Choosing Your Rivet Tool

Rivet guns are one of the most popular tools found in industry today with a wide range of shapes, sizes and styles available. Most are available as hand-operated, air-operated or battery-operated tools and knowing which you need for your business should be a realistically straightforward option.

Traditional nail type rivets are fairly simple fixings. There are two parts that make up a nail rivet. A nail-like pin (made from a variety of materials) and a body normally made from a more pliable metal.

Setting a rivet is made by simply squeezing the head of the rover against a panel whilst the nail part of the rivet is pulled through, squeezing the body, this flattens it against the panel. When the rivet pin reaches the correct pre-determined area, the pin should snap flush with the head of the rivet to leave a secure fixing.

The choice of which type of rivet gun you use for this process is normally based on the volume of rivets you are setting, along with the location you are working in. As an example, if you’re working in a location off site with no access to air, a battery operated riveter or hand operated rivet tool can provide a satisfactory option for small volume installation or service requirements.

Alternatively, in a factory environment where large volumes of rivets are being set a pneumatic rivet tool would offer a faster, more efficient option allowing speedy installation together with repeatability of setting.

The use of a rivet tool is straightforward. No specialist operator training is needed. Place your rivet into the pre-drilled hole of the material you need to rivet, insert the nail into the rivet gun fully and set. A hand tool may need the levers squeezed a couple of times to set the rivet completely. If the pin fails to break, pull again to finish riveting.

If you’re using a pneumatic rivet tool, check the rivet tool is set for the correct size rivets you are looking to set, connect to an air line with the appropriate air supply and confirm that the rivet jaws are the size required for the rivet you are using. From there, it’s simply a question of pushing the rivet into the gun, offering up to your application and firing the rivet tool to set. Most rivet tools cycle through and feature a mandrel collector. Once cycled through, you’re ready to go with your next rivet installation.

For more information on rivet guns whether it’s a simple hand plier type hand tools or a pneumatic rivet tool you’re looking for, why not contact us and we’ll talk through the options.