Mechanical Fastening: the route, the tolerances it holds, materials and design tips, with an indicative cost. One of 56 processes in the free finder.
JoiningFamily
4Route steps
38Parts in finder
Mechanical fastening joins parts with screws, bolts, rivets or snap fits, giving a demountable or permanent joint without heat.
At a glance
When to use it, and when not
Best for
Assemblies that must come apart for service, or that mix materials.
Watch for
Added weight and part count, stress concentration at holes, and loosening under vibration.
Step by step
The typical route
Raw material to finished part. Steps vary with material, volume and tolerance; this is the free route from the finder.
Align
Align the parts and holes.
Tooling - Tolerance - Lead -
Insert
Insert bolts/rivets/clips.
Tooling - Tolerance - Lead -
Torque
Torque to spec, add thread-lock on vibration joints.
Tooling Torque tool Tolerance - Lead -
Inspect
Check torque and seating.
Tooling - Tolerance - Lead -
Materials
Materials it suits
Grade
Why it suits this
Standard bolts (8.8/A2)
Off-the-shelf
Rivets / clips
Fast, permanent-ish
Threaded inserts
Threads in soft/thin material
Design
Design tips
A few general pointers for Mechanical Fastening. The full, part-specific DFM list is in the dossier.
Too many fasteners.Consolidate / use snaps where possible.
Non-standard fastener.Use a catalog standard.
Cost
What it costs
Bolts, rivets, clips; the only reversible joining. Cost is the fasteners plus assembly time. Reduce count to save.
PER-PART COST vs VOLUME
Per-part cost drops as volume spreads tooling and setup over more parts. The exact figures for your part at your volume, in your currency, are in the dossier.
MODEL EST.
$1.2 to 2.0per part at 1 off
A rough ballpark only. The dossier gives should-cost at your exact volume and currency, with the full breakdown.
GET THE FULL DOSSIER
Everything you need to quote and source it
The free route above is yours. To actually put a number on this process and buy it well:
Should-cost at your exact volume in 12 currencies, with the material, processing, tooling and overhead breakdown
Who to source from, typical MOQ and lead time, and the exact RFQ checklist to send
A quote checker that tells you if a supplier quote is fair, and the red flags to watch
SistematikWork is a whole IE platform. Past the free finder, there are 41 ready Excel calculators, templates and CAD guides, each built from real coursework and checked against known values.
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Mechanical fastening joins parts with screws, bolts, rivets or snap fits, giving a demountable or permanent joint without heat. The typical route is: Align; Insert; Torque; Inspect. Assemblies that must come apart for service, or that mix materials.
What does Mechanical Fastening cost per part?
It depends on size, tolerance and volume. As a rough ballpark it starts around $1.2 to 2.0 per part at low volume and falls with quantity. The dossier gives should-cost at your exact volume and currency. Model estimates, not quotes.
What tolerance can Mechanical Fastening hold?
It depends on the feature and the finishing operations used.
What materials suit Mechanical Fastening?
Common choices are Standard bolts (8.8/A2) (Off-the-shelf); Rivets / clips (Fast, permanent-ish); Threaded inserts (Threads in soft/thin material).
See the exact route and should-cost for your part
The free finder maps your part to its process and full route. Pro adds should-cost at your volume, sourcing and an RFQ draft.
