Collating system for conveyor belt rivets and method

A rivet holder comprising:

• a plate body having an upper surface and a lower surface extending between opposite sides of the plate body, and a relatively thin thickness between the upper and lower surface that is less than a distance across the plate body between the opposite sides thereof;
• a plurality of cavities of the plate body;
• a plurality of rivets having enlarged upper heads at least partially received in the cavities of the body with lower shank portions of the rivets depending from the upper heads extending down out of the cavities beyond the body lower surface;
• a plurality of webs of the plate body extending about one of the cavities and configured to support a lower portion of the rivet head in the one cavity with the shank thereof extending out therefrom;
• grooves in the body lower surface at the webs;
• and
• flap portions of the webs configured to deflect into the groove as the rivet head is driven downwardly and out from the one cavity.