Riveting process of electric wheelchair: a bridge connecting firmness and comfort
In the manufacturing process of electric wheelchairs, the riveting process plays a vital role. It not only affects the overall quality and safety of the wheelchair, but also affects the comfort of the user and the service life of the product. This article will explore the riveting process of electric wheelchairs in depth, from principles, methods, material selection to quality control, and other aspects to reveal the precision technology behind the manufacturing of electric wheelchairs.
1. Overview of riveting process
Riveting is a common connection process that connects two or more metal parts together through rivets. The basic principle is to place the rivet or rivet column in the hole of the connected part and compress it with a rivet gun or other equipment to cause the rivet to plastically deform, thereby forming a reliable connection.
(I) Types of rivets
Solid rivet: This is the most basic type of rivet with high strength and hardness, and is often used in connection parts that bear large loads. Its head shape is diverse, such as semi-circular head, countersunk head, flat head, etc., which can be selected according to different connection requirements and appearance designs.
Semi-hollow rivets: The head of a semi-hollow rivet is solid, while the stem is hollow. Compared with solid rivets, it can reduce weight while still providing sufficient connection strength. In addition, the hollow part of the semi-hollow rivet can also accommodate some special connection media or sealing materials, which is suitable for some occasions that require sealing or special connection performance.
Hollow rivets: The entire rivet body of a hollow rivet is hollow, which is lighter and has relatively low requirements for the matching of the rivet holes during installation. It is often used for connections in some non-critical parts, or in situations where weight reduction is required but extremely high connection strength is not required.
(II) Riveting methods
Manual riveting: Manual riveting requires the use of a rivet gun and hand tools. It is suitable for some small, lightweight electric wheelchair components or in small production batches. Although manual riveting is relatively inefficient, it is more flexible and can be flexibly operated for different connection parts and rivet types.
Pneumatic riveting: Pneumatic riveting uses a pneumatic riveting gun and compressed air to complete the riveting process. Compared with manual riveting, pneumatic riveting has higher efficiency and riveting quality. Pneumatic riveting guns can provide stable and powerful riveting force, so that rivets can connect the connected parts more tightly, thereby improving the reliability and consistency of the connection. In the mass production of electric wheelchairs, pneumatic riveting is one of the main riveting methods.
(III) Advantages of riveting
High strength: Riveting can form a strong connection and withstand large tension, pressure and shear force. This is especially important for key parts such as the frame and wheel hub of the electric wheelchair, ensuring the stability and safety of the wheelchair during use.
Good sealing: In some connection parts that need to be sealed, such as the battery compartment and motor compartment, riveting can provide good sealing performance to prevent liquid or gas leakage and protect internal components from damage.
Corrosion resistance: Rivets are usually subjected to special surface treatments, such as galvanizing, nickel plating, etc., and have good corrosion resistance. This allows the riveted connection to maintain good performance even in harsh environments such as moisture and corrosiveness, extending the service life of the electric wheelchair.
Anti-vibration: Riveted connections have a certain elasticity, which can absorb and buffer vibrations, reduce the impact of vibrations on the wheelchair structure and components, and improve the comfort of users.
(IV) Disadvantages of riveting
High processing difficulty of riveting points: In order to ensure the quality of riveting, the processing accuracy of riveting holes is required to be high. The size, shape and position deviation of the holes will affect the installation and connection strength of the rivets. Therefore, in the manufacturing process of electric wheelchairs, the processing of riveting holes needs to be strictly controlled, which increases the processing difficulty and cost.
Requires professional skills and experience: Whether it is manual riveting or pneumatic riveting, operators are required to have certain professional skills and experience. Unskilled operation may lead to problems such as loose riveting and rivet deformation, affecting product quality. Therefore, companies need to train operators to improve their technical level and quality awareness.
High cost: The riveting process requires the use of special riveting equipment and tools, such as rivet guns, rivets, etc., and the procurement cost of these equipment and tools is high. In addition, the cost of consumables in the riveting process cannot be ignored, such as rivets, lubricants, etc. This increases the manufacturing cost of electric wheelchairs to a certain extent.
2. Riveting parts and process requirements of electric wheelchairs
In electric wheelchairs, multiple parts need to adopt riveting technology to ensure the stability and reliability of their structure.
