Archive: May 2020

Hand Tool Calibration Unit Crucial for Quality, and Root Cause Analysis

By Frank Genovese, Sherex Applications Engineer

A lot of work goes into assembly design, and it’s important to ensure your product goes out of the facility with everything manufactured to specification. While sampling can assist with quality assurance, it’s always a good idea to have an in-process check to quickly determine whether or not your assembly is being put together correctly.

When it comes to rivet nuts, quality of installation can vary based on a wide array of factors. These factors may include, but are not limited to: air pressure being supplied to your tool, the setting of the tool’s load adjustment mechanism (when applicable), integrity of the tool itself, installation pane thickness, operator use of the tool, or part quality. With so many possible root causes it’s nice to have a way to narrow things down.

The new Sherex Hand Tool Calibration Unit is an asset that allows operators to insert a spin-spin or spin-pull tool, test an install, and receive the peak load put out by the tool during that install. This essentially takes the guess work out of setting your installations and allows you to calibrate the tool accordingly. The unit is able to capture and store historical data, including moving averages to allow operators to note any possible changes in installation load over time, and then immediately make adjustments to the tool to correct its course whenever necessary. This will help with planning tool maintenance and to become more comfortable with how the tool operates.

More Than Just Calibration
This also allows operators or engineers to better determine if there is a problem during installation. Was it air pressure, gun not setting correctly, quality of rivet nuts, material thickness issue? The Hand Tool Calibration Unit can help determine or eliminate root causes during analysis if a problem exists.

Another benefit, with the ability to easily perform in-process quality checks on your tool, you can further design your internal fabrication and changeover processes to ensure you strike the perfect balance between quality and speed, especially when installing more than one type of rivet nut.

To assist with your in-house applications, the Sherex Engineering Department has put together a whole host of reference material to provide recommended installation loads for a host of different product lines, thread sizes, and grip ranges. This material should give significant guidance on proper use of our tools and parts.

The calibration unit is a tool for quality. It lets operators know how their tool is operating, takes the guess work out of setting installations, and helps in determining the root causes of any rivet nut installation issues.

Sherex Hand Tool Calibration Unit Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Download Release (PDF)
May 18, 2020 (Tonawanda, NY) – Sherex Fastening Solutions, a global leader in engineered fasteners, tooling, and automation, is excited to announce the release of its Hand Tool Calibration Unit.

The Hand Tool Calibration Unit measures the pulling force for both pneumatic and hydro-pneumatic rivet nut tools to ensure the tool is meeting the required setting force to install into the application.

With the ability to measure the pulling force of a tool before performing an install, operators are assured the tool is calibrated correctly for a perfect install. This will help manufactures and operators improve the quality of their rivet nut installations in real time.

“The development of the Hand Tool Calibration Unit is a direct result from feedback from our customers and manufactures,” said Sherex president, Adam Pratt. “Our customers wanted a tool that could show the pulling force of both pneumatic and hydro-pneumatic tools, and get results in real time. Manufacturers and operators will see an increase in quality, and will be able to better determine if their spin-spin or spin-pull tools need to be calibrated or require maintenance.”

Improving the quality of rivet nut installations has trickle-down benefits that will help manufactures save money, schedule maintenance, and decrease waste.

“This is more than just a calibration unit, it’s a tool to ensure quality,” Pratt said. “Every manufacture that uses pneumatic or hydro-pneumatic tools to install rivet nuts should have this asset at their work station.”

Watch a demo of the tool here: https://youtu.be/jL_u8qqj0qg

The Hand Tool Calibration Unit is available now. Visit www.sherex.com/calibration-unit for videos, resources and more information.

About Sherex Fastening Solutions:
Sherex Fastening Solutions is a leading manufacturer of fasteners for thin sheet material applications in steel, aluminum, and composite materials. Sherex manufactures rivet nuts, clinch nuts, inserts for composite, stud and nut plates, and through the acquisition of Disc-Lock®, wedge-locking washers and nuts. Sherex, headquartered in Buffalo, NY, with offices in the UK and Mexico, has two strategic production facilities: Sherex Taiwan, located in Chungli, Taiwan, is certified to IATF 16949:2016, ISO 14001 and has an ISO 17025 accredited lab, and Sherex Akron, located in Akron, Ohio, is certified to ISO 9001:2015 and AS 9100. Sherex has grown to 200 employees and services a wide-range of industries, including automotive, general manufacturing, energy, agricultural, and aerospace and defense.

For more information, contact Erich Neuhaus, 716-332-4869.

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