Cleco Temporary Fasteners / Skin Pins

Widely used in the manufacture and repair of aluminium skinned aircraft,race cars and general sheet metal fabrication. A cleco is used to temporarily fasten sheets of material together, or to hold parts such as stiffeners, frames etc together, before they are permanently joined. Clecos are installed in holes drilled through the work-pieces (usually holes intended for permanent fasteners installed later). They expand on the far side of the work-pieces and then draw and clamp them together while maintaining the desired alignment and preventing distortion of the pieces. Clecos should fit snugly in their holes to prevent shifting of the work-pieces and maintain the alignment of fastener holes which do not have Clecos in them. They are blind fasteners; so they can be installed in assemblies where the worker does not have access to the other side. If permanent fasteners are installed in Cleco holes, a Cleco will be removed when its hole is needed. If the work-pieces are bonded or welded, then the Cleco holes may need to be filled later.