Henrob Company Overview

Innovative joining solutions
Innovative joining solutions
Company history
Operating in the world market for 20 years, Henrob has
established itself as the world leader in self-pierce
fastening technology with more than 3,500 systems
installed world-wide and a European market share of
between 50 and 60 per cent.
The man behind Henrob is Keith Jones, founder and
‘Henrob has
established itself as
the world leader in
self-pierce fastening
technology.’
chief executive of the 150 employee company. Jones
discovered the innovative self-pierce technology in
Australia where he formed a partnership with the
inventors. They jointly developed the technology and
transferred operations to the UK in 1985. Henrob has
Henrob Corporation
Henrob Limited
gone from strength to strength ever since.
Self-pierce riveting (SPR) is a method of joining two or
more pieces of material using a rivet, however unlike
conventional riveting, SPR does not require a pre-drilled
hole. The increasing use of coated, lightweight and
Henrob GmbH
Henrob (UK) PTY Limited
high-strength materials, such as galvanised or prepainted steel and aluminium has led industries to reexamine traditional methods of assembling components.
As welding of these materials is difficult or impossible,
and assembly using conventional rivets is slow and
costly, the benefits of a process which combines high
joint integrity with rapid assembly time become obvious.
The SPR process can join sheets of dissimilar materials –
such as aluminium to steel, aluminium to magnesium,
steel to steel, and metals to composites. The process
also delivers good static strength, producing fatigueresistant joints which can be up to 30 percent stronger
than spot welding.
designing a Henrob riveting tool
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Innovative joining solutions
SPR technology has a wide range of applications and is used
on numerous products in the general industry sector– these
include heating and ventilation, road signs, construction, firsttier automotive suppliers and white goods, right through to
new market areas which are currently being developed, such
as garage doors, caravans, small trailers/horse boxes, train
construction, office furniture and second- and third-tier
automotive suppliers.
The major market sector to take advantage of SPR
technology over the last eight years is the automotive industry,
primarily in the European premium sector where the process
has been adopted to join aluminium and high-strength steel
vehicle bodies.
Materials are being changed to achieve weight reduction,
leading to increased performance and a reduction in carbon
dioxide and other emissions.
The SPR process is constantly being improved and
developed for ever more challenging applications. Henrob
has engineered a range of systems including both hydraulic
and electric powered tools, a range of rivet feed systems and
a real-time monitoring system which gives traceable and
recordable results without destroying the riveted joint.
Geographically, Henrob has also responded to the demands
of the market place and over the last few years Henrob has
put in place a European infrastructure allowing the company
to meet the requirements of all the SPR markets currently
under development. Outside of Europe Henrob has
facilities in North America and Australia and key distributors
and agents in Scandinavia, Korea, Japan, Malaysia and New
Zealand.
Forecasts suggest the SPR market could be worth some $100
million by 2009 – Henrob is confident that its products and
services will remain the benchmark for SPR technology in an
increasingly complex and competitive marketplace.
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Innovative joining solutions
What we do?
‘Henrob self-pierce
riveting is the ideal
technique for joining
galvanised steel
assemblies’
Henrob's sole product is self-pierce rivets and riveting
systems. That means we are totally focused on providing the
best possible self-pierce riveting solutions to our customers.
Together with our approved agents we provide a complete
service to the customer, from the initial assessment of the
application, through design and manufacture of self-pierce
equipment and rivets, to installation and after sales service.
Henrob manufacture a full range of rivets to ISO9001 and TS16949
Quality Standards using computer monitored cold forging machines
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Innovative joining solutions
Henrob products
Henrob designs and manufactures self-pierce riveting
systems and rivets suitable for a wide variety of
applications in the construction, white goods and
automotive industries, holding key patents in various
aspects of self-pierce riveting technology.
Rivets loaded into tape, ready for use with
Henrob’s patented tape fed riveting tools.
Riveting systems range from simple manually operated
tools, using hydraulic power, to ultra-sophisticated
electric servo powered tools designed for robot mounting
and tool changing.
Rivet designs are available to suit applications involving
steel, aluminium, plastic and other nonbrittle materials.
