For decades, design engineers faced a fastening challenge: use weld nuts for high-strength applications and deal with welding headaches, or settle for traditional rivet nuts that can’t handle the clamp load.
You can now say goodbye to these compromises thanks to the introduction of Class 10 / Grade 8 thread proof rivet nuts.
With high strength rivet nuts, engineers can deliver the same thread proof load values as typical high-clamp load fasteners, and eliminate welding entirely.
Can High Strength Rivet Nuts Really Replace Weld Nuts?
The short answer is yes. But it’s worth understanding why this shift is happening, because the benefits go beyond just matching bolt strength.
From production floor efficiency to total installed cost, high strength rivet nuts solve the problems that welding creates and deliver the performance that heavy-duty applications require.
Here’s why the industry is moving to high strength rivet nuts:
1.) Bolts have evolved, and nuts must keep up. In the automotive industry, chassis, suspension, cab, and frame designs routinely use Class 10.9 and Grade 8 bolts to save weight and increase strength. Until recently, the only nut options that could safely pair with those bolts were press-in clinch nuts and standard Class 10 / Grade 8 Hex nuts. Most standard rivet nuts topped out at Class 8 thread proof load performance. The mismatch created either costly over-spec’d joints or risky under-performing joints.
With high strength rivet nuts, Class 10.9 / Grade 8 bolts now have a partner.
2.) Weight reduction and electrification demand thinner, high-strength materials like high-strength steel, aluminum, and composite materials. But welding distorts thin sheet metal, creates heat-affected zones, and adds high-cost secondary operations.
High-strength rivet nuts install cleanly from one side with no heat and no weld splatter. And they can be post-painted or e-coated with hand tools.
3.) Assembly speed is now a competitive advantage, and welding stations are slow because they require skilled labor, ventilation, and fire-watch protocols. A rivet nut, however, installs in just 3-6 seconds with standard tooling, and often robotically.
Not only would manufacturing plants benefit from converting weld-nut locations because of more efficient assembly times, but the open floor space can be available for other revenue-generating channels.
High strength rivet nuts can now open up more options for design engineers but also on the assembly floor. Being able to be installed post-paint and with no worries about any time-consuming secondary processes makes assembly times faster and the total cost less expensive.
To learn more about Sherex High Strength rivet nuts, click here.