An indirect firing fastening tool, comprising driving and propelling means for a fastener to be set into a support, such driving means being rotationally mobile and configured to directly cooperate with the fastener or with a propelling member supported by the latter, so that a rotation of the driving means directly causes the translational driving and the propulsion of the fastener.

A method of riveting sheet includes the following steps: providing a metal sheet, a rivet member and a tool of riveting sheet, an engaging structure is formed at an external edge of the rivet member, the tool includes a first riveting head and a second riveting head, and a rib is formed on a surface of the first riveting head; defining a rivet hole on the metal sheet; disposing the rivet member in the rivet hole and arranging the engaging structure corresponding to an internal edge of the rivet hole; clamping the rivet member by the first riveting head and the second riveting head and pressing both surfaces of the metal sheet, the rib is therefore embedded into the metal sheet to deform the metal sheet and the internal edge of the rivet hole is shrunk to embed into the engaging structure.

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.

In a method for connecting a press-in bolt with a metal sheet, the metal sheet is positioned upon a cover element of a joining tool. The press-in bolt is forced by the joining tool in a pilot hole of the metal sheet as the metal sheet is supported by the cover element in its capacity as a die, until a head portion of the press-in bolt rests upon one side of the metal sheet and the cover element is pressed upon a shaft portion of the press-in bolt and radially deformed to rest upon another opposite side of the metal sheet.

An assembly method includes a succession of assembly steps of assembling fuselage components of the fuselage portion of the aircraft, for example the nose of the aircraft, to form a fuselage body, a mounting step of introducing, into the fuselage body thus formed, a floor module having at least a predetermined width, and which can be provided with items of equipment, and a fastening step of fastening the fuselage body to the floor module such that the floor module shapes the final shape of the fuselage body and the assembled fuselage portion is obtained, the floor module, which has at least a suitable predetermined width, making it possible, when it is incorporated into the fuselage body, to provide the fuselage body, which is slightly flexible, with its desired and definitive shape corresponding to the desired and definitive shape of the assembled fuselage portion.

A device for installing a self-attaching fastener on a substrate. The device includes a punch having an inner pin and an outer pin. The inner and outer pins are coaxial and translatable along an axis. In a first state of the punch, the inner pin is movable independently of the outer pin, and in a second state of the punch, the inner and outer pins are movable concurrently. The device further includes a die having an engagement surface configured to receive and support the substrate thereon, In a first operable stage of the punch, the punch is in the first state and configured to pierce a through-hole in the substrate. In a second operable stage of the punch, the punch is in the second state and configured to attach the self-attaching fastener to the substrate.

Apparatus (20) and a method for securing a clinch nut (24) to an AHSS sheet (26) as an assembly (22). In one embodiment, a parallel kinematic machine (PKM) (88) sequentially performs the operation, while another embodiment includes a nut ram assembly (112) that attaches clinch nuts (24) to the AHSS sheet (26), and a further embodiment includes a C frame (114) that supports the apparatus and is moved by a robot (130) to sequentially attach clinch nuts (24) to the AHSS sheet (26) at different locations. The attachment of the clinch nuts is performed in a light-safe manner.

A hole punch and a method for piercing a workpiece wherein a hole punch includes a sheet metal part and a piercing body attached thereto which carries out the piercing function and which is provided with a thread cylinder or can be provided with a thread cylinder, for example by pressing a threaded pin into a centrally arranged passage of the hole punch, wherein the hole punch can also be formed in one piece as a piercing body with a sheet metal-like flange. Furthermore a method is claimed for the manufacture of the hole punch.

A hole punch and a method for piercing a workpiece wherein a hole punch includes a sheet metal part and a piercing body attached thereto which carries out the piercing function and which is provided with a thread cylinder or can be provided with a thread cylinder, for example by pressing a threaded pin into a centrally arranged passage of the hole punch, wherein the hole punch can also be formed in one piece as a piercing body with a sheet metal-like flange. Furthermore a method is claimed for the manufacture of the hole punch.

A fastener element for attachment to a component, wherein the fastener element has a contact surface which contacts the component in the installed state. Furthermore, the fastener element has a mounting recess which faces the component in the dismantled state. The mounting recess is bounded by at least one sidewall and by a base section. The sidewall is, at least regionally, provided with at least one undercut which is effective in the axial direction of the fastener element. The base section is formed free of any aperture.