Tox Joining and Clinching

Tox Joining is used to join dissimilar materials with a press operation. Offering many advantages over riveting and spot welding, a press-joining technique is particularly suitable for joining coated/painted and dissimilar materials
Benefits include the avoidance of damage to the integrity of the coatings eliminating such problems as corrosion and degradation, up to 60% cost savings over spot welding, and a quieter and cleaner working environment

Clinching is a mechanical fastening method to join sheet metal without additional components using special tools to plastically form a mechanical interlock between the sheet metals.

The tools consist typically of a punch and a die. There are two primary types of dies: solid "fixed cavity" dies, and dies with moving components (see the illustrations to the right). The punch forces the two layers of sheet metal into the die cavity forming a permanent connection. The pressure exerted by the punch forces the metal to flow laterally.

Clinching is used primarily in the automotive, appliance and electronic industries, where it replaces spot welding very often. Clinching is a cold forming process and does not require electricity or cooling of the electrodes commonly associated with spot welding. Also, clinching does not generate sparks and fumes. In addition, the strength of a clinched joint can be tested non-destructively using a simple measuring instrument to measure the remaining thickness at the bottom of the joint or the diameter of the produced button depending on the type of tools being used. Life expectancy for clinching tools is in the hundreds of thousands of cycles making it a very economical process. An additional benefit of clinching is the capability to join prepainted sheet metal commonly used in the appliance industry without damaging the painted surface. Clinching has also become an important means of fastening aluminum panels, such as hoods and decklids, in the automotive industry, due to the difficulties involved with spot welding of aluminum.

Visit the official TOX website for further information - TOX Joining Technique

TOX Joining Technique

The leading clinching system with many advantages:

• Economic - Clinching is significantly more cost efficient than spot welding
• Reliable - Guaranteed joint strength values
• Versatile - Clinching is usable for numerous material combinations
• Environmentally friendly - Clinching is energy saving, clean, quiet
• User oriented - TOX = technology + production equipment from one source

The TOX Joining Technique combines two closely related technologies, already well established and proven since many years in mass production, and finding new and innovative clinching applications every day in the sheet metal joining industry:

• TOX Clinching
  Also known as riveting without rivets, usually using the solid die cavity patented by TOX. Due to its cost effectiveness and reliability, TOX Clinching is a process highly acknowledged and highly regarded by the whole sheet metal working industry.
• TOX Clinch Rivet
  A simple, symmetrical rivet is used as the joining element to produce a clinch connection with higher strength values than those obtained with a pierce rivet and without cutting the material. Applications in the crash zone of passenger cars are a testament to the capabilities of this versatile joining method.

A patented spin-off development of Clinching is the TOX ClinchRivet:

A simple, symmetrical rivet is used as the joining element to produce a clinch connection with higher strength values than those obtained with a pierce rivet and without cutting the material. Applications in the crash zone of passenger cars are a testament to the capabilities of this versatile joining method.

The TOX Principle

The Clinching process (DIN 8593) produces a button-type, positive connection of two or three layers of sheet metal using a cold-forming process. The process joins sheet metals of different thicknesses or materials, even with adhesives or other intermediate layers.
In industrial applications clinching is being applied up to a total layer thickness of 12 mm / .47" and up to 800 N/mm2 / 5.7 lbf/in2 tensile strength. In laboratory tests significantly higher values have already been achieved!

TOX offers all the components needed for the TOX Joining Technique: from technical support provided with the TOX Test Report, as far as complete turnkey cells. Many satisfied customers in the automobile, white goods and computer industries, as well as machine integrators confirm: "You can rely on TOX!"

TOX Processes

These are some of the tox processes available:

• TOX Round Joint
  The classic - proven over a million times. Patented. High static and dynamic strength. No cutting, consequently no corrosion. Simple, solid tools, very long life due to the insert - reliable and cost effective! more
• TOX Flat Joint
  If your part requires a flat surface, then the TOX Flat joint is the solution. The strength values of the TOX joint remain virtually the same. more
• TOX Vario Joint I
  Is one of your materials difficult to form? Then, this is our solution to this difficult task. more
• TOX Vario Joint II
  Do you need to join plastic sheets to metal sheets? Here, you will find the solution to this difficult task.
• TOX SKB
  The versatile die with a combination of fixed and sliding segments. Its strength lies with the ClinchRivet and with applications where glue is applied between the sheet metal layers. more
• TOX Clinch Rivet
  The clever alternative to the pierce rivet. A simple, cylindrical rivet is pressed-in and formed during the clinching process - without cutting the material – the result, no corrosion and utmost strength!