A clinch-in fastener with a cylindrical body having a top, a bottom, sides and an axial internal bore. The fastener has a single shank at the bottom end of the body having a top surface orthogonal to the bore and a chamfer tapering to the bottom of the body. The top surface of the shank is adapted for receiving the cold flow of material surrounding a receiving hole of a workpiece. The shank may have a plurality of notches in its outermost edge that extend through both the top surface of the shank and the chamfer. The bore of the fastener extends completely through the fastener body from top to bottom and may be threaded. A fastener installation system having a tool with means for affixation to a rotary and vertically reciprocal element of an industrial machine. The tip of the tool has a distal end face with at least one arcuate displacer adapted for deforming a workpiece as the tool rotates and is pressed against the workpiece. A bore within the tip holds a fastener installed by the tool. The displacer is vertically and radially tapered along an arcuate ridge centered about the axial bore. The width of the displacer is also tapered to a point.

A component assembly is described which consists of a component and an element attached to the component and formed as an alignment element. The element has a head part, a component contact surface provided at an end face of the head part and a collar arranged inside the component contact surface and projecting away from it. The collar has a cross-sectional shape which is non-circular. The collar is inserted with clearance into an aperture of the component formed complimentary to the cross-sectional shape of the collar and has outer surfaces which converge in the direction of the said end face of the head part and with respect to the central longitudinal axis of the element and form an acute angle with the latter. The marginal region of the aperture of the component adjacent to the component contact surface extends into recesses formed between the collar and the end face of the head part but does not reach the base of the recesses, with a free space arising which ensures a lateral alignment movement of the element relative to the component. An axial separation of the element from the component is prevented as a result of material overlap of the component material with the collar within the recesses. Elements and methods for manufacture of the component assembly are also claimed.

A clinch fastener includes a shaft defining a central axis and a head having an outer periphery cooperating with the shaft. A plurality of ribs disposed under the head to engage a workpiece. The plurality of ribs extending radially outward in a direction from a displacement collar positioned proximate the central axis of the clinch fastener to the outer periphery of the head. Each of the plurality of ribs includes multiple sections forming at least a sidewall and a parametric profile for each rib. The clinch fastener includes a retaining ring cooperating with the shaft and a retaining groove cooperating with the shaft positioned between the displacement collar and retaining ring. The plurality of ribs and displacement collar are configured to radially displace workplace material into the retaining groove and diffuse stress within the workpiece material when the fastener is secured to the workpiece.

A press-in fastener has from top to bottom: a head, a clinch feature, and a spiral, knurled shank. The fastener can hold two parts together by first clinching with a first metal panel, and then being pressed into a hole in a second, less ductile panel having a uniform interference between the knurled fastener shank and the hole. The knurled shank has a helix configuration that allows for use in non-ductile materials and eliminates the need for tapered holes and screws for applications that do not require disassembly.

An assembly module, an assembly apparatus, and a method of operating the assembly module are introduced. The assembly module includes a first assembly die, a second assembly die and at least one engagement die. The first assembly die has a plurality of first fitting portions. The second assembly die has a plurality of second fitting portions and corresponds in position to the first assembly die. The engagement die is removably disposed at a related point of at least one first fitting portion, at a related point of at least one second fitting portion or at related points of at least one first fitting portion and at least one second fitting portion. Therefore, the assembly module is effective in fitting a component and an assembly target together, easy to operate, and conducive to quick assembly.

Provided is a crimp securing structure of a bolt in which a crimp bolt 10 having a crimping recess 13 on the upper surface of the head is crimped onto a metal sheet 30. The thickness of a metal material press-fitted into the crimping recess 13 of the crimp bolt is made smaller at the peripheral edge of the crimping recess 13 and is made larger in the center portion thereof. In order to obtain this crimp securing structure, a crimping die 20 in which a stress-relief recess 23 is formed in a center portion of a convex portion is used to prevent the occurrence of excessive local stress in the crimping recess 13.

A T-Nut comprising a tubular body attached to a flanged head is provided. The tubular body includes a bottom portion of constant diameter and an upper neck portion with a neck diameter that gradually increases as it approaches the flange head. Additionally, the bottom surface of flange head of the T-Nut may be recessed inwardly towards the top surface of the flange head to create circumferential concave cavity underneath the flange head, which will allow the flange head to envelope any portions of a washer or casing that may be above the surface of the material being joined.

A self-piercing rivet element is provided with a body part having a thread cylinder and with a hollow rivet section to be pressed into an as yet unpierced component. In this arrangement, the rivet section is designed to be at least regionally dilatable by means of a die button and tapers in the direction of the central longitudinal axis and away from the body part. The hollow rivet section has, in the region of the transition to the body part, a diameter, which is larger than the outer diameter of the thread cylinder. Furthermore, the rivet section has a closed peripheral wall and an opening at its free end which corresponds at least substantially in diameter to the core diameter of the thread cylinder. Furthermore a component assembly, a method for the manufacture of the component assembly and the die button are claimed.

A self-clinching and self-piercing construction element for attachment to a plastically deformable metal panel. The construction element includes a body portion with a central axis and a punch portion being coaxial with the central axis and extending from the body portion. A pilot embossment is coaxial with the central axis and extends from the body portion such that the pilot embossment is concentrically disposed between an annular-shaped surface of the body portion and the punch portion. The pilot embossment being configured to engage and plastically deform the metal substrate such that the metal substrate flows into a recessed pocket defined in an outer peripheral surface of the punch portion. A plurality of spaced apart lugs axially project outwards from the annular-shaped surface and extend radially outwards from the pilot embossment.

A clinch-in fastener with a cylindrical body having a top, a bottom, sides and an axial internal bore. The fastener has a single shank at the bottom end of the body having a top surface orthogonal to the bore and a chamfer tapering to the bottom of the body. The top surface of the shank is adapted for receiving the cold flow of material surrounding a receiving hole of a workpiece. The shank may have a plurality of notches in its outermost edge that extend through both the top surface of the shank and the chamfer. The bore of the fastener extends completely through the fastener body from top to bottom and may be threaded. A fastener installation system having a tool with means for affixation to a rotary and vertically reciprocal element of an industrial machine. The tip of the tool has a distal end face with at least one arcuate displacer adapted for deforming a workpiece as the tool rotates and is pressed against the workpiece. A bore within the tip holds a fastener installed by the tool. The displacer is vertically and radially tapered along an arcuate ridge centered about the axial bore. The width of the displacer is also tapered to a point.