Protocase Resources

The information below is intended to be helpful for customers who wish to learn more about enclosure design. Also, please use our online support if you have questions for our expert design staff.

   

Fabrication Tolerances for Dimensional Variance in Sheet Metal and Machined Parts

Self-Clinching Fasteners Tolerances

Our self-clinching fasteners, often called PEMs (Penn Engineering & Manufacturing Corp), are threaded nuts, studs, or standoffs that are mechanically pressed into sheet metal to provide solid fastening points. Protocase will determine correct nominal hole size to ensure that fasteners are secure. From your point of view as a designer, the positional tolerance of self-clinching fastener placement is simply our "hole" position tolerance, which is typically ± 0.005" (0.13mm). Also, when designing, you may need to understand what you should expect for physical dimensions of the fasteners themselves.

Self-clinching fasteners should follow minimum bend requirements - see Minimum Bend page here.

For more information about PEMS and their tolerances, please visit the PEM website.

PEM Tolerance
Dimensional tolerance of pems ± 0.005" | 0.13mm