Self-clinching fasteners

May 7, 2008

PennEngineering has released it PEMHEX self-clinching fasteners, which incorporate a hexagonal nylon element providing a reusable, non-metallic prevailing torque thread lock. The self-locking fasteners can be installed permanently in steel or aluminum sheets as thin as .060”/1.52mm and their locking performance meets the applicable standards of NASM25027.

The steel (Type PL) and stainless steel (Type PLC) fasteners are available in unified and metric thread sizes #4-40 through #10-32 and M3 through M5.A trademarked blue nylon locking element identifies unified fasteners (black for metric fasteners). Fasteners can be installed in metal sheets with hardness 70 or less on the Rockwell “B” scale.

During installation, the fastener’s knurled collar embeds in the host sheet, the undercut cavity beneath the collar fills with displaced sheet material, and the fastener becomes permanently captivated in the sheet.

Their strong, knurled collar receives the installation force and resists torque, exhibiting spin resistance exceeding the torque that can be exerted by the self-locking feature. Both the self-clinching shank and undercut contribute to high pushout values.