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Hand installation of 3/8", 5/16" and 1/4" diameter fatigue head style fasteners is required on some areas of 747 section 11 (center wing). The 3/8" diameter fasteners can require between 45-60 seconds to upset using conventional pneumatic riveting guns. As part of Boeing’s continuing effort to reduce cycle time and improve the factory working environment, a Boeing Quality Circle Team proposed using LVER technology as an alternative to conventional pneumatic percussion riveting hammers The hand operated HH500 system was developed in response to this request. The HH500 single shot upset reduces installation time as well as the noise levels and vibration experienced by the operators. The design of this system and the integration onto the factory floor are presented. The LVER forming rate is significantly higher than that of conventional pneumatic and hydraulic processes.

British Aerospace, Airbus Ltd., Chester, UK manufactures the main wing box assembly for all current Airbus programs. Titanium interference fasteners are used in large numbers throughout these aircraft structures. On the lower wing skin of the A320 alone there are approximately 11,000 of this fastener type. Currently, the majority of these fasteners are manually installed using pneumatic or hydraulic tooling. British Aerospace engineers recognized the significant potential which automation offers to reduce these current labor intensive installation methods. Electroimpact proposed extending Low Voltage Electromagnetic Riveter (LVER) technology to the automatic installation of these interference fasteners as well as rivets. Close liaison between Airbus and Electroimpact engineers resulted in the development of an automated LVER based lockbolt installation system, which is currently undergoing evaluation.

The Handheld Low Voltage Electromagnetic Riveter(HHER) has been under development for the past three years. The HHER is an impulse device deriving its power from the discharge of a bank of capacitors through a pancake coil. This gives the HHER the advantage of an accurate and repeatable output force, which results in exceptional consistency in rivet upset dimensions. The rivet/hole interferences obtainable with the HHER have been shown in many cases to be superior to traditional rivet driving techniques, resulting in riveted joints that exhibit excellent fatigue life.(5) Typically, two opposing guns are used on either side of the rivet. These are synchronized through a control cable of arbitrary length. This feature allows accurate installation of slug rivets by hand, a function that in many cases is not possible with existing handheld tools.