The rivet punching machine

[Bernhard]

After I decided (or rather let myself be persuaded) to reproduce all the rivets on the Hulett ore unloader, I was looking for a simple means of reproducing the many thousands of rivet heads. Frithjof put me on the right track pretty quickly. He put me in touch with the manufacturer of his handy manual embossing device.
I talked to them, and finally bought this nice, but not quite cheap little machine.



The sheet metal is clamped in a holder, and can then be accurately positioned in the X and Y directions. The rivet heads are pressed into a die with a pointed punch. The punch is driven by a small electric motor, which facilitates the work and ensures good reproducibility of the head shape.



However, the machine was not yet usable for me in this way, as it was originally only intended for processing sheet metal. The manufacturer therefore developed and supplied me with a retrofit kit for machining angles and U-channels, even though it is already over 80 years old.

[Bernhard]

I have made further changes myself so that I can work faster with the machine:

• I have added digital vernier scales to both axes so that I do not have to constantly count the revolutions at the cranks for positioning. The Y-axis has been given an external display because the scale cannot be read directly in all positions.
• I added a foot switch to the two-hand release. This gives me both hands free for positioning the parts.

Now I can punch my many rivets efficiently and accurately.





Bernhard

[Hauk]

What a nice setup!
Full CNC with pneumatic embossing coming up?

Regarding the visual impact of rivets, I think your last image aleready shows how important the rivets will for the final result.

[Bernhard]

Hauk, a CNC version of the machine really does exist. But that would have definitely blown my budget.
And yes, the effort to display the rivets was definitely worth it.

Bernhard

[Hauk]

Hauk, a CNC version of the machine really does exist. But that would have definitely blown my budget.
And yes, the effort to display the rivets was definitely worth it.

Bernhard

It is a crying shame that this is only a virtual community.

Imagine the communal workshop we could have built together if we lived in the same town!

You bring the riveter, I will bring a lathe and mill.

And Russ, the fortune you built in the publishing business should cover a CNC upgrade for the riveter!

[finescalerr]

What an outstanding addition to your shop. The rivets look perfect and the automation makes all the necessary work at least feasible. I really look forward to watching this project develop.

Havard, your desire for a communal workshop is something I expect we actually will see someday. The compromise, though, will be that we'll have to ship components back and forth because it's all but impossible for modelers like us all to live in the same city.

Unfortunately, though, I spent my millions on the laser cutter I've mentioned over the past couple of years so another billionaire will have to cover the cost of the CNC upgrade. By the way, Havard, go stand in the corner!

Russ

[Design-HSB]

Hello Bernhard, that looks like a well thought-out solution and I'm happy that the rivets are continuing.

[SandiaPaul]

That machine is great and the results are obvious. Excellent. Who makes this machine?

[Bernhard]

That machine is great and the results are obvious. Excellent. Who makes this machine?

Paul, the rivet punching machine was built by Gunter Eifler, a precision mechanic from Braunschweig, Germany. He is over 80 years old and only works on request. I am glad that I still got this machine, because I have not found anything comparable on the market, despite an intensive search. I am really enthusiastic about the quality of the machine. It is made professionally and with a lot of dedication.

Bernhard

[fspg2]

Hello Bernhard,

I'm glad to hear that you are doing well with your new rivet stamping machine! The calipers are a very useful addition!
Even if you get a great result faster with this machine.... there are a lot of rivets that need to be pressed.
The finished model will reward you at the end for all the efforts certainly! ;-)


A click on the following pictures opens a short videoclip each!

Here are a few short video clips of the motorized and computer controlled version:

(fspg2)




The insertion of the sheet:

(fspg2)



Embossing the tender sidewall:

(fspg2)



Oh yeah, if you are interested in this machine - the builder would sell it - I can make contact if interested. Let me know, PN or email will do.

[Ray Dunakin]

That's an amazing machine, and just the ticket for such a complex model.