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Tag Archive: hex rivet nuts

1. Optisert Rivet Nut vs Hex Body Rivet Nut in Automation

   February 15, 2023 4:03 pm Leave a Comment

   It’s recommended that if manufacturers and assemblers can create a hex hole, using a hex body rivet nut is the best way to attach a joint together.

   But what if you’re using a fastener automation system? Is a hex body rivet nut the best rivet nut to use when installing them automatically through an automation installation system?

   Probably not. Especially now with Optisert available.

   With high volume installations of rivet nuts, automation is a best practice method. It’s faster than human installation, installations are perfect (and if they’re not the system will let you know), and it doesn’t need a human to install the rivet nuts. But when using a hexagonal hole to install hex body rivet nuts using automation, this is where things get tricky.

   

   Optisert vs. Hex Body Rivet Nut

   The automation feeder needs to be able to line up the points of the hex body rivet nut with the points of the hex body hole, perfectly. It’s not ideal, but possible through more expensive automation equipment. With a round body rivet nut into a round hole, there’s no need to worry about the points lining up… because, well, there’s no points on a round body rivet nut or a round hole!

   Oh yeah, but what about performance?

   So yes, hex body rivet nuts are recommended. It’s the best rivet nut at resisting spin-out. BUT, Optisert can hold its own. Its performance metrics are greater than a half hex body style rivet nut, and more similar to a full hex body style rivet nut in some base materials (softer materials like plastic, composite, aluminum). Plus, Optiserts are less expensive than full hex body style rivet nuts.

   So when deciding between full hex rivet nuts and round body rivet nuts for automation, rivet nut performance might not be the first criteria. Ease of installation for the automation system to run efficiently will be a high priority. With Optisert’s performance similar to a hex body rivet nut, and it being a round body, Optisert might very well be the best rivet nut option for automation on the market today.

2. Hex Body Rivet Nuts — Best In Class

   August 11, 2021 1:26 pm 1 Comment

   When most people think of rivet nuts, they think of little, round body fasteners that are easy to install and have a wide variety of uses.

   In reality, we should begin to think of them in hexagonal form. Hex body rivet nuts are amongst the strongest, best-performing rivet nuts on the market today.

   Hex body rivet nuts come in the same material as round body (aluminum, steel, stainless steel, etc.), they can have a large flange or small flange, and, like their round-body counterparts, can possess special features such as a mechanical lock to keep joints secure in high-vibration environments, or a watertight gasket to keep dirt, water, dust, or other potential corrosives from degrading the joint over time.

   Most importantly, hex body rivet nuts out perform their round body brothers in just about every performance metric available. Spin-out, torque out, push out and pull out. Look at the graphic below to see the overwhelming spin-out performance boost offered when switching to a half-hex or full-hex rivet nut body style.The hex body rivet nut is almost 10 times stronger than a typical, knurled round body rivet nut when installed in the same material. Due to their larger cross-sectional areas, full-hex rivet nut body styles also have increased thread performance as well as enhanced pull-out/push-out resistances when compared to their round-body and half-hex counterparts.

   

   Testing hex body rivet nuts in 1/4-inch thick steel for an agriculture equipment manufacturer

   Although hex body rivet nuts can be installed in any material, steel or harder materials will provide the best mechanical properties for improved performance. Just keep in mind the potential for galvanic corrosion when choosing certain materials for your rivet nut versus the base material it’s installing in.

   The only caveat with hex-body style rivet nuts? You need a hex hole to install them with. For many manufacturers, making hex holes quickly and reliably (or, sometimes, even at all) can be a complicated task and the main barrier of entry, but it’s a process that in the long run will make that manufacturer’s products perform better when using rivet nuts. Many manufacturers are making the switch, knowing the performance will last.

   Half-hex body rivet nuts are available as well, but they too need to be installed in hex holes. The prevailing advice is to go with full hex due to the previously-mentioned structural benefits provided by the larger cross sectional area. However, half-hex rivet nuts maintain many of the enhanced spin-out benefits at a lighter weight and at a lower cost.

   Sherex’s FHL, FHK Series and large style LRGH Series rivet nuts are becoming more and more popular and used by many manufactures in automotive, heavy truck, and construction and agriculture equipment industries.

   It’s really quite simple, if you can produce a hex hole, you should be using a hex body rivet nut. For more information about hex body rivet nuts and using them in your applications, contact us!