Apparatus and system for installing rivets in belt fasteners

A system for attaching a belt fastener assembly to an end of a belt with rivets, the belt fastener assembly including an upper plate for overlying one side of the belt end and a lower plate for underlying the other side of the belt end, the upper and lower plates having a plurality of aligned rivet receiving apertures, and each rivet having a domed head at one end and a counter sink at an opposite end and forming a rivet assembly with a pilot nail extending from the rivet and having a die forming head carried by the rivet counter sink, sand system comprising:

• a non-manually powered rivet assembly drive tool having a rivet assembly dispensing barrel for holding and power driving a rivet assembly;
• an anvil die plate including a plurality of anvil die apertures alignable with the rivet receiving apertures of the upper and lower plates of the belt fastener assembly, each anvil die aperture for receiving a pilot nail and fixing the pilot nail relative to its corresponding rivet to cause the die forming head to deform the counter sink of the rivet and clinching the opposite end of the rivet to the lower plate when the rivet opposite end is power driven against the die forming head;
• a guide template for overlying the upper plate of the belt fastener assembly and including a plurality of the guide apertures alignable with the anvil die apertures of the anvil die plate and the rivet receiving apertures of the upper and lower plates of the belt fastener assembly when brought into registration therewith, each guide aperture being slightly larger than the rivet assembly dispensing barrel of the non-manually powered rivet assembly drive tool for receiving the rivet assembly dispensing barrel of the non-manually powered rivet assembly drive tool and aligning the rivet assembly dispensing barrel and the rivet assembly held within the rivet assembly dispensing barrel with its respective aligned anvil die aperture and rivet receiving apertures;
• and
• an alignment system for maintaining the alignment of the guide apertures of the guide template with the anvil die apertures of the anvil die plate and the rivet receiving apertures of the upper and lower plates of the belt fastener assembly, said alignment system comprising at least one guide pin carried by said guide template, and at least one guide through bore in the anvil die plate positioned for slidingly receiving said guide pin.