Hot Upset Process Forms Tungsten Rivets
Posted on 05/02/2018 | by The Orbitform Blog Team
At Orbitform, it all starts with the customer’s part. An Orbitform customer needed an assembly process that required forming tungsten rivets. Tungsten has one of the highest melting points of any metal, requiring a unique assembly solution.
The customer was using hot riveting, which involved preheating the rivet with a torch and then forming it with an orbital machine. The problem was, when the heat was removed the tungsten rivet would cool, creating a brittle condition that was prone to cracking. They contacted Orbitform for help in providing a winning solution.
With an unbiased approach, Orbitform identified their hot upset process as the answer for the application. The hot upset process uses heat, created by electrical resistance, along with pressure to form the fastener. The material being formed becomes malleable and collapses under the pressure applied by the Orbitform powerhead. This process allows materials like tungsten, molybdenum, stainless steel, and other exotic metals to easily be formed.
Orbitform engineers used the Orbitform Solutions Lab results to develop a hot upset machine to form the tungsten rivets. The results were a major improvement on the original part for the customer, increasing part quality, consistency, and throughput.
Click here to view a quick video demonstrating this process. VIEW VIDEO