The Sherex Fastener Fix blog is supposed to be an unbiased, informative, technical and thoughtful conversation on all things fasteners. But once in a while we have to toot our own horn.
Sherex’s patented RIV-FLOAT® rivet nut is truly great. It allows for greater ease of assembly because fastening can occur when the through bolt is off-center.
How does this happen? There’s a .02-inch radial floating nut inside the rivet nut, which allows the bolt going through the rivet nut to be a slightly off-center while pulling the attachments together. Think of when you’re assembling a piece of furniture and you’re trying to get the final attachment holes to line up exactly for your bolt or screw. It can be a pain! With a RIV-FLOAT installed in base attachment, there can be a little play while joining the attachments together with a bolt or screw. And since RIV-FLOAT is a rivet nut, there is no need to attach a nut to the backside.
>>Check out the RIV-FLOAT video on our YouTube Page
RIV-FLOAT development started in 2007. An aerospace customer had an application that required floating threads. The concept was worked on by engineering, and from there it went from drawings to life and eventually a patent.
“The idea came from a customer specific request,” Sherex president Adam Pratt recalled, “but we thought the idea had promise for other markets so we developed the product.”
Other markets include automotive, construction and agriculture equipment, and general industry applications. Applications in these industries are wide ranging. RIV-FLOAT has been used for enclosures for mounting large door panels and in difficult fastening locations where the drive angle can’t get square to the base material.
“RIV-FLOAT can improve ergonomics and improve safety,” Pratt said. “RIV-FLOAT gives customers that adjustment they need to easily assemble these applications.”
When it comes to performance, RIV-FLOAT actually performs better than most standard round body rivet nuts. RIV-FLOAT’s size is a little bigger, which helps. Also, spin-out performance is improved too since the internal threads of the RIV-FLOAT help align the screw angle of the bolt during assembly.
“This dramatically reduces the cross-threading risk in the application and aids in speeding up assembly,” Pratt said.
Overall, RIV-FLOAT combines ingenuity, performance, and efficiency for a quality fastener that can improve the assembly and performance of any application. For more information, visit RIV-FLOAT’s product page, or contact us!