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Tag Archive: rivet nut installation

1. Sherex’s Mobile Process Monitoring System

   April 28, 2026 12:29 pm Comments Off on Sherex’s Mobile Process Monitoring System

   

   In the fast-paced world of automotive manufacturing, efficiency, precision, and adaptability are critical to staying ahead. For a one automotive tier, Sherex Fastening Solutions delivered a custom tooling solution to combine flexibility and precision: a Mobile Process Monitoring System, integrating the MDS A210 and FLEX-5 Process Monitoring System. This innovative system can help assemblers transform how rivet nut installations are managed, offering a wide-range of options on the assembly floor. Adding to this, the two state-of-the-art process monitoring systems offer mobility, quality assurance, and data-driven insights—all from a single, versatile platform.

   A New Standard in Flexibility

   Traditional rivet nut installation systems are often stationary, tethered to a single assembly cell. This can limit efficiency in dynamic production environments where flexibility is key. Sherex’s Mobile Process Monitoring System breaks this mold by mounting the powerful MDS A210 and FLEX-5 Process Monitoring System onto a mobile platform, allowing assemblers to move the tools seamlessly across the facility. Whether it’s navigating between workstations or adapting to shifting production demands, this solution ensures that high-quality installations can happen anywhere, anytime.

   The cart’s mobility allows assemblers in a variety of industries optimize their workflow without sacrificing precision. By bringing the tools directly to the point of installation, downtime is minimized, and productivity increases. This is particularly valuable in high-volume settings where every second counts, and the ability to reposition equipment quickly can make a significant difference in meeting tight production schedules.

   Precision and Quality with Process Monitoring

   At the heart of the Mobile Process Monitoring System is Sherex’s advanced Process Monitoring System, designed to ensure perfect rivet nut installations. The FLEX-5, paired with the MDS A210, delivers real-time quality assurance by evaluating each installation for both the rivet nut and the base material. The system provides immediate OK/NOK (Not OK) feedback, alerting operators to any issues during the installation process. If an installation is flagged as NOK, the system’s “stop tool” function halts operations, allowing for review and correction before proceeding, reducing errors and waste.

   The integration of these tools with a central controller takes quality control to the next level. The system collects critical data, including force and distance metrics, as well as the number of blind rivet nuts installed and overall parts produced. This data is stored and can be exported to a USB or server for detailed reporting, enabling manufacturers to track performance, identify trends, and maintain compliance with stringent industry standards, such as those required in automotive assembly.

   

   Data-Driven Efficiency

   The Mobile Process Monitoring System reporting capabilities provide historical installation data, offering a clear view of production efficiency and quality over time. With customizable settings and easy-to-read screens, operators can quickly interpret data and make informed decisions. This level of transparency is invaluable for automotive tier assemblers, where maintaining high standards while minimizing costs is a constant balancing act.

   By ensuring perfect installations, the cart helps reduce material waste and rework, driving down costs while boosting overall efficiency. The 2-3 second cycle time of the FLEX-5 and about 5-6 seconds for the MDS A210 ensures that high-volume production lines keep moving without compromising quality. For industries like automotive, where process monitoring is increasingly a requirement, this solution aligns perfectly with evolving quality standards.

   Why It Matters

   Sherex’s Mobile Process Monitoring Cart is more than just a rivet nut installation tool—it’s a strategic advantage. By combining the mobility of a cart-based system with the precision of the MDS A210 and FLEX-5, Sherex has created a solution that adapts to the current needs of assemblers in not only automotive, but all industries. Whether it’s installing rivet nuts in aluminum, composites, or other materials, this system delivers consistent, reliable results across diverse applications.

   Ready to elevate your assembly process? Learn more about Sherex’s Process Monitoring Systems and discover how our Mobile Process Monitoring Cart can drive efficiency, quality, and flexibility in your facility. Contact our team today to explore how this innovative solution can be tailored to your production needs.

2. Installing Rivet Nuts Into Curved Surfaces

   May 21, 2021 4:51 pm Comments Off on Installing Rivet Nuts Into Curved Surfaces

   For installing rivet nuts into flat materials, the solution is usually rather simple when it comes to geometry. It usually just comes down to making sure there’s sufficient clearance for installation and the right hole size to properly fit the rivet nut. Since the material is flat, the only thing to worry about is ensuring the rivet nut is suitable for use with the thickness of that material.

   With curved materials, the options may be narrowed down, and a solution may become more complex.

   

   Installing Rivet Nuts in Curved Surfaces

   The options depend specifically on the curvature of the material. Since the entire circumference of a rivet nut collapses onto the material, the geometry of the rivet nut’s crimping bubble will possess the same curvature as the material it’s mating to.

   If the base thickness is in the middle of a rivet nut’s grip range, the curvature may not have a significant effect, as the grip range would cover all of the effective thicknesses that rivet nut is crimping onto. However, if a rivet nut is installing into a base thickness toward the upper edge of its grip range, it may have trouble properly installing if the curvature is at all substantial. To account for this, there are two main options.

   

   Material thickness plays a big role in determining whether a rivet nut can be installed in a curved surface

   The first option, sometimes preferable for thicker curved material, would be a swaging-style rivet nut. These rivet nuts expand into the installation pane rather than crimp onto it, and thus only have to meet a minimum thickness requirement. Swaging styles are recommended for high (or variable) thickness applications where high joint strength is not an option.

   For improved spin-out, pull-out, and torque-out performance, pre-bulbed and slotted rivet nut styles are the recommended option for variable thicknesses. These rivet nuts are typically suitable for large thicknesses, but also a wide range of them. This is because the slots of the rivet nut fold over to collapse onto the material, rather than a significantly smaller counterbore region found in other body styles.

   

   Typical round body rivet nut in curved material

   If installing tin to curved surfaces and have questions, feel free to reach out to Sherex’s engineering team with application details and performance requirements. Whether for standard round or hex body rivet nuts, swaging, slotted, or pre-bulbed, Sherex will help guide to users to a recommendation we have the tools to determine the best solution for you.