PennEngineering’s PEM self-clinching standoff fasteners are designed for reliable mounting, spacing, and stacking of panels, boards, and components in various assemblies.
PEM Self-Clinching Standoff Fasteners from PennEngineering
The Role of Standoffs and Spacers
Standoffs and spacers are crucial in electrical assemblies as they create space and prevent contact between elements, surfaces, or components. TrustedParts.com’s electronic component search engine helps you navigate thousands of products by type, size, material, and more—ensuring you find high-quality components from reputable manufacturers and authorized distributors.
PCB Standoffs by PENN Engineering
For electronic components to perform optimally, they must be securely and reliably attached. PENN Engineering provides a range of fastener products tailored for PC boards, addressing attachment needs from component-to-board and board-to-board, to board-to-chassis.
Broaching Fasteners
Broaching fasteners offer a practical alternative to loose hardware. They install permanently in PC boards as well as in materials like aluminum, acrylic, casting, and polycarbonate. A broaching fastener features a knurled shank that is pressed into a hole, creating a strong threaded or unthreaded attachment point. Specially formed axial grooves on the shank cut into the material to create a secure, interference-type fit resistant to rotation.
Standoffs and Spacers Overview
PENN Engineering’s standoffs and spacers are cylindrical, threaded components used to create precise space between hardware pieces such as PCBs, chassis, and panels. Standoffs secure mechanical fastening between components and are available in a range of sizes and materials, including stainless steel, plastic, aluminum, duoloy, and brass.
Types of Standoffs
Standoffs can be cut from rigid bar stock in round or hex profiles or formed from round wire. A standoff with a male attachment has external threads, while a female attachment features internal threads. Some standoffs, like SNAP-TOP® or KEYHOLE® standoffs, are designed without threads for specific applications.
Applications
Threaded standoffs are commonly used to mount PC boards, managing potential short circuits by elevating the motherboard away from the metal housing of a gaming PC. Blind standoffs provide threads without compromising internal components.
KEYHOLE® Standoffs
KEYHOLE® standoffs feature a unique top-end design with a retaining disk and a narrow column. The keyhole shape allows for easy installation and rotation without torque. These standoffs can be installed via broaching or surface mount technology (SMT) and are ideal for stacking multiple layers of panels or components.
SMTSO ReelFast® Surface Mount Nuts and Spacers/Standoffs
Type SMTSO – ReelFast® surface mount nuts and standoffs are available in threaded and unthreaded varieties. They come on 330 mm recyclable reels, with a tape width of 24 mm, and include a polyimide patch for vacuum pick-up. Reels conform to EIA-481 standards.
Thru-Hole Unthreaded Standoffs
Types SO, SOA, and SOS utilize a self-clinching design, installing securely in properly sized round holes and remaining permanently mounted in thin sheets. Unthreaded standoffs are also available for spacing multi-panel assemblies.
CSS Standoffs
CSS standoffs are designed for permanent mounting in metal sheets as thin as 1.60 mm. The fastener head locks securely into a blind, milled hole, and can handle substantial loads while keeping the opposite side of the sheet smooth. Installation is straightforward using a hollow anvil and solid punch, with any standard press ensuring the displaced metal flows around the head into the undercut.
To learn more about PEM standoffs, visit the SO Datasheet or SSA Datasheet for self-clinching and K Datasheet for broaching and SMT options. SK Datasheet for self-clinching
Alternative Solutions
Prebuilt PCs often come with integrated standoffs or ‘nubs’ built into the housing to reduce the number of loose parts. While this approach can be cost-effective for mass-produced units, it restricts customization options. For custom PCs, it is impractical to design multiple cases with standoff nubs in every possible location for different components. Fasteners offer greater flexibility in placement, and concealed head clinch features ensure a smooth, uninterrupted surface on the outside of the housing.
Penn Atlas Catalog
Self-clinching Catalog
PEM Self-clinching fasteners Catalog
Self-clinching microPEM® Standoffs
PEM® Self-clinching fastening solutions for Automotive Electronics
PEM® Quick Product Locator
PennEngineering® Fastening Technologies
Standoffs & Spacers products from PEM:
Self-Clinching Standoff: Self-clinching standoffs are ideal for design engineers who need to space panels and components within metal enclosures. These standoffs are used to stack parts or maintain a specific distance between components and the panel they are installed in.
Surface Mount Standoffs: As a surface-mount product, these standoffs can be added to the board using the same SMT equipment used to populate it, reducing scrap, handling time, and minimizing damage that traditional mounting products might cause to the PCB. Made from steel with a tin plating, these standoffs facilitate easy reflow soldering, ensuring a reliable solder joint. SMT standoffs are provided on tape and reel, with Kapton tape on the top surface, allowing for placement on the circuit board using standard vacuum pick-and-place equipment. This method ensures controlled attachment of the standoff to the PCB.
Broaching Standoffs: Broaching standoffs, available in both threaded and non-threaded versions, enable screws to be inserted through multiple layered boards, making them ideal for stacked assemblies.
Self-Clinching KEYHOLE® Standoffs: PEM® KEYHOLE® Standoffs are designed to allow a PC board or panel to be quickly slid into place and easily removed from an assembly by simply sliding the board sideways and lifting it off. These standoffs significantly reduce assembly time and minimize the need for loose hardware. Type SKC standoffs are ideal for spacing or hanging replaceable components. Typically, several SKC standoffs are used in conjunction with one standard PEM threaded standoff, which accepts a screw to secure the board or component against any unwanted movement.
Self-Clinching SNAP-TOP® Standoffs: PEM SNAP-TOP® Standoffs (Types SSA, SSS, SSC) are designed for permanent installation into metal panels or PC boards. These all-metal standoffs use a spring mechanism to securely hold PC boards and subassemblies in place, while also allowing for quick removal. This design eliminates the need for screws and other threaded hardware, reducing the number of parts to handle during assembly and minimizing the risk of damaging delicate circuitry from loose parts falling into the equipment.