Rivets can be supplied pre-loaded into tape to suit
Henrob’s patented tape feed systems, or supplied
Type M6 riveting studs.
loose to suit Henrob RivTrans™ blow feed systems.
All rivets are subject to 100% automated optical
inspection to ensure product integrity.
A simple, manually operated hydraulic riveting
Loose rivets for use in Henrob blowfeed systems.
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A robot mounted riveting system, suitable for high
volume production.
Innovative joining solutions
Henrob product range
Tool Sizes - vary across a wide range, below are just a few examples.
RivLite
Hydraulic Double Acting
Hydraulic Pre-Clamping
Electro Servo
Powerpacks - servo and hydraulic control panels available, for single or twin users
Hydraulic single
user
Hydraulic twin
user
Servo control
panel
Servo blowfeed
cabinet
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Innovative joining solutions
Introduction to self-pierce riveting
‘being a process that
provides a high quality
joint with a relatively low
in place cost’
Henrob self-pierce riveting provides a novel solution to
many of today’s joining problems, being a process that
provides a high quality joint with a relatively low in
place cost. Because of these advantages, Henrob selfpierce riveting has been adopted by a wide variety of
industries from the automotive, construction and white
goods sectors.
Jaguar XJ8 with riveted aluminium Body
This introduction to Henrob self-pierce riveting provides a
description of the basic process and equipment,
together with some simple tips for designers thinking of
using Henrob’s technology.
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Volvo FH12 Truck Cab
Polaris Snowmobile
Self-pierce riveting of pre-fabricated
floor joists and wall panels for steel
frame buildings
Hydraulic powered system
Innovative joining solutions
Self pierce riveting - The process
Typical 2T Joint:
- Steel to Steel
- Aluminium to Aluminium
The basic self-pierce riveting process involves driving a
semi tubular rivet through the material layers to be joined,
into a die which causes the tail of the rivet to flare out
and form a joint, as shown to the left.
The diagrams show examples of a standard range of
Multiple Joint Stacks:
Up to 10mm in Aluminium alloys,
up to 6mm in mild steel alloys
riveted joints, commonly used in a range of industries.
The joints pictured on the bottom left are examples of
more complex combinations which Henrob have
engineered to resolve difficult joint configurations.
Dissimilar Metals:
Up to 10mm in Aluminium alloys,
up to 6mm in mild steel alloys
Self-pierce riveting has a number of advantages when
compared with other fastening techniques, such as:
The ability to join dissimilar materials, such as
aluminium to steel.
Dissimilar Materials:
Plastic / aluminium shown
Joining of galvanised or pre-painted materials without
damaging the coating.
Difficult to weld materials, such as aluminium or high
strength steel, can be joined with consistent quality.
No hole preparation required.
High strength, long life, consistent quality, visually
checkable joint.
3mm extrusion + gasket + 2mm high
strength steel, special riveting
process.
Environmentally friendly process, with no heat, fumes,
sparks, dust or swarf given off.
Can be used in conjunction with adhesives.
Low noise (typically less than 80dBa).
Easy to apply the process either manually or
automatically.
Threaded stud
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Innovative joining solutions
Automotive applications
Henrob features in several major new vehicle programmes
as automakers strive to reduce weight through more
extensive use of ‘new’ materials like aluminium,
magnesium, high-strength steels and composites
The breakthrough for Henrob’s process came in 1993 with
the launch of the Audi A8 in partnership with Alcoa of the
US. The aluminium space frame required a new approach
to joining. One technology developed jointly by Audi and
Henrob was the automated application of SPRs.
The SPR process can join sheets of dissimilar materials,
like aluminium to steel, aluminium to magnesium, steel to
steel and metals to composites. During the process the
self-pierce rivet is driven into the material to be joined at
high force, piercing the top sheets of material spreading
outwards into the bottom sheet of material, under the
influence of an upsetting die, to form a strong joint.
It is an automated process, requiring no hole preparation,
that delivers high static strength - similar to or better than
spot welding. The process produces a fatigue resistant
1.0 al + 1.0 steel + 1.5 al
1.5 al + 2.5 al
joint that is up to 30 per cent stronger than spot welding.
