Whitesell International Corporation

Fabristeel Products, Inc.

Harold T Woods

John J Vrana

John M Parker

Richard P Ward

Kerry V Boggs

Harold A Ladouceur

A self-diagnosing pierce nut installation apparatus including an installation head attached to an upper die member of a die press having a reciprocating plunger driving a pierce nut against a panel, piercing a slug from the panel upon closing of the press and a rod telescopically received in the plunger resiliently biased through the nut bore if a slug is pierced from the panel or against the panel if not pierced, and a sensor sensing axial movement of the rod, stopping the press if the rod engages the panel. A die located in the lower die member includes a slug sensor confirming receipt of the panel slug through the die member.

Self-diagnosing pierce nut installation apparatus

A self-attaching nut having a central pilot projecting from an end face of the body portion, an annular groove surrounding the pilot and an annular panel support face surrounding the groove, wherein the outer side wall includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced notches, each having an outer wall which extends from the bottom wall of the annular groove to the panel support face and the bottom wall of the groove includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced radial ribs integral with either the outer or inner side walls of the annular groove having a radial end spaced from the opposed side wall and a top face inclined toward the bottom wall of the annular groove providing improved torque resistance and push-off strength. Alternating circumferentially overlapping radial ribs integral with the pilot and the outer groove wall and ribs which extend below the bottom wall of the groove are also disclosed.

Self-attaching nut

A self-attaching nut including a central pilot portion, a flange portion surrounding the pilot portion having an end face including an annular groove in the end face having inclined inner and outer side walls and a plurality of circumferentially spaced radial ribs integral with the outer side wall extending beyond a midportion of the bottom wall, but spaced from the inner side wall. In one embodiment, the top faces of the radial ribs is inclined to adjacent the inner side wall of the annular groove and in another embodiment, the radial inner ends of the ribs are spaced above the plane of the bottom wall and include an inwardly inclined face.

A self-attaching fastener including a central pilot, an annular flange surrounding the pilot including an annular groove having bottom, inner and outer side walls, wherein the bottom wall includes a first plurality of spaced anti-rotation elements each having a radial top face inclined above the bottom wall and a second plurality of circumferentially spaced anti-rotation elements each having a radial top face oppositely inclined below the bottom wall and a method of attachment which avoids distortion of the thread cylinder of a female fastener.

Self-attaching fastener and method of attachment

The present invention relates to an improved die member, panel and fastener assembly and method for installing a fastener into a panel. The die member has a pair of opposed clinching lips protruding from an end face. The opposed clinching lips have a contact face that narrows as it approaches the opposed ends of the contact face and sidewalls that are angled with respect to vertical. The lips, due to the dual angles, substantially and simultaneously drive panel metal into fastener grooves both longitudinally and laterally. The fastener and panel assembly have panel metal deformed into the fastener grooves resulting in generally wedge-shaped portions of panel metal in the opposed ends of the fastener grooves.

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Flat Rock, MI, United States of America

Harold T Woods