This is Part 2 of a 4-part series on Blind Rivets

In part one of our series on blind rivets, we briefly looked at the history of the blind (a.k.a. pop) rivet and discussed the two most important considerations to maximize joint integrity when using them: Grip Range and Hole Size. If you have not yet read that post, click HERE.

We'll now break down the third and fourth most important aspects to consider to maximize joint integrity using blind rivets: Material and Installation Tooling.

• Material - A good rule of thumb when selecting a blind rivet is to use the same material rivet as the substrate into which it's being installed. If you're riveting sheets of steel together, use a steel rivet. The same goes for aluminum and stainless steel. This is important because using dissimilar metals may result in galvanic corrosion, depending on the application's environment.
•  

Installation Tooling - What role exactly does installation tooling play in how a blind rivet works? It's simple. An installation tool has one job … to pull the stem of the blind rivet up through the rivet body until the pull force of the tool overcomes the tensile strength of the rivet stem, resulting in the stem breaking off at its predetermined breakpoint.

There's nothing more to it than that. All strength parameters and application criteria of a properly installed blind rivet reside within the rivet itself. If the installation tool breaks off the blind rivet stem, it's done its job. So, this means that the primary consideration for blind rivet installation tooling is accessibility. Can the tool fit into the area around where the rivet needs to go? Fortunately, there are many different configurations and types of tooling available. So, in most cases, you'll find an installation tool that quite literally "fits" your needs.

Current events have caused many manufacturers to shut down and then reopen. This can cause large backlogs of orders and have manufacturing teams scrambling to get product out the door. Plexus structural adhesives have been utilized to increase the production of parts per hour, decrease the number of manufacturing steps, and reduce the amount of floor space required to manufacture goods.

Plexus products provide a wide range of structural adhesives that offer primerless adhesion for multiple materials. These adhesives often deliver as much strength, or more, than traditional joining techniques, with the added benefit of improved manufacturing output.

Statistics from the National Truck Equipment Association indicate commercial (cargo) van sales increased by 56.7% between 2013 and 2019, and there's no sign of that trend slowing down. While cargo vans are becoming more and more common for delivery services (if you've had an Amazon delivery lately, you know this to be true), they're also widely used by businesses of all types as service vehicles. 

Larger vehicles, such as box trucks, will always have a substantial market position for their advantage in capacity. This is especially true for delivery services as their size advantage allows for the delivery of larger items and helps to minimize trips. However, cargo vans generally cost less to purchase, and their smaller size makes them more fuel-efficient and able to fit into tighter spaces. This economy and agility make cargo vans a better choice for delivering smaller parcels and for use as service vehicles.

Using Data to Build Your Business

Using data to measure your business's success helps you see a clear picture of where your business stands. Numbers don't lie -- you can tell how your business is doing and set goals based on past and present metrics. These Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) help your business stay on track to goals, quotas and let you know where you stand. Austin Hardware® covers this more in-depth here.

Aren't you ready to stop focusing on the small things like purchase orders, supply chain headaches, too many vendors, etc.? It's time to start focusing on what really matters – what new product improvements are needed to drive sales, how vendors can align with you to exceed your corporate or department goals, what manufacturing processes need revisiting. It's time to start building business relationships, setting long-term goals, growing your business, and preparing for future growth.

Austin Hardware's team of experts can help take your business to the next level. If staying on track for your future goals is your concern, keep reading to see how Austin Hardware's use of data analytics and solutions can help your business stay on track this year.

This is Part 1 of a 4-part series on Blind Rivets.

What is a blind rivet? Simply put, it's a rivet that can be installed from just one side of the application, thus the term "blind."

The development of blind rivets can be traced back to the aircraft industry.

According to Assembly magazine,

"The blind rivet was originally developed as a replacement fastener for solid rivets where service repair was required. Blind rivets also trace their roots to the aircraft industry. Before blind rivets were widely accepted, installation of solid aluminum rivets in fuselages, wings and other airframe components typically required two assemblers: one person with a rivet hammer on one side of the structure and a second person with a bucking bar on the other side. Since rivets were often inaccessible from both sides of the work, this assembly process was extremely slow and very time consuming."

Continuing with the history lesson, blind rivets were initially dubbed "pop rivets" because of the popping sound made during installation when the stem (a.k.a. mandrel) breaks off. Later, the originating company branded its version of blind rivets as POP® rivets. To this day, blind rivets are generically known as "POP rivets," much the same way tissues are referred to by the prominent brand Kleenex. But in reality, while all POP® rivets are blind rivets, not all blind rivets are necessarily the POP® brand. Interestingly, while the roots of the original POP® fasteners live on, the company is now a part of STANLEY Engineered Fasteners, a division of Staley Black & Decker. 

Easy Open Vents by Austin Hardware®

Our engineering team here at Austin Hardware® would like to introduce another patented solution for your business: the Easy Open Vent. This patented design opens both left-facing and right-facing, making it an easily adaptable solution for different applications and industries. Designed with the end-user in mind, the Easy Open Vent or EOV is a great solution for your ventilation needs.

Another great design aspect is that the EOV also has three different adjustment levels per side. It also has low-profile and raised-profile options and both right and left opening capabilities. You can also customize this product with different materials and sizes depending on your specific needs.  

Creating efficiencies within your company, no matter what size, is not only about your bottom line. It is about more. It frees up your time to focus on what matters: building relationships and creating partnerships. Efficiency allows you to streamline paperwork, supply chains, tasks, orders, and many other aspects of your business. 

There are many ways to streamline and create more efficient workflows. Whether you're dealing with a specific pain point or wish to take your company's growth to the next level, Austin Hardware's Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) program is ready to help your business take the next step. We will work alongside your team to create a streamlined, efficient, and well-oiled machine.  

Welcome to 2021!

Our team at Austin Hardware® would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year! A new year means new solutions, but with us, you can guarantee the same great service, quality, and commitment that we are known for. We look forward to helping you find new solutions for your business, streamline any current projects, help you with sourcing, your supply chain, and more. At Austin, we are your one-stop-shop. We thrive on helping customers, and partners like you streamline your business practices and work to provide top-notch solutions. If you are ready to learn more about our solutions for the new year, keep reading below...

Austin Hardware® is a leading supplier for essential, life-saving industries, including life-saving devices for ambulances, EMS, and other emergency vehicles. Our engineering team works hard to provide top-of-the-line products that save lives. The average EMS response time is less than 20 minutes. Each minute during an emergency response is crucial for patient care. We work hard to provide quicker response times for emergency medical teams, and enhancing patient care is important to providing the best safety solutions. Our complete line of safety solutions is designed to save lives and support essential industries.  

In an earlier post on structural fasteners, we began discussion on lockbolts. A lockbolt is a 2-piece, permanent, mechanically locked structural fastener. Their primary benefit is that they offer long-lasting vibration resistance and won't loosen even under the most extreme vibration. This is because an installed, fully swaged (cold-formed collar on the grooved pin) lockbolt has no gaps between the grooves of the pin and the swaged collar, as found in threaded fasteners such as nuts and bolts. It's essentially a best-of-both-worlds hybrid of a bolt and a rivet.