Joining two sections of metal can be accomplished in a number of ways; bolting, welding and riveting are all commonly used. Welding and riveting are used when the joint is not intended to be dismantled; bolts can be taken out if necessary. To set rivets a force is used to shape a head which binds the metal sections permanently together. A rivet looks somewhat like a bolt but it is thread-less, the unthreaded end is put into a prepared hole, this end of the rivet is called the “buck-tail”, it is flattened and the fastening is now permanent.
Rivets are commonly used in the aircraft industry and in bridge building. To form the rivet head over a tool is required whether it is a hammer, bucking bar or specialized rivet gun. The guns that are commonly used are manual, pneumatic, electric or hydraulic. A hydraulic riveter is often the choice when a great deal of force has to be applied; this is one reason why hydraulic tool repair is frequently needed on these devices. A rivet gun not only has to exert sufficient force it also has to finish the rivet and it does this in different fashions.
The hydraulic riveter can finish the joint in three ways; it can drive the rivet home with impact, or it can finish the rivet head with either orbital or spiral movements. An impact riveter is used extensively when the issue is volume and not necessarily esthetics and as a result often fails due to the repletion. Hydraulic tool repair becomes necessary frequently. When an impact riveter is used it literally drives the rivet through the materials and impacts on an anvil on the opposite side, the force is very high.
If the head shape of the rivet is important, a hydraulic riveter which sets the rivet through an orbital motion is the preferred tool. Orbital rivets can be nicely rounded whereas an impact rivet has a flat, blunt head.
A hydraulic riveter is not a stand-alone tool, for it to function it requires a hydraulic power source or power-pack. This is a device which consists of a hydraulic cylinder in which a piston is installed. When the piston is forced up the cylinder, the hydraulic oil is operates the tool.
