Rivet assembly fixtures are critical tools on the manufacturing floor. Their job is simple: accurately locate two or more stamped panels and hold them firmly in position so they can be riveted together consistently and repeatedly.

This particular fixture uses locating pins to position the stamped panels and pneumatically operated clamps to secure them during the riveting operation. One of its smart features is an integrated presence switch. When an operator places a stamped part onto the fixture, the part itself presses the switch, automatically activating the pneumatic clamps. There's no extra step, no manual override. The system responds to the part.

The customer came to us with an existing fixture design that no longer fit their updated stamped panel geometry. Our engineering team reviewed the original design and redesigned the necessary components to accommodate the new part profile - keeping what still worked and modifying what didn't.

From there, we handled fabrication of all custom manufactured components, both the carry over parts and the newly designed ones. That included sourcing and ordering all purchased components: fasteners, springs, pneumatic cylinders, pneumatic fittings, hose couplers, dowel pins, and identification tags.

Once parts were in-house, our team assembled the complete unit and performed full inspection, including functional testing of the pneumatic cylinders and the part-presence clamp activation switch. The fixture left our facility confirmed operational and ready for production use.

Part geometries change. Tooling needs to change with them. One of the more common challenges manufacturers face is that legacy fixtures become obsolete when a stamped component gets updated; Even minor changes to a panel's profile can mean locating pins no longer seat correctly or clamps no longer apply force in the right location.

Rather than scrapping the entire fixture, a targeted redesign can often bring existing tooling back into spec at a fraction of the cost of building new. That's exactly what happened here. SK International reviewed what could be retained, redesigned what couldn't, and manufactured and assembled a complete, updated unit - all from a single source.

This project reflects what SK International does across our fixture and tooling work: we don't just machine parts, we understand the application, take responsibility for the full build, and deliver something that's ready to run. Whether you need a fixture redesigned around new part geometry, a custom tooling solution built from scratch, or a complete assembly with full functional testing, our team is equipped to handle it.

If your production line has tooling that's fallen behind your current parts, reach out to SK International. We'd be glad to take a look.