Advances in mechanical joining of magnesium

The application of conventional mechanical joining methods for joining magnesium parts is restricted by the limited formability of magnesium at room temperature. Dieless clinching is a new clinching method that works with a flat anvil as a counter tool, thus offering important benefits for the joining of magnesium. It is possible to decrease the heating time to 1 s or less, instead of 3–6 s with conventional clinching methods. This article discusses the mechanism and limits to possible heating time reduction and introduces new findings on the impact of adhesives between parts.