(I) Frame riveting
The frame is the core component of the electric wheelchair, bearing the weight of the entire wheelchair and the weight of the user. Therefore, the riveting quality of the frame is crucial.
Material selection: High-strength steel or aluminum alloy is usually selected as the frame material to ensure its strength and rigidity. For steel frames, solid rivets can be used for riveting; for aluminum alloy frames, in order to prevent electrochemical corrosion, rivets that match aluminum alloys, such as aluminum rivets or stainless steel rivets, are often used, and the riveted surface is properly treated before riveting, such as coating with anti-corrosion coatings.
Riveting process: During the frame riveting process, the riveting sequence and riveting force must be strictly controlled. Generally speaking, the riveting sequence should expand from the center of the frame to the surroundings to ensure the integrity and symmetry of the frame. At the same time, according to the specifications and materials of the rivets, select the appropriate riveting force to ensure that the rivets can tightly connect the frame components, but will not cause damage to the rivets or frame materials.
(II) Hub riveting
The hub is the key component of the electric wheelchair in contact with the ground, and its riveting quality directly affects the driving performance and safety of the wheelchair.
Material selection: The hub material is usually aluminum alloy or high-strength engineering plastic. For aluminum alloy hubs, semi-hollow rivets or solid rivets can be used for riveting; for engineering plastic hubs, in order to ensure the riveting strength and not damage the plastic material, specially designed plastic rivets or stainless steel rivets are often used and appropriate buffering measures are taken, such as adding rubber washers to the riveted parts.
Riveting process: During the hub riveting process, the matching accuracy of the rivet and the hub hole must be ensured. The size of the rivet hole should be precisely processed according to the specifications of the rivet to ensure that the rivet can pass smoothly during the installation process and form a tight connection. At the same time, when riveting, attention should be paid to controlling the riveting angle and position so that the wheel hub can maintain good balance and coaxiality after installation, and avoid shaking and swaying of the wheelchair during driving.
(III) Seat riveting
The seat is the part that the electric wheelchair user directly contacts and relies on, and its comfort and stability are crucial to the user’s experience.
Material selection: The frame material of the seat is generally steel or aluminum alloy, and the surface is covered with soft seat cushions and back cushions. In the riveting of the seat frame, solid rivets or semi-hollow rivets can be used to ensure the strength and stability of the seat frame. For the fixing of the seat cushion and back cushion, some special rivets or connectors, such as nylon rivets, plastic buckles, etc., can be used. These connectors can not only provide sufficient connection strength, but also avoid damage to the seat cushion and back cushion.
Riveting process: During the seat riveting process, attention should be paid to the rationality of the riveting position. Rivets should be kept away from the user’s seat contact area as much as possible to avoid affecting the user’s comfort. At the same time, it is necessary to ensure that the connection between the seat frame and the wheelchair frame is firm and reliable. Through reasonable riveting design and process control, the seat will not loosen or shake during use, providing stable support for the user.
3. Quality control of electric wheelchair riveting process
In order to ensure the quality of the electric wheelchair riveting process, a strict quality control system needs to be established during the production process.
(I) Preparation before riveting
Material inspection: Strictly inspect the rivets and the connected materials to ensure that their materials, specifications, dimensions, etc. meet the design requirements. Check the surface quality of the rivets to see if there are defects such as cracks, burrs, oxidation, etc.; test the chemical composition and mechanical properties of the connected materials to ensure that they can meet the use requirements after riveting.
Hole processing quality control: Strictly control the processing accuracy of the riveted holes, including the size, shape, and position tolerance of the holes. Use high-precision drilling equipment and processing technology to ensure that the roundness and verticality of the riveted holes meet the standard requirements. At the same time, properly clean the riveted holes to remove burrs, oil stains, iron filings and other impurities in the holes to ensure that the rivets can be installed smoothly and form a good connection.
(II) Monitoring during the riveting process
Equipment parameter setting and monitoring: According to the type, specification and material of the rivet, as well as the thickness and strength of the connected parts, the parameters of the riveting equipment, such as riveting force, riveting time, riveting speed, etc., are reasonably set. During the riveting process, the operating status of the equipment is closely monitored to ensure the stability and consistency of the riveting parameters. Once the equipment is found to be abnormal or the parameters deviate from the set range, the machine should be stopped for inspection and adjustment in time to avoid the production of unqualified riveted products.
