automotive extra

42 And it proceeds with high-speed! The trend in the automotive industry is still to make vehicles more efficient through strict lightweight con- struction whenever possible. Steels, light metals and plastics continue to be the main materials in automotive engineering. For such materials, there is a great number of new compositions as well as mutual substitutions. The requirements for the fastening technology are correspondingly complex and demanding. Consequent lightweight design When the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class was developed, there was a focus on weight reduc- tion in order to reduce fuel consumption. Strict lightweight construction paired with intelligent detail solutions considerably reduced the weight. The required function-specific gravity and high-pressure die castings constitute a special challenge for joining technology. On the one hand, components which are often heat treated have to be joined in a low-heat process so that material characteristics are maintained. On the other hand, these compo- nents often only have one-sided accessibility. If possible, modern manufacturing concepts should consist of only one production step (no pre-punching). Thus mechanical joining pro- cesses, suitable for one-sided accessibility of the joining point, are required. Traditional pro- cesses are limited when it comes to one-sided accessibility. Looking forward RIVTAC High-speed joining is different, how- ever. In this innovative mechanical joining process, a nail-like auxiliary joining part, the tack, is accelerated to high speed and driven into the not pre-punched joining parts. The ogival point of the tack displaces the material. The joint strength in the bottom joining part is achieved through a combination of force and form fit holding mechanisms. This is due to the restoring force of the dis- placed material on the one side. On the other side, the locally heated material flows into the Image: © Böllhoff Image: © Daimler AG Graphic: © Böllhoff Mercedes-Benz GLC RIVTAC high-speed joining – the innovative joining method for numerous materials Hybrid connection: CFRP-aluminium profile with adhesive by RIVTAC high-speed joining.