If poet Gertrude Stein had also worked as an assembly machine operator, could she have ever written the line, “a rivet is a rivet is a rivet”? No one can say for sure, but it’s highly unlikely since operators know that rivets are distinctive in their design and function, as well as how they are installed.
One common installation method is impact riveting: a cold-forming process that permanently joins parts and is recommended for applications that require simultaneous insertion and heading of the rivet. As the name implies, an impact riveter upsets the rivet with a quick, powerful blow from the ram.