Operator training and supervision: Strengthen the training of operators to make them familiar with the operation methods, process flow and quality requirements of the riveting equipment. During the production process, arrange special personnel to supervise and guide the work of the operators to ensure that they perform riveting operations in strict accordance with the operating procedures. For violations of the operating procedures, timely corrections and corresponding penalties should be imposed to improve the quality awareness and sense of responsibility of the operators.
(III) Inspection after riveting
Appearance inspection: Perform an appearance inspection on the riveted electric wheelchair components to check whether the rivet head is complete and smooth, and whether there are gaps or looseness between the rivet and the connected parts. Check the surface quality of the riveted parts for scratches, abrasions, deformation and other defects to ensure the appearance quality and connection reliability of the product.
Strength detection: Use appropriate detection methods to detect the strength of the riveted parts, such as tensile test, shear test, etc. By simulating the load conditions in actual use, the riveted connection is strength tested to ensure that it can withstand the load requirements specified in the design. Products that fail the strength test should be reworked or scrapped to prevent unqualified products from entering the market.
4. Innovation and development of riveting technology for electric wheelchairs
With the continuous advancement of science and technology and the continuous development of the manufacturing industry, the riveting process of electric wheelchairs is also constantly innovating and improving.
(I) Application of new riveting technology
Rivetless riveting technology: Rivetless riveting is an emerging sheet metal stamping connection technology. It uses the plastic deformation of the sheet itself, and through special stamping equipment and molds, a mutually inlaid dot is formed at the connection to achieve the connection of the sheet. This riveting technology does not require the use of traditional rivets, avoids the procurement, storage and installation of rivets, and reduces production costs. At the same time, rivetless riveting can maintain the integrity and original performance of the plate surface, the connection point is free of warping and burrs, and has high connection strength and sealing. It has broad application prospects in the manufacture of electric wheelchairs.
Automatic rivet feeding riveting technology: Automatic rivet feeding riveting technology is an efficient riveting method suitable for semi-hollow rivets or full-hollow rivets. The rivet automatically flows to the lower rivet mouth through the slide after the rivet roller rotates. The operator puts the product parts on the ejector pin of the lower mold, and then drives the swing rod to press down through the rotation of the cam, so that the rivet presses down the ejector pin of the lower mold, and finally the product rivet flange is formed. This technology realizes the automatic supply of rivets and the automation of the riveting process, greatly improves production efficiency and riveting quality stability, reduces the error and labor intensity of manual operation, and has been widely used in the large-scale production of electric wheelchairs.
(II) Combination of riveting technology and material science
Research and development of high-performance rivet materials: With the continuous development of material science, new high-performance rivet materials continue to emerge. For example, some high-strength, high-toughness, and corrosion-resistant alloy rivet materials, such as titanium alloy rivets and nickel-based alloy rivets, can meet the use requirements of electric wheelchairs in harsh environments and improve the reliability and service life of riveted connections.
Riveting applications of composite materials: Composite materials are gradually increasing in the manufacture of electric wheelchairs due to their advantages such as light weight, high strength, and corrosion resistance. However, the riveting process of composite materials is different from that of traditional metal materials. Researchers are exploring riveting techniques and process parameters suitable for composite materials to give full play to the performance advantages of composite materials. For example, in the mixed riveting of composite materials and metal materials, special rivet coatings or surface treatment methods are used to reduce electrochemical corrosion between the two; at the same time, the riveting process parameters are optimized to ensure that the composite materials will not be damaged during the riveting process, thereby improving the overall performance and safety of the electric wheelchair.
5. Conclusion
The riveting process of electric wheelchairs is a key link in its manufacturing process and has an important impact on the quality and performance of the product. By deeply understanding the principles, methods and characteristics of the riveting process, rationally selecting rivets and connected materials, strictly controlling the quality of the riveting process, and constantly exploring and applying new riveting technologies and processes, we are able to manufacture electric wheelchair products that are more sturdy, reliable, comfortable and have a longer service life, meet the needs of wholesale buyers and users in the international market, and promote the development and progress of the electric wheelchair industry.
Post time: Jun-23-2025