Archive for April, 2013

Then and Now: Riveting Tools Fastening the Seams of History

Thursday, April 25th, 2013

Currently on display at the National Museum of American History, an exhibit called America on the Move details how transportation and technology have changed the shape and fabric of America, from automotive to locomotive and beyond. The exhibit features everything from the trains and cars themselves, all the way down to the tools and techniques that saw these vehicles become a staple of our daily lives. Among this guide to the nation’s planes, trains, and automobiles, was a curious reminder of the lineage of our industry: A pneumatic rivet gun and three swages used on the railways and in welding work from 1950.

From the 1920s, riveting tools have been crucial to the development of early automotives and locomotives, but this isn’t news to anyone. What is particularly interesting is just how far we’ve come in the last few decades.

Comparing this artifact to the raw power and the sleek lightweight design of the BP-4V, for example, its impressive to see the improvements. From a two to three person operation, to a riveting gun wielding 3500lbs. of pulling force at a weight of only 3.6 lbs is a staggering leap in technological achievements, boasting the best weight-to-power ratio that the industry has yet to speak of. Our Power Micro boasts an even lighter weight gun that is still capable of 1760 lbs. of force, weighing in at less than 2.5 lbs. Far from the riveting relics of days past!

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