Self-piercing rivets chosen for truck cabs
A
Henrob Direct product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team
Jul 2, 2007
Freightliner decided to invest in sophisticated robotic riveting cells to assemble its all-aluminium cab structures.
Henrob was charged with designing riveting tools for Freightliner Trucks in the US.
Freightliner has long relied on Henrob to supply both the self-piercing rivets and tools used in the manufacture of its Century Class range of heavy truck cabs, with the process now adopted throughout all of Freightliner's manufacturing plants.
"Because the rivets are self-piercing, no skin drilling is required".
"Henrob rivets can be applied manually or robotically with consistent quality" says Hans Mussgnug, SVP Manufacturing at Freightliner.
For its latest project, Freightliner decided to invest in sophisticated robotic riveting cells to assemble the all-aluminium cab structures.
Henrob was required to design and manufacture a range of riveting tools suitable for such highly automated production, while giving access to all areas of the cab requiring joining.
Based on its experience implementing robotic riveting systems at Jaguar, Land Rover, Hyundai and other automotive manufacturing plants around the world, Henrob was able to design and supply sophisticated servo driven riveting tools, with all the accessories required to integrate seamlessly into Freightliner's assembly process.
However, the sheer size of the Freightliner cabs meant that Henrob had to design its largest robot-mounted riveting tools ever attempted, with a reach of over 1200mm.
Obviously, with a riveting tool of this size, weight becomes a serious issue when trying to mount the tool on a robot.
In order to constrain the tool weight to a level that the robots could handle, Henrob had to use advanced design algorithms combined with finite element optimisation and state of the art manufacturing processes to produce a tool that was lightweight, yet stiff enough to withstand the 5 tonnes force generated during rivet insertion.
The resulting lightweight tool was based on a skeletal framework, rather than the commonly used solid body, with stresses throughout the framework balanced to maintain optimum quality for the riveted joint.
Henrob also supplies self-pierce riveting systems for applications as diverse as wheelbarrows, steel framed buildings, point of sale displays and road signs.
Not what you're looking for? Search the site.
Google Ads
Contact Henrob Direct
Related Stories
- Araldite adhesive bonds components and fixtures
- TFC supplies sealing rings for diesel engines
- Coiled spring pin used in oil pump design
- Tolerance ring solves ETC problems
- Cash till maker uses double torsion spring
Articles by product category
- Consultancy and Services (903)
- Machine Building (4,517)
-
Engineering Design Software (6,179)
- Engineering Design Software (12)
- 2D CAD software (200)
- 3D CAD software (1,157)
- FEA and structural analysis software (369)
- Fluid, thermal, noise, vibration software (334)
- Simulation, modelling, validation software (914)
- Rendering, visualisation, styling software (196)
- Materials design and moulding design software (151)
- Process, instrumentation, automation software (258)
- Electrical design software (164)
- Publishing and documentation software (229)
- Maths, charting, statistics, QA software (317)
- Data, document management software (310)
- CAM, CNC, production management software (568)
- File conversion software, data capture (351)
- PLM and collaboration software (649)
-
Drives, Motors and Controls (3,361)
- Drives, Motors and Controls (1)
- Precision Motors and Gears (411)
- Industrial Drives/Controls (1,276)
- Linear Drives and Motors (114)
- Industrial Motors (497)
- Stepper and Servo Drives, Motors, Controls (1,060)
- Small Mechanical Components, Joining, Tools (1,975)
-
Control and Instrumentation (5,028)
- Plantwide control (1,324)
- Plant- and Machine-Wide Communications (1,174)
- Smaller-Sized PLCs (387)
- CNC and Motion Controllers (184)
- Mid-range and Large PLCs (201)
- Power Supplies, Uninterruptible Power (562)
- HMIs/Operator Interfaces (294)
- Logic Controllers, Timers and Relays (96)
- Cabling, Conduit, Signal Conditioning (806)
-
Monitoring, Measurement and Quality (5,459)
- Monitoring, Measurement and Quality (1)
- Data acquisition Software and Communications (494)
- Data Acquisition Hardware and PC I/O Boards (472)
- Electrical and Electronic Testing, PAT Equipment (630)
- Form/co-ordinate, optical, vision instruments (703)
- Gauges, Indicators and Instruments (440)
- Data loggers (422)
- Materials testing equipment (421)
- Telecomms/network test equipment, software etc (154)
- Testing and Calibration Services and Information (500)
- Testing, analysing and monitoring equipment (1,222)
-
Electrical and Electronic Equipment Design (4,160)
- Batteries, chargers and circuit protection (555)
- Connectors, Terminals, Busbars, Slip Rings (679)
- Enclosures and Equipment Cooling Fans (709)
- Knobs, Handles and Enclosure Hardware (420)
- PCs and Embedded Systems (798)
- Electrical and Electronic Subassemblies (369)
- Electrical and Electronic Components (630)
-
Materials and Processing (2,963)
- Materials and Processing (5)
- Materials and components (2,215)
- Rapid Prototyping (458)
- Materials processing and testing (285)
-
Engineering Industry News, Resources (6,093)
- Engineering Industry News, Resources (4)
- Engineering Business News, Views (388)
- Engineering Exhibitions, Events (562)
- Engineering Conferences (425)
- Engineering Seminars (400)
- Engineering Industry Developments, Awards (633)
- Engineering Guides, Newsletters (349)
- Engineering Recruitment, Employment (219)
- Engineering Training Courses (433)
- Engineering Education, Resources, Standards (838)
- Engineering Industry Reports, Surveys (597)
- Electronic Resources for Engineers (278)
- Health and Safety Legislation (402)
- Health and Safety Strategy, Risk Assessment (113)
- Health and Safety Consultancy, Software (175)
- Health and Safety Events, Training, News (277)
-
Powertrain Design (3,598)
- Powertrain Design (2)
- Bearings (939)
- Chains and belts (326)
- Gears, brakes, couplings and engines (1,441)
- Hydraulic Components (471)
- Lubricants (418)
-
Capital Equipment (3,387)
- Capital Equipment (1)
- Manufacturing Machinery and Plant Equipment (468)
- Production line blowers and fans (62)
- Compressors and Air Treatment (510)
- Electronics Manufacturing, Tools, Instruments (192)
- Electrical hardware (131)
- Machinery and Production Equipment (1,093)
- Robotics, Handling and Storage (930)
-
Sensors (7,080)
- Sensors (8)
- Accelerometers and Vibration Sensors (427)
- Loadcells, Force Sensors, Torque Sensors (699)
- Pressure sensors (621)
- Flowmeters and Flow Sensors (618)
- Level Sensors and Leak Detectors (527)
- Linear Position Sensors (399)
- Rotary Position, Tilt and Angular Sensors (546)
- Proximity Sensors (700)
- Gas, Chemical, Radiation, Magnetic Sensors (284)
- Humidity and Environmental Sensors (152)
- Temperature sensors (612)
- Vision and Colour Sensors (1,384)
- Barcode Sensors (103)
- Valves, Pumps, Process Hardware (3,623)
