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.

A method for machining a plate-like workpiece with a processing machine includes forming a receptacle in the plate-like workpiece for an insert part and machining the receptacle based on one or both of an orientation at which the insert part is to be inserted into the receptacle and a side of the plate-like workpiece from which the insert part is to be inserted into the receptacle. The method further includes running a machining program to carry out the forming and the machining of the receptacle. A computer program product is provided to configure a programming system by which the machining program is generated.

A joining tool unit including a hold-down device with a movable tool and a tool counter element. The hold-down device together with the movable tool and the tool counter element are provided opposite each other. A workpiece can be positioned between the hold-down device and the tool counter element in the arranged state. The movable tool and the tool counter element interact in order to form a joint connection. A light-guiding system is formed on the hold-down device, to conduct a light beam in the direction of a joint location of the workpiece when the workpiece is arranged on the joining tool unit. A flow channel for a fluid is defined along a section of the light beam up to a workpiece-side end of the hold-down device.

A device for inserting an auxiliary joining part into a workpiece, having a punch pressing the joining part into a top of the workpiece. The joining part has a shaft pressed into the workpiece and a die contacting a bottom of the workpiece while the joining part is pressed in. The die has a contact region and non-circular aperture surrounded thereby. Radially outermost points of the aperture periphery lie on an imaginary circumscribed circle, and radially innermost points lie on an imaginary inscribed circle. The aperture periphery includes three projections protruding into and touching the circumscribed circle. A diameter of the inscribed circle is between 4% and 10% smaller than a maximum diameter of a circular circumference of the auxiliary joining part, and a diameter of the circumscribed circle is between 2% and 5% larger than this diameter.

In a method for joining a functional element with a metal sheet, with the functional element having an attachment part for attachment of a structure to the metal sheet, a cold forming process employed for the metal sheet is also used to mark the metal sheet with a sink mark by which a joining position of the metal sheet with the functional element is indicated. After the functional element is joined with the metal sheet at the joining position, the joining position is checked with respect to a position of the functional element inside of the sink mark.

A tapping screw fastening jig includes a guide component and a positioning component. The guide component includes a first base member provided with a guide hole portion through which a tapping screw is insertable at a position corresponding to each of pilot holes in a use state of the tapping screw fastening jig. The positioning component includes a second base member, and at least two positioning pins provided on the second base member, where the at least two positioning pins are provided at positions corresponding to at least two of the pilot holes. Each of the at least two positioning pins includes a first outer diameter portion that is insertable into the pilot hole, and a second outer diameter portion that is connected to the first outer diameter portion on a base end side of the first outer diameter portion and is insertable through the guide hole portion.

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 joining tool unit including a hold-down device, a linearly movable tool, and a tool counter element. The hold-down device and the tool counter element are provided opposite each other, a workpiece lies on the tool counter element when the workpiece is arranged on the joining tool unit, and the hold-down device is arranged to be supported on a surface of the workpiece. The hold-down device has a light-guiding system, and the light-guiding system is designed to guide a light beam of a light in the direction of a joint location of the workpiece when the workpiece is arranged on the joining tool unit. The light-guiding system is provided on the hold-down device such that the light beam is irradiated onto the joint location solely at an angle which is greater than 0? relative to a movement axis of the linearly movable tool.

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.

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.