Abstract: 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.

Abstract: A fastener assembly for releasable interconnecting two objects includes a retainer having a top end for attaching the retainer to a first object and an end wall at the bottom end having an aperture. A post affixed to a second object at its bottom end is captured within a central cavity of the retainer by resilient snap fit wherein either the post or the retainer is radially deflectable. A locking element slidably connected to the retainer is axially moveable between locked and unlocked positions operative to restrict the relative radial movement of the post and the retainer to prevent the removal of the post. The locking element maybe a pin moved by a magnet and extendable into a bore of the post by a spring. Alternatively, the locking element may be a sleeve closely fitted around the outside of the retainer.

Abstract: The present rivet invention has a main body comprising a first end and a second end opposite to the first end, wherein the main body further comprises a lateral wall disposed at the second end and circumferentially extending around the main body; and a core part disposed at the second end of the main body and contained inside the lateral wall of the main body, wherein the core part has an end surface for pressing against at least an end surface of one of the work pieces when the rivet is being operated to rivet the work pieces, to allow materials of the work pieces flow outwardly of the core part. An accommodation space is formed between the core part and the lateral wall to receive materials of the work pieces flowing into the space and deform outwardly at least a portion of the lateral wall of the main body.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a extrusion forming method and a forming apparatus for manufacturing a self-clinching rivet, wherein the forming method comprises: upset-extruding a first end of a wire blank to shape it into a material pushing portion and a shank portion billet, upset-extruding the shank portion billet to shape it into a shank portion and a groove portion, and upset-extruding a second end of the wire blank to create a slot portion and a slot shaft portion. The invention for manufacturing the self-clinching rivet by one-time extrusion forming does not generate waste during processing, which greatly improves a utilization rate of raw materials compared with the traditional machining method. Meanwhile, a formed piece manufactured by the present invention has complete metal streamlines, which can greatly improve its strength compared with the one manufactured by machining and avoid a risk of hydrogen embrittlement in a subsequent surface treatment.

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: The components of a push button comprise a plunger, a retainer, a spring and an end cap. The plunger has a button at the top, a middle section with an enlarged square cross-section, and a pin of reduced diameter at the bottom end. The plunger slidably strokes up and down within a retainer which has an upper portion that closely holds the button on the top of the plunger and also includes a rectilinear recess sized to receive the square midsection of the plunger. A middle portion of the retainer comprises an enlarged cylindrical cavity bounded above and below by opposing roof and floor surfaces. The roof and the floor have cams that engage the corners of the plunger midsection which cause it to rotate during plunger strokes. A spring within the retainer biases the plunger upward. The assembly of parts is captivated by a retainer end cap.

Abstract: An insert for the attachment of objects to composite or plastic panels consists of two parts, a retainer and an insert. The retainer has a through-hole and knurls on its perimeter for gripping the walls of a receiving hole in the composite or plastic panel. The insert has multiple self-clinching features at increasing diameters which when inserted into the retainer rigidly attach it to the retainer. The panel is rigidly clamped between opposite sides of the panel by an enlarged head of the retainer and an opposing flange on the insert. The self-clinching features of different diameter permit the device to be used with panels of different thickness and allow a large tolerance range. A plain or threaded stud can be substituted for the threaded hole of the insert. Both the retainer and the insert can be metallic.

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: A compound screw is a two-piece assembly where the head of the screw can rotate in the tightening direction to a designed tightening torque to drive the screw while being able to positively counter-rotate in the loosening direction. The screw assembly comprises a screw and a cap surrounding the head of the screw. The screw has a head at the top and a threaded shank downwardly extending from a base of the screw head. The screw is turned by turning the cap about a central axis of the screw. The cap is rotatably affixed to the screw head by a loose riveting of the cap to the top most end of the screw head by flaring a thin-walled upwardly extending portion thereof. The cap includes a plurality of axially extending peripheral resilient arms which engage peripheral cam surfaces around the outside of the screw head.

Abstract: A push button consists of component parts including a plunger, a retainer, a spring and an end cap. The plunger reciprocates within the retainer which has three main portions: an upper portion closely holds the button on the top of the plunger and includes a rectilinear recess that can receive a square midsection of the plunger. A middle portion of the retainer comprises an enlarged cavity that provides the side clearance for the plunger pin's enlarged square midsection to rotate. The cavity is bounded above and below by opposing roof and floor camming structures which engage the corners of the plunger midsection that causes it to rotate. A spring within the retainer biases the plunger upward. An end cap affixed to the bottom of the retainer captivates the plunger and spring assembly and provides attachment means to affix the push button assembly to a supporting structure.

Abstract: A fastener for thin panels has a shank with a deformable collar which works in conjunction with a configured mating panel to produce enhanced attachment forces, especially in the case of very thin panels. The mating panel is prepared with a round mounting hole with cross-cut openings or slots. The panel is stamped into a conical section in a preparatory step before installation to provide the fastener with snap-in engagement prior to final pressing. The fastener shank has an undercut located immediately below the collar which is snapped into the prepared hole. Once snapped in, a punch and flat anvil are used to press the deformable band of the fastener tightly against the prepared panel, capturing the panel rigidly between the deformable band and a base of the fastener. During pressing, the material of the fastener collar will also flow into the slots of the panel to prevent rotation.

