Rivet Holder Structure for Fast Alignment and Secure Release
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing collating systems for rivets lack efficient mechanisms to securely hold and easily load rivets into guide blocks, leading to difficulties in aligning and driving rivets through conveyor belts.
Innovation Solution
A collating system comprising rivet holders with top and bottom plate members secured together, featuring drive heads and frangible bridges, retaining webs made of thinned material with inclined surfaces and grooves for flexibility, allowing easy alignment and secure retention of rivets, and enabling quick release and driving of rivets into guide block bores.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If rivets are held in a conventional holder, then rivet storage is simple, but rivet alignment and loading into guide blocks is difficult and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The rivets are pre-arranged in the holder in a predetermined pattern that corresponds to the guide block bore pattern. This preliminary arrangement eliminates the need for time-consuming alignment operations during actual riveting, as the rivets are already positioned correctly for immediate loading into the guide blocks.
Solution Approach 2:
The holder is designed to be positioned within or against the guide block, with the rivet pattern nested to match the bore pattern. This nesting arrangement allows the rivets to be directly transferred from the holder to the guide block bores without additional alignment steps, significantly reducing loading time.
2Productivity
If rivets are easily accessible for loading, then loading speed increases, but unintentional removal of rivets increases
Solution Approach 1:
The holder employs movable or flexible elements such as spring-loaded clips or elastomeric retaining structures that dynamically adjust to allow easy insertion of rivets while automatically engaging to secure them in place. This dynamic mechanism enables fast loading while preventing unintentional removal during handling.
Solution Approach 2:
The holder utilizes friction-based retention where the normal force or contact pressure parameters are optimized to provide sufficient holding force to prevent accidental drops, while still allowing easy removal when intentionally loaded. The retention force parameter is tuned to balance between secure holding and easy accessibility.
Data Source
AI summary
A collating system for rivets is provided that includes a rivet holder for supporting rivets in a predetermined pattern. In one form, the rivet holder includes a body having cavities for supporting the rivets therein. The rivet holder body includes a top plate member and a bottom plate member. The rivet holder has drive heads connected to the top plate member via frangible portions and the bottom plate member has retaining webs disposed below the drive heads. The top and bottom plates are secured together to capture heads of the rivets between the drive heads and retaining webs. The drive heads may be driven downward to drive the rivet heads from the rivet holder and into bores of a guide block with the retaining webs flexing to release the rivet head from the lower bottom plate member. A method of using the rivet collating system is also disclosed.