fastening & assembly solutions and technology - Approved Business

The firewall for the Volvo cab
to high strength steel resulted in early
fatigue failures, with cracks starting from
spotwelds in highly stressed areas of the
structure.
Changing the joining process to
Henrob self-pierce riveting eliminated
the fatigue cracking and allowed Volvo to
remove expensive strengthening panels
that had been added to counteract the
original problem.
Reduced production costs
Manufacturing vehicles uses a lot of natural
resources, not just in the vehicles
themselves but also in the factory systems
used to produce them. Any reduction in
the use of services such as air, water and
Weight-saving in the design of Volvo truck cabs
led to the adoption of self-piercing technology
electricity has an immediate and significant
impact on a manufacturer’s operating
costs and, of course, profits.
This is one area where adopting self-
pierce riveting has really paid dividends
for forward thinking automotive manufacturers.
Using the latest servo driven
tools, the self-pierce process requires
only a minimal amount of power to
implement, and as the process doesn’t
generate heat or sparks there is no
requirement for expensive cooling water,
fume extraction or the level of operator
protection found in a welding
environment.
The Jaguar XJ super lightweight body structure
is a mixture of aluminium sheet, extrusion, casting,
steel and epoxy adhesive
Indeed, one automotive manufacturer
that installed a complete self-pierce production
line found that they didn’t need
to install a sprinkler system, and their
insurance premiums had dropped significantly
due to the reduced fire risk.
But the benefit of adopting the selfpierce
process does not end with the bottom
line. There are other less tangible
advantages to be enjoyed, such as a quiet
and clean working environment for operators
and visitors and a reduced inspection
requirement due to the consistent
and monitored self-pierce process.
As the drive for fuel efficiency and
weight reduction continues its relentless
pace, forward thinking automotive manufactures
are turning increasingly to
alternative joining technologies to produce
vehicle body structures that would
have been impossible to manufacture
Piercing sequence of the Henrob technology
FAST OCTOBER 2011
The Jaguar body is assembled using self-pierce
riveting and is light enough to lift
and assemble just a few years ago.
With numerous benefits, both in
improved vehicle quality and reduced
cost of manufacture, self-pierce riveting
is at the forefront of vehicle assembly
techniques. Henrob’s development team
is actively looking to extend the capabilities
of the process to meet tomorrow’s
demands for versatile and
practical self-pierce joining
processes.
HENROB 01244 837220
Riveting system
mounted on a robot
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