Cycle time is two to four seconds.
2.0 al + 2.0 al + 2.0 al
+ 2.0 al
3.0 plastic + 3.0 al
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Innovative joining solutions
During development of the revolutionary, all aluminium
Audi A8, the issue of joining the aluminium structural
panels became of paramount importance in order that
the vehicle could comfortably pass fatigue life and crash
test requirements.
Spot welding techniques were found not to give the
required joint characteristics, therefore, other fastening
methods, including clinch joining and SPR were
evaluated for attaching the outer panels to the underlying
space frame structure and to each other. SPR
technology continued to develop, and below is a chart
showing SPR development over the last decade.
Following extensive crash, fatigue and environmental
testing, Henrob’s patented high force pre-clamping selfpierce riveting was adopted as the preferred single point
fastening method, with approximately 70% of the single
point joints on the vehicle being made by this technique.
Both manual and robotic assembly techniques are used
in conjunction with Henrob self-pierce riveting in the
production of the body structure, with the riveting
equipment being easily adapted to either method.
Henrob Technology Innovation
Advanced
factory-wide
integrated rivet
supply
90
80
High strength steel
joining for automotive,
enabling joint
strengths to increase
proportionally with
parent material
strength
70
Market Size (MS)
60
50
Semi-portable tools for
general inductry incorporating
auto tape feed allowing
riveting in any orientation.
Introduction of semi tubular SP rivets
40
30
Robotic
integration of
riveting
process with
servo
powered
riveters
Continuous
loose rivet feed
systems for
high volume
assembly lines
Hydraulic Setter
with Pre-Clamp
process enabling
high quality
aluminium joints
suitable for the
automotive industry
Recycle
friendly
aluminium
joining
process.
Increased
integration of
equipment &
processes
Early development
phase using solid
self piercing (SP) rivets
20
10
0
1975
1980
1985
1990
Years
Series 1
18
1995
2000
2005
Innovative joining solutions
Success with the Audi A8 passenger car was followed in
So Volvo tested a cab structure assembled with SPR, with
1994 in North America where truck builder Freightliner
the reinforcement plates removed, and found that the
began applying Henrob technology to its aluminium
structure survived for twice the normal test duration
cab-in-white (CIW) body for the Century Class trucks.
without failure.
Freightliner also uses SPR on its class 8 Century,
Columbia and Argosy aluminium intensive CIW bodies.
Henrob’s technology has also proved highly successful
in Volvo’s FH12 truck cab. In order to reduce vehicle
weight, relatively thin high strength steel is used
extensively in the structure of the Volvo FH12 truck cab.
However, it was found that the fatigue life of the spot
welded joints did not increase in line with increasing
material strength, and fatigue failure occurred during
shaker testing in the firewall to engine cover joint of the
cab structure.
Volvo’s immediate solution to the problem was to add
reinforcing plates in the affected areas of the cab,
however this solution added weight at a cost.
Perhaps the most significant new vehicle to use SPR is
Jaguar’s X350, the replacement for the current XJ saloon.
The new XJ uses unitary body construction compared
with the Audi A8’s space frame approach, making it more
akin to conventional methods of body construction and
manufacture.
SPR was chosen for the XJ because of difficulties and
extra costs associated with spot welding aluminium.
Many new vehicle models are now investigating SPR as
the joining process.
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Innovative joining solutions
General industry applications
Self-pierce rivets (SPRs) increasingly feature in a wide range
of industries, as manufacturers face the challenges of more
extensive use of ‘new’ materials like aluminium, magnesium,
high-strength steels and composites.
The SPR process can join sheets of dissimilar materials,
like aluminium to steel, aluminium to magnesium, steel to
steel and metals to composites. During the process the
self-pierce rivet is driven into the material to be joined at
high force, piercing the top sheets of material spreading
outwards into the bottom sheet of material, under the
influence of an upsetting die, to form a strong joint.
It is an automated process requiring no holes that
delivers high static strength - similar to or better than spot
welding. The process produces a fatigue resistant joint
that is upto 30 percent stronger than spot welding. Cycle
time is two to four seconds.
Henrob have a range of tool configurations and types of
rivet to suit the widest possible range of general industry
applications.
