New Tech in Fastening Process Promises Greater Speed, Savings in Vehicle Assembly
Clufix, which designs and produces fixing and assembly solutions for sheet metal and plastic parts, has launched a new fastening device that is designed to deliver greater speed in the assembly process in the automotive industry, as well as other manufacturing sectors.
The Leankeasy blind rivet bolt is a single, ready-to-set, pre-assembled component comprising both a screw and a nut.
The product is, according to the company, “unique, as crimping the nut and screwing the screw occur in the same step, providing a wide range of benefits, including significant cost savings.”
Éric Massebeuf, director of Clufix, stated: “The first generation of products comprised just basic nuts and bolts,” he says. “The second generation – which emerged in the 1920s, became more widely used after 1945 – has involved engineered fasteners (self-clinching nuts, cage nuts, blind rivet nuts, weld nuts, threaded inserts…) preparing the metal sheet support by setting a threaded component, but still using nuts and bolts separately. The third generation has now arrived with the launch of Leankeasy.”
The key change is that, whereas using second generation products involves not only two components – the separate nut and bolt, but also two steps – the pre-setting of the nut and the final assembly. In contrast, with Leankeasy, only the one component and one simple step is required.
As the the manufacturer noted, “Due to the extent to which it simplifies the setting process, all the costs associated with this process, including labor, are reduced by more than a half, resulting in an average total cost saving of 35%.”
More information at: www.leankeasy.com
Category: General Update