Abstract: A tooling system has means for applying a vacuum to hold the fastener at the working end of the tool. A cavity in a hollow pusher pin has lateral ports for exclusively providing a airway between the vacuum source and the fastener. In other embodiments of the invention the pusher pin has fastener-gripping jaws in the form of balls moveable within lateral passageways in the pusher pin open into the cavity. The balls are biased inwardly against the fastener by an outer elastic band on the tool body which encircles the pusher pin. When adapted for installing magnetic-release type fasteners, the bottom end of the pusher pin is of reduced diameter for insertion into a magnetic release fastener. The fastener-receiving panel is supported by an anvil having a magnet whereby the fastener is released from the pusher pin as the fastener is pressed into the panel.

Abstract: A fastener is installed by applying an axial pressing force onto a mating component such as a round pin or a square tab. The fastener includes spring arms formed by bent tabs which deflect when pressed onto and grip the pin or other mating component between jaws of the arms making the fastener resistant to being pulled off. Downward facing fingers located around the periphery of the fastener flex when they come into contact with another portion of the mating component. This creates a residual clamp load between the fastener and the component. The fastener can easily be removed using a tool similar to snap ring pliers or needle nose pliers. Two holes on opposite sides of the fastener allow the part to be squeezed and deformed into an oval shape. This action disengages the arms and allows the fastener to slide off the mating component without resistance.

Abstract: A floating fastener comprises a retainer and a captive nut held within a cavity of the retainer. The nut is star-shaped with four points spaced equally apart and with four valleys on the periphery of the nut between the points creating the overall star-shape of the nut. Likewise, the cavity in the retainer corresponds to the shape and contour of the nut but sized so that there is a substantial gap between them. Permissible lateral float of the nut can be maximized by employing a particular angularity of the sides of the valleys in relation to other dimensions of the fastener.

Abstract: A two-part fastener with an insert and a compression sleeve. The insert is an internally-threaded fastener intended to be installed into a hole of a very hard panel. The insert itself is relatively hard with a knurled outer barrel portion and a flange at the bottom. A compression sleeve is made of relatively soft material and is preassembled around the barrel of the insert by friction fit. Upon installation into a panel with a blind hole having parallel sides, the compression sleeve is pressed into the panel and deforms outwardly between the insert and the side wall of the hole. Friction between the compression sleeve and the wall of the hole prevents torque out and pull out of the fastener from the panel.

Abstract: A self-piercing fastener having a planar base plate with a top, a bottom, and a peripheral edge. A plurality of prongs are fixed to the peripheral edge and extend downward past the bottom of the baseplate. Each of the prongs has a central axis and an arrowhead-shaped barb fixed to a distal end. Each barb has opposed front edges extending from the tip, and opposed back edges oriented at a reverse acute angle relative to the central axis of the prong. Each barb is adapted to fixedly embed in the interior of a panel to which the fastener is affixed.

Abstract: A clinch fastener with a single-element, unitary construction that does not require the preassembly of parts. The fastener provides a clamp load after installation and is fully formed by stamping the part from sheet metal. The fastener provides the necessary rigidity for a clinch attachment shank with the resilience of a head that will provide a residual clamp load to the attached panels. The fastener attaches two panels face-to-face by extending through aligned apertures in the panels. A shank undercut receives the cold flow of material from the second bottom panel while the panels are clamped against a resilient dome-shaped head of the fastener. The fastener may include a central axial well that receives the tip of a press punch during installation.

Abstract: A press-in fastener incorporates a compound wave pattern into the shank knurl. The knurl is generally aligned vertically but instead of a straight uniform knurl pattern, the rows of knurls have an undulating curved shape that alternates from a narrow to a wider cross-section as they transverse axially along the length of the pin shank. The knurls are arranged in straight or serpentine longitudinal rows equally spaced around a circumference of the shank. At least one of the rows has a wavy cross-sectional profile in a radial plane containing the longitudinal axis wherein said profile consists of a series of contiguous alternating crests and valleys. The compound wavy configuration of the knurls yields a number of benefits without adversely affecting the manufacturing process. The knurl configuration also reduces the installation force and disruption of the host material while maintaining a better lock on the host material.

Abstract: A clinching or swaging fastener for securely mounting a secondary article, such as a magnet, flush to a surrounding surface. An interference fit fastening feature holds the secondary article flush by using a deformable center knob on the end wall at the bottom of the retainer. Alignment features on the outer portion of the retainer body can fixture the magnet in a desired orientation. A radial flange surrounds the mouth of the bore which has a peripheral lip that extends upwardly. Clinch attachment means comprising a circular peripheral undercut is located on the outside of the body just below the flange for attaching the body to a host object. The article may have a peripheral chamfer at the top which receives the lip as it is deformed against the article to provide a flush alignment to the host object.