An insertable fastener installation apparatus for a flat substrate has a thickness, T. A roller press station is used to press T-nuts into holes in the substrate. An optical vision system detects the location of the holes in the moving substrate and aligns the t-nuts with the holes. A computer controlled pick and place robot takes T-nuts from an escapement of a hopper feed system and aligns, but does not fully insert, the t-nuts in the substrate. A conveyor system feeds the substrates through the optical vision system, the pick and place robot station and the roller press station. A first roller is spaced apart from a second roller by a gap in the roller press station and the gap is less than the thickness of the substrate. The hopper feed system includes a bulk hopper, a bowl, a track and an escapement.

Fastener delivery apparatus for automatically selecting and delivering fasteners such as rivets to a setting tool. The fasteners are pre-loaded in a package and dispense via at least one fastener delivery tube that interconnects the setting tool to a fastener feeder device. The fastener feeder device releases selected fasteners from the package into the delivery tube. The fasteners are transportable individually or in groups in the tube from the feeder device to the tool. A transfer station attached to the tool or the delivery tube transfers a fastener from the delivery apparatus into the tool, transfer station is adjacent to the tool so that a delivered fastener may be inserted by the transfer station into the tool and a second position in which it is clear of the tool so as to permit the tool or a portion thereof to move towards a workpiece to insert a smooth, rapid and reliable delivery of fasteners of various sizes and types to the nose of a setting tool in any particular order and provides all the fastener types for any particular work cycle.

A joining method is a method of joining a plate set composed by a plurality of stacked plate members including a first plate member and a second plate member by using a tapping screw. When the tapping screw is advanced into the plate set while the tapping screw is rotated in a state of applying a pressure onto the plate set so as to form through-holes in the first plate member and the second plate member, a first pressure applied onto the tapping screw is reduced down to a second pressure at the time when the tapping screw penetrates the first plate member.

A fastening method comprising using a control apparatus to select a first upsetting volume of an upsetting die, using a punch to push a first fastener into a workpiece and using the upsetting die to upset the first fastener, then using the control apparatus to select a second upsetting volume of the upsetting die, using the punch to push a second fastener into a workpiece and using the upsetting die to upset the second fastener, or using the punch and the upsetting die to form a clinch joint.

A pierce nut insertion tool is provided. In another aspect, a pierce nut feeding mechanism has a mechanically independent driver actuator from that of a punch. A further aspect of the present tool employs a member, moveable with a punch, that retains a pierce nut prior to fastening of the nut to a workpiece. An additional aspect uses a fluid actuated nut feeder including a piston.

Fastener delivery apparatus for automatically selecting and delivering fasteners such as rivets to a setting tool. The fasteners are pre-loaded in a package and dispense via at least one fastener delivery tube that interconnects the setting tool to a fastener feeder device. The fastener feeder device releases selected fasteners from the package into the delivery tube. The fasteners are transportable individually or in groups in the tube from the feeder device to the tool. A transfer station attached to the tool or the delivery tube transfers a fastener from the delivery apparatus into the tool, transfer station is adjacent to the tool so that a delivered fastener may be inserted by the transfer station into the tool and a second position in which it is clear of the tool so as to permit the tool or a portion thereof to move towards a workpiece to insert a smooth, rapid and reliable delivery of fasteners of various sizes and types to the nose of a setting tool in any particular order and provides all the fastener types for any particular work cycle.

A die button for the punching in and fastening of a fastener element having a piercing section to a planar workpiece, in particular a sheet metal part. The die button includes a jacket. Also included is a die plunger movably arranged in the jacket. Further included is a biasing device for pressing the plunger against the workpiece when the workpiece is supported on the jacket with a pressing force made available by the biasing device and selected such that the die plunger first moves when a slug has been detached from the workpiece by the piercing section of the fastener element.

In the invention, a joining means having a ram tool, a countertool and a holder with an opening to accommodate the ram tool or the countertool, is described. The two tools are arranged coaxial with each other at different ends of a C-bracket. The holder comprises at least one plane contact surface arranged on the outer surface of the holder, resting in contact with at least one plane face of the corresponding end of the C-bracket and detachably fastened thereto. Between the contact surface and the face, at least one interlay is arranged, determining the information and/or the distance of the contact surface from the face.

A punch rivet for fastening individual components to one another of which at least one component is formed by a workpiece, with the punch rivet having a flange of larger diameter, a rivet section of smaller diameter and a ring-like component contact surface at the side of the flange adjacent the rivet section and surrounding the rivet section, with the rivet section having at its free end a ring surface for the piercing of the two workpieces which stands at least substantially perpendicular to the central longitudinal axis of the punch rivet and an inner concave ring surface which forms the transition from the end of the punch rivet into the hollow internal space of the rivet section. Ribs extending parallel to the longitudinal axis are provided at the generally cylindrical outer surface of the rivet section and extend up to the free end face of the rivet section.

In the invention, a joining means having a ram tool, a countertool and a holder with an opening to accommodate the ram tool or the countertool, is described. The two tools are arranged coaxial with each other at different ends of a C-bracket. The holder comprises at least one plane contact surface arranged on the outer surface of the holder, resting in contact with at least one plane face of the corresponding end of the C-bracket and detachably fastened thereto. Between the contact surface and the face, at least one interlay is arranged, determining the information and/or the distance of the contact surface from the face.