In developing their latest range of Century Class heavy trucks, built almost entirely from 5000 and 6000 series aluminium, the Freightliner Corporation reviewed the manufacturing and fastening techniques used in cab assembly, in order to improve production quality and efficiency.
Cabs from the Century Class range
Traditional fastening methods for this type of structure, such as solid riveting, blind riveting and bolting, resulted in high production costs and variable quality due to highly skilled, labour intensive hole drilling and fastener insertion techniques, together with a high cost for the blind bolts used in highly stressed areas of the structure.
The assembled cab structure
Because of these disadvantages, Freightliner Corporation decided to adopt self-piercing riveting as the main fastening technique for the cab structure, with 700 rivets being used in each cab, at a production rate of 75 cabs per day.
The advantages to Freightliner in adopting self-piercing riveting are as follows:
- Elimination of the skin drilling operation
- Improved fatigue life of the cab structure
- Elimination of leaks through the fastener position
- Replacement of expensive high strength bolts
- Reduction of operator skill requirement
- Consistent quality of the joints
- Automation of the assembly process
- Reduction in factory noise
Contact us for further information
Henrob Ltd
Second Avenue, Zone 2 Deeside Industrial Park,
Flintshire, CH5 2NX, United Kingdom
Tel +44(0)1244 837220
Fax +44(0)1244 837222
Contact Howard Litherland hjl@henrob.co.uk
