Advantages of Orbital Riveting and Forming
Posted on 06/04/2017 | by The Orbitform Blog Team
We love running experiments in the Orbitform customer solutions lab!
A customer asked us to test the orbital forming of a wheel shaft into and around the hexagon shaped hole in a plate. The plate acts as a wheel hub for a type of lawn and garden equipment. The customer desired to replace welding with an improved permanent assembly process. The purpose of the experiment was to identify the proper product design by assembling several shaft / plate combinations with differing variables such as; shaft lengths, shaft diameters, plate thicknesses, plate hole dimensions, orbital peen tool shapes, orbital forming forces, and orbital forming depths.
The Orbitform lab technicians outlined a design of experiments to process a variety of component and process setting combinations and then performed post assembly dimensional measuring, push out force testing, torque testing, and other special quality analysis.
It might be surprising to learn a round shaft can be orbitally formed to fit inside a hexagon shaped hole, but that is one of the advantages of the Orbitform orbital riveting and orbital forming technology.
Orbitform’s experience with orbital forming allows us to help solve customer’s forming, fastening, riveting, and product assembly challenges, including the help we provided to an outdoor equipment manufacturer desiring to assemble a round shaft and a plate with a hexagon shaped hole.
If you think this type of assembly process analysis could help your product development efforts or your manufacturing operation, please contact us by clicking here.