A component supply device is configured to feed a component having a through hole to a target position. The component supply includes: a rod including at its distal end a holding portion to be inserted into the through hole; an actuator; a valve mounted on the rod; and a fixing portion by which the valve that advances with the rod passes. The rod includes a gas outlet located in an outer periphery of the holding portion and configured to blow gas rearward, and a gas passage extending inside the rod and configured to send gas supplied from a gas source to the gas outlet. The valve includes a push switch configured to be switched between an advanced attitude and a withdrawn attitude, and a biasing unit configured to bias the push switch to the withdrawn attitude. The fixing portion includes a pressing wall portion facing the push switch.

A method of inserting a rivet (2) into a workpiece (42, 44, 46) comprises moving the rivet (2) and workpiece (42, 44, 46) relative to one another, along a longitudinal axis of the rivet, so as to drive the rivet into the workpiece. The rivet is rotated about its longitudinal axis, relative to the workpiece, for at least part of the time during which it is in contact with the workpiece. The speed of said rotation, or the speed of movement along the longitudinal axis of the rivet, is altered at least once before driving of the rivet into the workpiece is complete.

A gag bar with a cam surface is used to reciprocate a kicker pin in a ram-driven punch assembly into the bore of a pierce nut in a pre-mounting position. The kicker pin and punch assembly are thereafter driven toward a workpiece to install the pierce nut in the workpiece and to fully separate a slug formed during the pierce nut entry from the workpiece. The gag bar and punch are thereafter reciprocated to allow the next pierce nut to be put in position.

A fastener feed head includes a chute having a feed passage along a feed axis to support and guide fasteners from a chute inlet to a chute outlet connected to a fastener installation head. A carriage is movably attached to the chute along a feed axis. Opposed pawls are pivotably attached to the carriage. The carriage reciprocates along the feed axis between a retracted position and a feed position. The carriage cyclically advances a predetermined number of fasteners from a queue of fasteners in an upstream zone into a queue of fasteners in a downstream zone by: retracting to the retracted position from the feed position; abutting the lead fastener in the upstream queue with the pawls; and, driving the lead fastener with the pawls until the carriage reaches the feed position.

A continuous strip of T-Nuts formed on a common strip of metal. Each T-Nut of the strip of T-Nuts is integrally connected to the next adjacent T-Nut by carry tabs. The carry tabs can be frangible themselves or contain a frangible portion. Each T-Nut includes a cylindrical bore therein and a threaded interior. A mechanism feeds and severs the endmost T-Nut in endwise fashion. The mechanism to feed and sever the endmost T-Nut includes a cutting blade positioned vertically below the frangible portion of the carry tab. A shearing ram having a guide positioned axially in line with the cylindrical bore in the endmost T-Nut is adapted to move vertically from an upper to a lower position to engage the cutting blade with the frangible portion and sever the endmost T-Nut.

A blind fastener for connecting panels includes a bolt and nut. The bolt includes a shaft, bolt head, and lug. The bolt head is between the shaft and lug. The shaft defines external threads opposite the bolt head. The lug includes a first tool engagement portion and first frangible portion that connects the lug and bolt head. The nut includes a sleeve, nut head, and handling member. A central bore of the sleeve receives the shaft and defines internal threads mated with the external threads. The nut head is between the handling member and sleeve. The nut head extends radially from the sleeve and defines a recess that receives the bolt head. The handling member surrounds a portion of the lug. The handling member includes a second frangible portion and a second tool engagement portion. The second frangible portion couples the second tool engagement portion to the nut head.

A blind fastener for connecting a plurality of panels includes a core bolt and a core nut. The core nut surrounds the core bolt. The core nut includes a main body, a nut head, and a tool engagement section. The nut head has a larger outside diameter than the main body. The core nut defines a frangible portion between the nut head and the tool engagement section. The frangible portion is configured to allow the tool engagement section to break off from the nut head when a torque applied to the tool engagement section is greater than a threshold torque after the blind fastener is installed in the plurality of panels.

A coupling member head includes a holder configured to hold a coupling member at an end portion on a coupling target member side in an axial direction and configured to approach or separate from a coupling target member, a pair of electrodes, tips of the electrodes being positioned closer to the coupling target member side than a coupling member holding region of the holder, and a retraction mechanism configured to move the electrode to a radial outside of the holder when the holder approaches the coupling target member.

A joining tool unit including a hold-down device, a movable tool, a tool counterpart element, a drive unit, a light source and a control unit. The hold-down device and the movable tool are provided opposite the tool counterpart element, the hold-down device being movable in the direction of the tool counterpart element by the drive unit. The joining tool unit joins a workpiece arranged on the joining tool unit by movement of the movable tool relative to the tool counterpart element. The control unit performs open- and/or closed-loop control of the drive unit, and the control unit is designed for open- and/or closed loop control of the light source. The joining tool unit is designed to move the hold-down device in the direction of the tool counterpart element to a position at which the hold-down device and the tool counterpart element touch the workpiece arranged on the joining tool unit.

A continuous strip of T-Nuts formed on a common strip of metal. Each T-Nut of the strip of T-Nuts is integrally connected to the next adjacent T-Nut by carry tabs. The carry tabs can be frangible themselves or contain a frangible portion. Each T-Nut includes a cylindrical bore therein and a threaded interior. A mechanism feeds and severs the endmost T-Nut in endwise fashion. The mechanism to feed and sever the endmost T-Nut includes a cutting blade positioned vertically below the frangible portion of the carry tab. A shearing ram having a guide positioned axially in line with the cylindrical bore in the endmost T-Nut is adapted to move vertically from an upper to a lower position to engage the cutting blade with the frangible portion and sever the endmost T-Nut.