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K-Flow Flow drill fastening FDF Tool with HLX70 Magazine and ISRA VISION

Flow drill fastening

Discover our automated flow drill fastening technology K-Flow for high-strength joints.

Optimizing manufacturing with flow drill fastening

 

Assembly of electric and other lightweight vehicles increasingly requires joining of new materials, more complex structures and mixed compounds. An effective solution is flow drill fastening, a method suitable for multiple layers of similar and mixed materials. This hybrid joining enables the joining of steel, aluminum and, as an additional material layer, adhesive. 

 

 

Car body designs are getting more and more complex to save resources and increase crash performance. This leads to more complex manufacturing processes and confronts OEMs with challenges as limited accessibility, short cycle times and the joining of multiple materials with different strength properties.

K-Flow Flow drill fastening FDF Tool with HLX70 Magazine and ISRA VISION

K-Flow - meeting future joining challenges

Our K-Flow technology enables the joining of different materials and material combinations without the need of a pre-hole. It is a perfect match of advanced technology and deep joining competence. The robot-assisted flow drill fastening technology K-Flow makes single-sided access possible, using a fastener as both drill and joining element. The high-quality system solution of our K-Flow product line is designed for precise operation in tough manufacturing environments, with repeatable valuable results.

Values for your manufacturing process

Multi-material joining

Flow drill fastening can join multiple layers of different materials. Varying material thicknesses do not impact the result and are taken into account during the joining process.

One-sided accessibility

A strong and reliable joint entered from one side in a one-shot process. In combination with the different tools, limited acess is no problem.

Reliable process

Best alignment of K-Flow system solution, fastener and materials by experts lead to a fast and reliable process.

Serviceability

Removable joints enable a quick and easy disassembly for maintenance and repair work. This is a particular benefit in battery assembly.

Hybrid joining

By combining flow drill fastening with adhesive bonding, the dynamic joint strength and corrosion resistance are increased.

Less damage to the fastener

By implementing our swivel module, we enable less wear on the hoses and less damage to the fastening elements as well as a cycle time improvement.

The four main steps in the flow drill fastening process

With the extensive know-how of our joint analysts and process experts, we develop the ideal process parameters for your individual requirements and material combinations.

JoiningProcess Step 1

1. Finding

The fastener is positioned on the workpiece and rotated at high-speed. This heats up the material.

JoiningProcess Step 2

2. Passage

With high rotation speed (up to 9000 rpm) and high process force (up to 3000 N), the fastener is pushed through the materials.

JoiningProcess Step 3

3. Thread forming

With reduced speed and process force, the fastener drives through the material and forms a thread without cutting.

JoiningProcess Step 4

4. Final tightening

The fastener is tightened with the required final torque.

Dive into our K-Flow flow drill fastening technology

Your partner for innovation and service

K-Flow people in front

From innovation to implementation

Together we solve your joining challenge by conducting joint analyses on specific samples using dedicated fasteners. In our lab our experts find the ideal parameter settings for optimal joint quality and shortest cycle times.
K-Flow people in front

Strong service partner

Our global service team ensures optimal performance of your K-Flow system throughout its lifecycle. With durable and robust equipment handling up to 3,000,000 cycles, we outperform all competitors and significantly reduce your total cost of ownership. Our experts provide comprehensive training and support to minimize risks and prevent failures.

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