36 THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK Anthony Di Maio Anthony E. Di Maio attended Wentworth Institute and Northeastern University. In 1962 he started working with Blind Fasteners as Vice-President of Engineering & Manufacturing for two blind rivet manufacturers. He has been Chairman of the Technical Committee of the Industrial Fasteners Institute (IFI) and is still involved in the writing of IFI specifications. In 1991, he started ADM Engineering and is working with Fastener Manufacturers developing new fasteners and special machinery. He can be reached at ADM Engineering, 6 Hermon Ave., Haverhill, MA 01832; phone and fax 978-521-0277; e-mail: tdimaio@verizon.net. NON-STANDARD BLIND RIVET APPLICATIONS The application where the blind rivet solved the assembly of two very different materials with complete success. The condition was the assembly of 3/16 thick leather to steel. The product was a horse harness with Christmas bells. The problem was, how to fasten the bells to the leather in a secure manner. The solution was a 3/16 diameter large flange open-end blind rivet. over a smaller area. The dome head blind rivet has a smaller head diameter than a large flange blind rivet. CLEAR PLASTIC TILE FRAME SLEIGH BELL 3/32” BLIND RIVET LEATHER LARGE FLANGE RIVET The assembly had to withstand immense movement as the horse walked. The large flange rivet was fastened from the leather side of the application and the barrel of the blind rivet entered a No.11 drilled hole in the bell. The large flange is the correct head configuration to use when the flange of the blind rivet is set against soft material, such as leather. The large flange distributes the blind rivet setting pressure over a larger area of the leather and you will have less depression into the leather. A regular dome head blind rivet will depress deeper into the leather, because the blind rivet setting pressure is concentrated Another interesting and successful application was the attaching of 1/8 thick clear plastic 10 inch square tile to 1/8 thick aluminum frame work. The 10 inch clear plastic tile had to be fastened to a series of walls in a new building that was being constructed. Fastening screws were tried but the plastic tile would crack and brake when the screws were tightened. The decision was made to use 3/32 aluminum blind rivets in the four corners of the plastic tile. The 34 size blind rivet was selected. This 34 blind rivet has a 3/32 diameter barrel and a maximum work thickness of 1/4 inch which was perfect for this application. To ensure that the clear plastic tile does not crack when setting the blind rivet, I manufactured the 3/32 aluminum mandrel with a lower tensile value of 80lbs. please turn to page 160
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK 37 Capital Consulting P.O. Box 6232, High Point, NC 27262 Tel: 336-906-9401 Email: rgilchr485@aol.com OUR STRENGTH IS YOUR BOTTOM LINE Capital Consulting, led by Robbie Gilchrist, is a proven full service consulting company that can assist with a start-up business to the sale of your company. Want to improve the warehouse, purchasing, computer system, sales force, or operations of your business Capital Consulting can help you make those improvements. Gilchrist states: “As a business owner and entrepreneur, I was always looking for practical, effective, and proven ways to grow my company and become more profitable. I did this by seeking advice from an outside expert. I felt it was important to have another set of “eyes” on the business no matter what the size.” Ever wonder what your employees think of your company Capital Consulting can help implement an employee survey which will give you the feedback you need to help improve all aspects of your business from the employee’s viewpoint. If you are thinking about selling your company, let Capital Consulting come in and advise you on the preparations needed to begin the process and assist in finding the perfect buyer. The sale of your company may be the most important thing to happen. You want the proper guidance and advice to ensure a smooth transition. With over forty years of experience, Robbie Gilchrist and Capital Consulting have much to offer any size business. Contact them to find what they can do for you.
