Product category:
Torque measurement
News Release from: ASI DataMyte | Subject: Residual torque audit system
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 03 March 2006
Torque safety audit avoids vehicle
re-calls
Each of the 500 or so vehicles produced daily at automotive assembly plants contains hundreds of safety-critical fasteners and residual torque audit system is in place to avoid costly recalls.
A global manufacturer assembles automobiles as well as light and heavy trucks Each of the 500 or so vehicles produced daily at each assembly plant contains hundreds of safety-critical fasteners
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 24 Jun 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
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The residual torque audit system is in place to avoid costly recalls, ensure that unsafe product is not delivered to the consumer and that the product is in accordance with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS).
The potential human and financial consequences of improperly torqued seat belt anchor bolts, suspension bolts or engine compartment bolts illustrate the need for an effective monitoring system.
* The challenge - there are many challenges in ensuring that the residual torque audit for safety-critical fasteners is performed and, equally important, can be shown to have been performed properly.
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Since the number of safety-critical threaded fastener joints is too large for a single auditor, the work set must be divided up into 'routes' of about 50 to 100 fasteners per route.
As torque measurement data for the audit is collected the values must be associated with a VIN or sequence number in order to define a suspect lot should a nonconformity be discovered.
Each vehicle in a suspect lot must be promptly inspected for disposition to avoid recall.
With hundreds of fasteners audited by a dozen or more operators across multiple shifts, organization and training are essential to efficient and error-free operation.
This is all the more challenging as a full complement of trained operators will be temporarily unavailable from time to time and replacement operators must fill in.
These operators must be able to measure the torque with the proper technique with the appropriate tool on the correct fastener.
* The Auditor/Quantum solution - the approach to the solution was implemented with four main elements from ASI DataMyte: Quantum system configuration and reporting software, Auditor graphic-aided portable torque measurement data collectors, rotary torque sensors and analog torque wrenches, and a two-pronged training programme tailored for both audit operators and audit management.
The configuration software builds audit routes that minimise the distance each audit operator has to travel as well as minimising transducer and socket changes.
The reporting software provides comprehensive statistical reporting, proof of completion and VINs that provide boundaries for suspect lots.
The Auditor data collector provides graphic-aided torque measurement functionality, a record of compliance, instant notification of nonconformities and the ability to capture a torque curve to aid troubleshooting.
* Benefits - this total quality solution reduces operator training time from weeks to hours, reduces operator errors, reduces the frequency and size of costly recalls, provides proof of compliance reporting and offers statistical alerts to allow action before nonconformities occur.
ASI DataMyte provides total quality solutions for the manufacturing marketplace with products ranging from quality documentation software to factory floor data collection, analysis and reporting systems. Request a free brochure from ASI DataMyte ...
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