Many orbital riveting applications require a method to rivet to force.   The orbital head moves down onto the part through the riveting process.  Using the Piezo Strain Transducer and MMU Amplifier Module™, the force is continuously monitored until the setpoint force is reached at which point the orbital riveting cycle is complete and the head retracts.

The piezo strain transducer is mounted on the riveter frame and provides an output relative to the micro deflection of the frame during the riveting operation.  The sensor is connected the the MMU Amplifier Module for sgnal conditioning and amplification providing a  0-10VDC output to the PLC analog input card.  This analog input is scaled to engineering units and displayed on the operator interface.  A user configurable  set-point is also displayed which determines the relative peak force for the parts.  The PLC program can provide an alert or inhibit the process if the force observed varies outside of acceptable tolerance.  

The model MMU Amplifier is a simple and very cost effective force monitoring solution relative to alternatives.  This system is ideally suited for OEM integration and retrofit applications.