Product category:
Torque measurement devices and systems
News Release from: Crane Electronics | Subject: ProWrench Opta and Torquestar Opta at Mahle
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 21 April 2008
Digital wrenches ensure fastener torque
is OK
Crane Electronics has supplied a digital torque wrench and system to an engine builder to typically check one in 50 engines/shift basis to ensure high-quality tightening of fasteners.
Mahle Powertrain in Wellingborough needed to increase its level of torque testing Production engineer Dave Burton at the Wellingborough production plant in the UK said: "We assemble engines and, depending on the project, typically checking one in 50 engines per shift basis to ensure high-quality tightening of nuts, bolts and fasteners." Delivering the correct level of torque is crucial in the automotive industry
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 2 Sep 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
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Torque system ensures correct tightening
An essential requirement of a torque control system was to recognise those engines which require additional tightening of an exhaust manifold before they are fitted to the vehicle.
Low torque tightening may cause joints to loosen or over tightening can take fixings past their yield point, which is just as dangerous, leading to early failure of the bolted joint.
Mahle has acquired the Crane Electronics' ProWrench Opta and the Torquestar Opta.
The ProWrench Opta is a digital torque wrench which is compact, portable and highly adaptable.
Further reading
Torque wrench is comfortable and communicates
An ergonomically comfortable torque wrench is claimed to offer most advanced measurement technology, storage and SPC capabilities currently available in tools of its type.
Digital torque wrench avoids paper data
Digital torque wrench is enabling a car manufacturer to carry out checks of the torque values of critical fastenings and record and upload time, date, user and vehicle.
As well as being used as an audit tool, it can be used for low volume tightening or to rectify joints where the torque is found to be incorrect.
A range of attachments can be fitted to suit each tightening application.
The electronic wrench is point of load insensitive, which means results will even be reliable when it is being used at odd angles.
"With the ProWrench Opta we can check all the bolts on a particular engine in one go by programming it with a sequence of appropriate values (Jobs).
This represents an invaluable time-saving feature," said Burton.
* High-volume tightening - Mahle Powertrain is using air and hand wrenches.
As these tools are not networked, their capability has to be checked and documented as part of an auditing strategy.
The company uses a Mobile Tool Testing Station (MTTS) from Crane for this purpose.
The MTTS has TorqueStar Opta data collector which has multiple stationary transducers, joint kits, a printer and a tool reaction post.
As the system is on trolley it can be easily be moved around the production area.
The ProWrench Opta and TorqueStar Opta are part of a tool range that shares the same user interface and software.
So Mahle can store all of their data in one database.
Crane's tool management software allows the setting up of all production processes (Jobs) onto the Crane system.
These 'Jobs' can be downloaded to either the TorqueStar Opta or ProWrench Opta when data needs to be collected.
Once all the data has been collected it is then uploaded to the tool management software, where it can be exported to a number of third party software products, such as Microsoft Excel, for further analysis.
The Wellingborough plant purchased the new equipment about a year ago and Crane Electronics will soon be called upon to undertake a re-calibration.
"When looking to upgrade our torque control products we did look at competitive products.
Not only does Crane Electronics offer excellent quality and service, they are also very competitively priced," said Burton. Request a free brochure from Crane Electronics ...
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