Bay Supply Blog - Rivets, Fasteners, and Tools | Mike Eichinger (6)

When it comes to finding the right fasteners for any job, you have many choices, especially when it comes to rivets. Often, it’s difficult to decide if you want to use a blind rivet, a pop rivet, a solid rivet, or some other type of rivet.

Market conditions are continually changing, and new trends lead to demand for new products. To keep pace with changes in the fastener marketplace and shine new light on emerging fastener applications, we decided to start a series of blog posts profiling fastener manufacturers. This post is from our conversation with Adam Pratt, president of Sherex Fastening Solutions, a longtime Bay Supply partner. 

Helical inserts have become commonplace in manufacturing and repairs. Coiled thread inserts are an ingenious solution to deal with stripped holes or setting a bolt in soft materials. KATO Fastening Systems is one of the companies that has revolutionized helical inserts.

If you have bought fasteners before, you have probably heard of Cherry rivets. The original application for Cherry rivets has been all but forgotten thanks to the many times the brand has changed hands, but they were actually created for aircraft manufacturing.

When it comes to fastening systems, speed fasteners are in a class of their own. Where most fasteners are loaded individually and set one by one, speed fasteners are packaged in a belt for rapid, consistent installation.

Threaded rivet nut inserts are a specific type of fastener designed to provide a threaded hole that can accept a bolt or threaded fastener. As with any type of fastener, there is more than one configuration, each designed for specific applications. The well nut is just one threaded rivet nut insert with a unique design and was created for particular uses.

There are different fasteners for different applications. If you want a permanent bond, rivets or blind bolts may be your best option. A rivet nut may be a better choice if you want a strong join that can be set with a screw so it can be serviced or replaced.