Rivet Nuts and Rivet Studs

[DonRotolo]

We used Rivnuts two years ago, but found they are really for light/moderate duty only. Anything subject to impact stresses, particularly in aluminum, will make them loosen.

Sure beats having to try to put a nut inside a piece of square tubing, 24 inches from the end...

[Dick Linn]

There are any number of "rivet" type inserts and studs and fasteners that have very good application possibilities. This is especially true for high speed assembly of mass-produced commercial products where labor costs are high. If you don't mind going out and fund-raising to get the $$$ to buy some of the (sometimes) required insertion tools, great. To my mind, they are great for fastening thin panels where you have no access to the back, and not enough thickness to tap a hole. They do prevent a loose nut from going missing in electronic components as well.