Formdrilling solves the problem of joining thin-walled material.
art failure can be a public relations nightmare for manufacturers. It’s a complaint that Todd Bieri, operations manager for Formdrill-USA Inc. hears on a fairly regular basis. “Prior to coming to us, customers have talked about various product failures as a result of using inserts or weld nuts and how that has created a negative image issue for them that they are anxious to reverse,” he says.
Formdrill thermal drilling tools give companies an alternative to conventional methods like weld nuts or inserting and swelling rivets in a pre-drilled hole. These approaches to sheet metal fastenings are costly, time consuming, take more production steps, add external elements and tend to have quality issues. Rivets can lift and twist. Welded nuts can experience thermal distortion. Formdrill’s process eliminates these issues because it uses the sheet metal itself. Bieri explains how.
“In other words, you are increasing the thickness at the spot where you created the bushing,” he says. “It allows you to multiply the number of threads without adding components. The bushing can also be used for support of a pivoting shaft. The average cost is one to two cents per hole versus seven to 10 cents or more.”
“This technology has been around for more than 40 years, but I still hear from people regularly that have never heard of this method before,” Bieri says. “In the last five years or so, we have seen more and more companies become aware of Formdrill’s capabilities.”
Formdrills are currently being used by most major car makers for parts like oxygen sensors, instrument panels and seat frames. The company is also looking at the growing EV market. Other industries include HVAC, metal furniture, medical equipment along with products like railings and fencing.
The nimble company responds quickly to customers by making and stocking new tools and packing up orders with same-day shipping 95 percent of the time. Despite Formdrill’s rapid response time, the company meets exacting standards. Tools are measured and inspected during production to ensure each one meets the company’s stringent tolerance and dimension requirements. “This means the life cycle of our tools is longer, a fact that allows us to be more competitive,” Bieri says.
“We are different from other companies because we aren’t trying to sell customers tools,” he continues. “We are here to provide a solution for the problems fabricators face. We listen to their needs and work through the available options. If our customers succeed, we succeed.”