Henrob has been operating in the global market for over 20 years and has established itself as the world leader in self-pierce fastening technology with more than 3,500 systems installed world-wide and a European market share of between 50 and 60%.
Self-pierce riveting (SPR) is a method of joining two or more pieces of material using a rivet, however unlike conventional riveting, SPR does not require a pre-drilled hole.
The increasing use of aluminium, magnesium, and high-strength steels whether they are pre-painted, coated or galvanised has led designers to re-examine traditional methods of assembling components. As welding of these materials are difficult or impossible, and assembly using conventional rivets is slow and labour intensive.
The self-pierce riveting process can join sheets of dissimilar materials such as aluminium to steel, aluminium to magnesium, steel to steel, and metals to composites. The process also delivers good static strength with exceptional fatigue resistance that can be up to 30% stronger than spot welding.
The major market sector to take advantage of self-pierce riveting technology over the last eight years is the automotive industry, companies such as Jaguar, Landrover, Aston Martin, BMW Audi, Ford, Freightliner, Volvo, and Hyundai, are using the process to join aluminium and high-strength steel vehicle bodies.
Materials are being changed to achieve weight reduction, leading to increased performance and a reduction in carbon dioxide and other emissions. The self-pierce riveting process is constantly being improved and developed for challenging applications.
Henrob has engineered a range of systems including both hydraulic and electric powered tools, a range of rivet feed systems and a real-time monitoring system which gives traceable and recordable results without destroying the riveted joint.