November 1, 2018 - PEM® self-clinching SH™ nuts and HFLH™ studs from PennEngineering® can successfully install in high-strength thin steel sheets to provide permanent threads for mating hardware in automotive component attachment applications. These hard panel nuts and studs manufactured from hardened alloy steel ultimately exhibit stronger thread strength compared with conventional fasteners. The fasteners additionally eliminate the environmental-related issues typically associated with alternative thin-sheet fastening devices.
Due to a lightweight design and reduced need for loose hardware such as washers, these fasteners can contribute to overall weight reductions in vehicle assemblies. Lower installed cost can be gained from the elimination of embossing operations and the capability to install automatically using a standard press or in-die technology. Small outer diameters of the fasteners enable close-to-edge mounting without risking sheet buckling and, upon installation, the reverse side of the host sheet will remain flush and unmarred for a clean appearance.
PEM SH nuts are engineered to install into high-strength steel sheets at 975MPa maximum ultimate tensile and as hard as HRC 30 or less on the Rockwell “C” scale. Host panels can be as thin as 1.4 mm / .056 in. Standard thread sizes are M6, M8, and M10 for metric nuts and ¼-20, 5/16-18, and 3/8-16 for unified versions.
PEM HFLH studs will install successfully into high-strength steel sheets at 700MPa maximum ultimate tensile and as hard as HRB 91 or less on the Brinell scale. Host panels can be as thin as 1mm / .040 in. Standard thread sizes are M5, M6, and M8 for metric studs and #10-32, ¼-20, and 5/16-18 for unified versions.
