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A compact, portable, fully automated rivet installation system for a fraction of the cost of large stationary systems is presented. Hand assembly is still being done in many areas where automated equipment could be used to improve quality and productivity. One such application is minor subassemblies such as clips, brackets etc. that often have fewer than ten or twelve rivets. The system presented is fast, reliable, self contained and can process a wide range of parts. Operation of the system and application of each style of “C” frame are discussed.

The CNC controlled automatic riveting work cell represents the latest State-Of-The-Art in automatic fastening machines and support hardware. The work cell contains a unique designed knee type drill and rivet machine that has a sixty inch throat depth, four position upper head and sixteen thousand pounds of upset force. The machine is equipped with dual drill spindles, one for drilling and one for deburring. The knee style machine was developed for fabricating tubular assemblies which are fed into the throat of the machine over an eight inch square lower knee. A CNC controlled four axis positioning system presents the part to the machine for riveting. Support systems include an automatic fastener feed system and a vacuum chip collection system. The work cell is controlled by an Allen Bradley series 9/290 enhanced CNC processor. The paper presents each individual system and it's role as part of the total CNC duct riveting work cell.