High Quality Rivets Are Essential for CNC Machines(uses for rivets Ron)
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- source:YESCOM CNC Machining
What Makes a High Quality Rivet?
There are several key factors that differentiate premium rivets from average or inferior options:
Material: Aircraft-grade aluminum is the ideal material for most rivets due to its strength, light weight, and corrosion resistance. Steel, copper, and titanium alloys are also used for specialty applications. The material must have consistent properties throughout each rivet.
Dimensions: Quality rivets adhere to tight dimensional tolerances for the head, shank, and tail. Consistency in size allows for precision fitting into CNC-drilled holes.
Head Shape: Depending on the application, rivet heads are available in several shapes like round, countersunk, and modified braodhead. Rivets within each head shape category should have a uniform profile.
Strength: Given the same dimensions, high quality rivets have higher shear and tensile strength than economy versions, providing more reliable fastening power.
Coatings: Premium rivets often receive surface treatments like anodization or lubricants. These enhance wear resistance, prevent galling and corrosion, and ease driving.
Testing: Reputable manufacturers test rivets for defects and confirm mechanical properties. Rivets should meet industry testing standards like ASME, NAS, AN, and MS.
Why Rivet Quality Matters for CNC
On CNC machines, the programs dictate everything from hole placement to rivet fedding and driving. So if the rivets themselves have variability in their dimensions, materials, coatings, or strength, the following problems can occur:
Poor Fit: Inconsistent sizing may lead to loose or extra tight rivets, causing misalignment, José of structural integrity, and irregular surfaces.
Jams: Variations in rivet coatings and dimensions can cause feeding and driving issues leading to downtime. Weak or flawed rivets are also prone to jamming.
Damage: Inferior strength rivets may fracture or deform rather than clinch properly. They can damage the CNC equipment over prolonged use.
Troubleshooting: Any defects draw out debugging efforts, as engineers must determine whether it stems from the CNC program, tools, or the individual rivets themselves.
Scrap: Bad rivets ultimately mean scrapped workpieces, wasted time, and higher costs.
How CNC Capabilities Demand Better Rivets
The capabilities of CNC machining warrant using the highest performing rivets available. Here are some examples:
Precision Drilling: CNC machines can drill holes with tolerances down to 0.001 inches. Quality rivets are essential for mating properly with such tight precision.
Automated Insertion: CNC automated rivet feeding, orientation, and placement helps improve volume production. But it requires each rivet to have consistent dimensions and features.
Advanced Materials: Aircraft and other industries use CNC to machine exotic alloys difficult to work with. This demands rivets that can withstand aggressive environments and join dissimilar materials.
Complex Shapes: CNC allows drilling rivet patterns along contours and angles difficult or impossible to do manually. The rivets must cling perfectly to curved surfaces.
Higher Speeds: CNC machines drive rivets at very high speeds, exerting more force on each rivet. Only premium rivets have the strength and integrity for this.
In assessing rivets for CNC applications, keep in mind that quality matters more than the lowest price. The few pennies potentially saved per rivet by going with a budget option will rarely justify the costs of rebuilding flawed assemblies and troubleshooting jammed equipment. By choosing rivets that meet strict material, dimensional, strength, and testing specs, manufacturers can push the limits of CNC productivity while producing durable and reliable finished products. CNC Milling CNC Machining