To pursue better quality, there is a strong need for efficient and robust non-destructive testing methods for joining processes. A new approach has been proposed to detect loose bolted joints using acoustic waves. This method measures the dissipation of energy by recording the propagated waves on the surfaces of the joining partners next to the joint. The authors show a link between the torque moments applied to the bolt and the ability of the joint to transfer acoustic energy using both simulations and experiments. In this article, the method’s ability to detect variations of certain process parameters of the clinching process was investigated numerically. To this extent, results of FEM calculations of the joining process are used to simulate the non-destructive testing method. By varying parameters of the clinching model, their influence on the transmission of energy within the joint is studied.