Installing a hex rivet nut - GIF

**Altair** · Oct 17, 2023, 12:56 PM

Installing a hex rivet nut.

Previously:

Squeezing a rivnut - GIF
Hot riveting up close - GIF
Orbital riveting machine - GIF
Pneumatic rivet buster - GIF
Chinese rivet manufacturing process - GIFs

**nova_robotics** · Oct 17, 2023, 05:23 PM

What's that first tool that cuts the hex out of the material?

**CharlesWaugh** · Oct 17, 2023, 05:41 PM

Pretty cool!

Insert jaws
Spread jaws open
PULL jaws back (like a single-tooth broach) and t cuts the hex
Insert rivnut
Insert screw-puller into rivnut
Tightenrivut into place
DONE!

**Frank S** · Oct 17, 2023, 06:23 PM

That is a far superior rivnut over the cylindrical ones

**nova_robotics** · Oct 17, 2023, 10:29 PM

Okay I did some digging. Looks like a couple companies offer hex rivnuts. Rivnut USA and Sherex, maybe other manufacturers but those are the only two I found. The tool to create the hex hole is not provided by either of those companies. The hex hole tool appears to be made by a company called Avdel? Maybe? I can't find any details, but here's a video of what I believe is the same tool in operation.

**astroscuba** · Oct 18, 2023, 07:14 PM

I too did a quick look after that video and was able to locate the hex blind nuts but never saw the cutting tool! Probably very pricy! But I can see how the hex wold prevent the blind rivit from turning in the hole. Beneficial but at a big price point.

**KustomsbyKent** · Oct 19, 2023, 02:01 PM

We have used the hex nut inserts in a production setting. Since all of our parts were punched on a CNC punch, we could easily implement the hex hole.
I've never seen that hex punching tool, that would be handy for these types of inserts.

We also found some specialized round nut inserts that had grippers on the head/top of body and those allowed us to use a regular round hold, but those grippers provided superior resistance to torque turning.

I believe this is the one we were using: https://fasteners.sherex.com/category/optisert-series