Riveting Technologies: Blind Rivets, Rivet Nuts and When Each Beats Screws
Screws need a wrench on both ends or pre-made threads. Rivets need neither — which makes them the answer for closed sections, tubes and one-side assembly.
Blind rivets: permanent one-side joints
A blind rivet sets by pulling a mandrel through the body, expanding it behind the sheet. Fast, vibration-tolerant and immune to back-out, they are permanent by design: removal means drilling. Structural grades (multi-grip, high-strength) extend them into load-bearing panels.
Rivet nuts: threads installed blind
A rivet nut sets like a blind rivet but leaves a threaded insert — the standard answer for threads in thin sheet, tube ends and plastic housings where the back side is enclosed. Specify by grip range, thread size and knuckle style (knurled bodies resist spin-out).
Screws still win when…
- The joint opens in service: rivets do not, rivet nuts plus screws do.
- Torque-controlled preload matters: rivets carry shear, not clamp.
- Rework or disassembly is expected: drilling out rivets damages coatings.
Topprecision supplies rivet nuts alongside its screw and insert lines, and helps customers draw the line between riveted structure and screwed service joints in the same product.
