Assembly in Action: Self-Clinching Fasteners Help Bus Bars Deliver Power
Bus bars help distribute electrical current from power supplies to components. Bus bars are used in the computer, power conversion, telecommunications, energy management, power supply, military, medical, transportation, and automotive industries. Bus bars can reduce system costs by decreasing assembly time and parts count. They also eliminate potential wiring errors; improve system reliability and quality; and provide a wide variety of interconnection methods for customization.
Every bus bar designed by Eldre Corp. (Rochester, NY) is a unique product made to meet specific customer requirements. Eldre’s capabilities range from single-layer bus bars to multilayer laminated structures incorporating discrete components into an integrated power electronics package.
“Every product is a custom solution for our customers,” says Reuven Koter, director of marketing and new business development at Eldre. Eldre performs all design and manufacturing in-house and strives to deliver cost-effective and easy-to-assemble products.
In every bus bar, where clinch hardware could prove advantageous, Eldre specifies and installs standard self-clinching nuts and studs from PEM Fastening Systems (Danboro, PA) as part of the package. The hardware helps to achieve mechanical mating of components or terminations, and when correctly installed, it maintains the mating surfaces that carry the current.
“For our screw-type connections, PEM threaded clinch fasteners are installed permanently in our products for reliable and low-cost attachment,” Koter says. “Their presence reduces the number of parts to be handled during assembly and eliminates reaching behind a backplane, card or fixture to attach mating hardware.”
“By using standard PEM hardware,” Koter adds, “we can help contain costs for manufacturing and assembly, while adding practical value to our products.”
According to Koter, today’s power distribution systems impose particular demands on engineers, who must constantly make the most efficient use of space and deal with the potential negative effects of vibration in an assembly.
Looking for quick answers on assembly and manufacturing topics? Try Ask ASM, our new smart AI search tool. Ask ASM
“PEM hardware is part of our solution,” Koter says. “These small, low-profile fasteners take up very little real estate, and once installed, they do not loosen or fall out.” This prevents possible damage to integral components.
Eldre installs PEM hardware by pressing the fastener into a drilled or punched hole. This process causes displaced sheet material to cold flow into a specially designed annular recess in the shank or pilot of the fastener, permanently locking the fastener in place. A serrated clinching ring, knurl, ribs or hex head prevents the fastener from rotating in the metal when torque is applied to mating hardware.
For more information on self-clinching fasteners, call 215-766-8853 or visit www.pemnet.com.
Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!
