Understanding Orlock® Rivets and Magna-Lok® Rivets.  

When does one select a Magna-Lok® rivet over an Orlock®  rivet? What's the difference? Does one rivet type have an advantage over the other? These are some of the questions we are asked when customers seek to understand Magna-Lok® rivet compared to Orlock® rivets. There are numerous structural rivet types on the market and selecting the right rivet can be a little complicated. In this blog we will investigate two of the most popular structural rivet types on the market and look into the pros and cons of Huck's MagnaLok® rivet & Ornit's Orlock® rivet.

Structural rivets are great in heavy duty industrial applications where a strong vibration resistant solution is required for the fabrication of utility vehicles, utes, trucks, trains, truck trailers, security fencing and so much more. The extended material grip range of MagnaLok® rivets makes them the ideal choice when working with materials of varying depths. Whilst Orlock® rivets have a non-protruding blind side bulb that is often more compact that the Magna-Lok® bulb. Check out the structural rivet blog. 

Some of the key benefits associated with using structural rivets include:

• Blind side assembly means quick installations, as access to the rear is not required.
• Highly resilient, forming a mechanically activated permanent joining solution.
• Easy to use select  air, cordless, & manual rivet tools that require minimal know-how.

What is an Orlock® rivet?

Orlock® structural rivets feature a double-locking system that interlocks the material on both sides of the 'panel for better security, providing a vibration and weather resistant joint. Orlock® rivets work well within a limited material grip range and have a compact non-protruding blind side bulb that spreads the load, whilst avoiding pull-through. An easy to install rivet via a Huck gun  or a structural rivet tools as a standard rivet gun is not engineered to install structural rivets. Also known as Allok® rivets, High Strength Rivets or Hemlok® rivets.  

What is a Magnalok® rivet?

The Huck Magna-Lok® rivets can sometimes be the superior alternative to most other standard grip structural rivets because they are flexible with material depth, making them the efficient rivet option. Their versatility means they fit a wider range of material grips so that if the application depth differs the rivet will most probably accommodate the change. In some applications instead of having numerous standard grip structural rivets you will find one Magna-Lok® rivet will be preferable; resulting in considerable cost and time savings plus reducing the chance of using an incorrect rivet. 

How does a structural rivets work?

Structural rivets work a little differently to a standard rivet, as there is an internal  mechanism that locks a portion of the pin (mandrel) inside the rivet's body. This creates an additional layer of material that assists in increasing the rivets  strength, whilst locking the material.   

When installing a structural rivet the body changes in one of the following ways as it interlocks itself into place. 

1. Broadening of the Body (Multi-Grip Structural Rivet i.e. Magna-Lok®, Monobolt®)

Body widens when the cap of the pin is pulled up, resulting in the body expanding against the material.

2. Body Compresses & Bulges (Standard-Grip Structural Rivet i.e. Orlock®, Allok®, High Strength Rivet)

Rivet's body is compressed by the pin cap, causing it to bulge and form a bulb against the material.

See diagrams below of the installed structural rivets to understand the blindside formation. 

Which is the strongest structural rivet? 

This depends on the shear or tensile strength. The Magna-Lok® has a higher tensile rating. Tensile strength is the maximum amount of stress that a material can withstand whilst being stretched. The Orlock® has a higher shear strength. Shear strength is the maximum amount of sliding stress the material can take before yielding or tearing.  Shear pressure is applied 90 degrees to the axis of the fastener or parallel to the the material as in to stretch out the material. Structural rivet's lab results are listed below. 

How to identify the difference between a MagnaLok® and an Orlock® rivet?

Here you can see the physical differences between the Orlock® and the Magna-lok® rivet. When purchasing ensure you specify the brand you seek. We have noticed shifty suppliers are falsely supplying non-genuine rivets but using brand product codes with brand descriptions.  

Orlock® rivet V’s Magna-Lok® rivet summary.

At the conclusion of this blog, it is evident that these structural rivets offer superior fastening capabilities. Both the Orlock and Magna-Lok rivets are strong industrial strength rivets with the Huck Magna-Lok having the advantage of being flexible with material grip range. 

Seeking assistance to select the correct structural rivet type? Please don’t hesitate to contact us or call 02 9755 3747.

Aerobolt is the go-to wholesaler of  standard rivets , structural  rivets, Huck bolts, nutserts, rivnuts, adhesives & power tools, like nutsert tools and rivet guns including some popular cordless options.

Proudly, we are Australia's #1 Huck Distributor of genuine Huck bolts and structural rivets plus the sale, service and hire of Huck guns and hydraulic power rigs. 

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