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Innovative joining solutions
Success in construction - Steel frame housing
As the global popularity of using steel frames for
domestic house construction grows, traditional steel
fabrication techniques, such as MIG welding, blind
riveting, bolting etc are proving too costly, damaging and
unreliable to meet the increasing volume and quality
required in today's demanding marketplace.
Consequently, manufacturers world-wide are adopting
Henrob self-pierce riveting as the primary method of
construction for the steel frames, lintels, floor joists and
roof trusses that are used in house construction.
The benefits of using Henrob self-pierce riveting over
existing methods of joining zinc coated steel are as
Typical steel frame house being erected on-site.
follows:
No fumes are given off during riveting, resulting in a
clean working environment without the need for
extraction.
SPR is a cold process, therefore there is no burning of
the zinc coating on galvanised steel sheet. This means
that the corrosion resistance of the frame is not
compromised and there is no need to dress and paint
the weld zone. Also, the strength of the steel is not
reduced as may be the case in the heat affected areas of
a welded frame.
No holes are required for SPR, therefore there is no swarf
Manufacture of a steel frame using Henrob Self-pierce riveting.
generated and there are no subsequent alignment
problems.
Henrob self-pierce riveting is a fast (around 2 to 4
seconds to set a rivet) one shot process giving a
consistent, high quality joint.
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Innovative joining solutions
Innovation in the road-sign industry
The standard construction method for road signs for
many years has been by first applying reflective film to
the surface of the aluminium road sign, then drilling
through and blind riveting extruded aluminium stiffeners
to the back of the sign.
However, recent changes in European law have meant
that the reflective surface on the front of the sign can not
be broken, thus rendering the drilling and blind riveting of
signs impossible.
A change in construction technique from blind riveting to
SPR overcame the problem, and resulted in a sign with a
near perfect reflective surface.
Blind riveted sign construction
Self-pierce rivet sign construction
Typical road sign riveting equipment.
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Innovative joining solutions
SPR for air conditioning components
Air conditioning components, such as ducting,
louvres, fans etc. have traditionally been assembled
using a combination of welding, drilling, blind riveting
and bolting.
While suitable for low volume production, these
techniques become inefficient, time consuming and
costly once production rates increase.
Problems include damage to galvanised or pre-painted
steel parts, swarf, fumes, noise, speed of operation, cost
of fasteners and a reliance on operator skill to achieve
consistent quality.
Manufacture of louvre assemblies using a bench mounted Henrob riveting system
As a consequence, producers of air conditioning
components are adopting Henrob self-pierce riveting as
their preferred fastening method enjoys an improved
working environment, reduced production costs and
consistent quality.
Joining of flanges to ducting using mobile Henrob riveting tools.
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@ BMW AG.
United Kingdom
Henrob Limited, Second Avenue, Zone 2
Deeside Industrial Park, Flintshire, CH5 2NX, UK
Tel: +44 (0)1244 837220
Fax: +44 (0)1244 837222
Email: [email protected]
Henrob Direct Limited, Unit F, Tyburn Trading Estate,
Ashold Farm Road, Birmingham, B24 9QG, UK
Tel: +44 (0)121 382 7338
Fax: +44 (0)121 382 4203
Email: [email protected]
United States of America
Henrob Corporation,
30000 South Hill Road,
New Hudson, Michigan, MI 48375, USA
Tel: +1 248 493 3800
Fax: +1 248 344 3800
Email: [email protected]
Henrob Corporation (Nor th Carolina),
9805 Nor thCross Centre Cour t, Suite A,
Huntersville, NC 28087, USA
Tel: +1 704 987 8005
Fax: +1 704 987 8006
Email: [email protected]
Mainland Europe
Henrob GmbH, Oststraße 72,
32051 Herford, Germany
Tel: +49 (0) 5221 763080
Fax: +49 (0) 5221 7630811
Email: [email protected]
Australia
Henrob (UK) Pty Ltd, 400 Newman Road,
Geebung 4034, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Tel: +61 (0) 7 3865 2898
Fax: +61 (0) 7 3865 2867
Email: [email protected]
visit our website www.henrob.com