveting, orbital riveting, radial riveting and orbital forming.

“Orbital riveting is part of a broader family of processes called orbital forming, where the peen tool is held at a fixed angle to create a sweeping line of pressure,” according to Wright.

Another variation is orbital flaring. Instead of a solid rivet, the process uses a flaring peen-tool geometry that flares semitubular or tubular rivet tenons, which are also used in conventional riveting.

All of this is just “the tip of the iceberg of permanent mechanical fastening,” according to Wright. 

“Whatever the exact method, any permanent fastening strategy needs to meet manufacturing throughput demands and a part’s functional and cosmetic requirements.  It’s about moving material to the right places and in the right way to make that happen.”

Click here to read Wright’s article.