April 23, 2015—Chief Automotive Technologies introduced a new self-piercing rivet gun that bonds both aluminum and steel vehicle body panels.
The rivet gun is part of Chief’s product line expansion to include “fusion” products shops need to properly repair collision-damaged vehicles.
In addition to the rivet gun, the fusion group includes a full line of welders that had previously been marketed under the Elektron brand.
“Rivets offer an ideal solution for bonding two different metals together, and their place in the collision repair process will continue to grow as automakers increasingly mix aluminum with steel in new vehicle construction,” said Rob Elliott, lead engineer, collision and controls, for Chief parent company Vehicle Service Group (VSG).
Chief’s new PNP90 rivet gun features a pneumatic-hydraulic design that converts air pressure of 87 psi (6 bar) from a standard air compressor to 8,702 psi (600 bar) hydraulic pressure at the rivet gun tip. The gun also applies self-piercing rivets.
“The PNP90 gun’s self-piercing capabilities mean technicians don’t have to drill holes for every rivet,” said Elliott. “This saves considerable time, since some jobs require 50 or more rivets. And its light weight helps reduce operator fatigue during complex repairs.”
