The location of joints and rivets can be critical to strength and function when designing a part that requires orbital forming. This sometimes results in the rivet being close to another important part feature, which can lead to clearance concerns for the assembly process. Depending on how these part features interfere with the tooling during forming, there are a few powerhead options that can provide solutions. For one manufacturer, that solution came as Orbitform’s Anti-Rotate Device with an altered peen.
Clearing Nearby Part Features
This manufacturer was assembling a latch with a rivet that was close to an interior wall. While forming parts in our Solutions Lab, our Applications Engineers first used an altered peen only. While this did allow the forming tool to clear the inner wall, the amount of alteration required weakened the tooling. The peen flexed during forming, indicating that it would likely have shorter life in production.
Next, our engineers formed parts using an Anti-Rotate Device and an altered peen. This Anti-Rotate Device maintained the orientation of the peen, requiring alteration on only one side of the peen tool. Not only did this allow clearance around the inner wall, but it also provided for more robust tooling and longer life in production equipment.
Other Uses for Anti-Rotate
While most Anti-Rotate Devices are implemented to clear part features, it can also be effective in reducing or eliminating galling. During the standard forming process, the peen tool may cause some rivets to rotate. When this occurs, it can cause galling or rubbing on the head of the rivet, which may damage or disfigure the rivet. The Anti-Rotate Device maintains the orientation of the rivet, decreasing the likelihood of rotating the rivet, and reducing or eliminating the galling effect.
When designing assemblies for strength and function, clearance issues are sometimes unavoidable. With over 30 years of experience in forming, fastening, and assembly, our Assembly Experts can help solve your clearance issues. With options such as the Anti-Rotate Device, C-Frame Orbital Heads, and Long Stroke Powerheads, our engineers are ready to provide the right solution for your application. Contact us today to review your assembly requirements.