A guide to panel fasteners and plastic rivets

What are Panel Fasteners?

In today's modern fabrication, panel fasteners come in all kinds of shapes, sizes, and materials. They're useful in various applications and industries:

• Automotive
• Aerospace and aeronautics
• Ship building
• Electronics
• Electric cable enclosures
• Cabinet making

Solid, round head rivets have been used for centuries, as far back as the bronze age. Often used in ship and bridge construction, these rivets consist of a shaft with a round head on one end. After being heated to the correct temperature, they're placed in holes that join panels to framework. The exposed end of the shaft is hammered to flatten it, making a strong, secured attachment.

Here's an interesting historical fact: the Golden Gate Bridge that spans the San Francisco Bay in California has approximately 600,000 rivets per tower.

Fortunately, you probably won't need nearly that many rivets for your engineering projects. And much of the time, you'll be using panel fasteners made of nylon, plastic, or other synthetic materials.

When specifying a fastener, you need to consider one or more of these conditions and requirements:

• The materials of the mating surfaces
• The thickness of both the panel and the structure to which is attached
• The environment it will be located in (wet or damp, acidic or caustic, high or low temperature)
• How often, if ever, that the panel will need to be removed
• The strength of the join required, both shear and tensile
• And of course, the aesthetics or appearance of the fastener

Let's look at some examples.

Concealed Access Panel Fasteners and Quick Access Fasteners

You may be designing a cabinet to house electronic equipment that doesn't need immediate access. For example, audio/visual or security components. You need occasional access, but still want to hide them from plain view.

For both aesthetic and potential privacy/security issues, you don't want the fasteners visible. In that case, concealed panel fasteners, also called hidden panel fasteners might be your best option. A two-piece assembly, the pin is attached to the panel and the receptacle for it is installed on the cabinet frame. The two pieces mate, using compression to hold them together. Simply pull outward on the panel to release it.

These hidden panel fasteners are just one of the options available when access to the interior of the cabinet is required or necessary.

There is another feature of cabinet door panel retainer clips that are beneficial to both you and your customer. Your buyer may be in love with the cabinet's overall design, but not enamoured with the inset panel. By using cabinet panel retainer clips instead of adhesives or other more permanent attachments, you can give your customer a choice of several panel selections or even a customised panel.

Plastic Rivets

Maybe you're not building a bridge or a powerful steam liner. But your project may still benefit from using rivets. These days, you have a multitude of possibilities. These fasteners have options for both permanent and removable panel installations.

For a permanent attachment to metal surfaces, blind rivets are often used. They're called "blind" because you don't need to access both sides of the rivet to install them. They're sometimes referred to as "pop" rivets, but that's actually a brand name of blind rivets.

Blind rivets

Often known as body panel fasteners, consist of a one-piece metal body or shell with a flange, and a metal mandrel with a ball on the end. When compressed, the ball is drawn into the shell to distort the end and secure the rivet.

There are also push in blind rivets, normally manufactured from a synthetic material such as nylon. However, instead of being drawn out, the mandrel is driven into the shell, expanding it.

Rivet Types

Here are several other types of push in blind rivets, each designed for easy removal.

A ribbed push in rivet has, as the name suggests, ribs down the shaft of the rivet. Also called fir tree configurations, the ribs are pointed back toward the head of the rivet. When pushed in, they keep the rivet from being retracted easily. These are often used in automotive parts installations, such as door panels.

Screw-in rivets

An expanding push in rivet can be removable with a threaded mandrel that, as it is screwed in, expands the shaft of the rivet to secure the panel. When it's necessary to remove the panel, such as is often necessary for security equipment enclosures, the mandrel is screwed out and the rivet is lifted off with the panel.

There are situations where it might be necessary to attach trim pieces or even another panel to the panel you're designing. However, your panel is likely too thin to thread and tap to accept a screw or machine bolt.

Download free CADs and try before you buy

Be sure to browse our selection of snap on rivets, clips, and plastic push in panel fasteners.

Optimise your design by downloading free CADs of the solutions you’re interested in. You can also request free samples to ensure the panel fasteners you’ve chosen are exactly what you need. If you’re not quite sure which solution will work best for your application, our experts are always happy to advise you. Request your free samples or download free CADs now.

Questions?

Email us at sales@essentracomponents.co.uk or speak to one of our experts for further information on the ideal solution for your application 0345 528 0474.