Precise torque control is absolutely vital in assembly and repair. Screws, bolts, and nuts must hold in place as machinery starts up, vibrates, and experiences forces from different directions. Whether these fasteners hold is determined by the torque that is applied to them. If it is too little, then vibrations can easily loosen a fastener. Conversely, if too much torque is applied, then the fasteners or substrate they hold to can be damaged. Even if no obvious break occurs when the fastener is installed, the excessive tension can cause substrates to crack or the bolt to shear later as the equipment operates.
Tightening fasteners precisely to calculated torque settings so that this doesn’t happen is a task for precision torque wrenches. However, a torque wrench calibration service is required to ensure that these tools keep turning to their precise torque settings. Without periodic calibration, they will drift from their settings and fasteners will be left too loose or too tight. Incorrect torque reduces the reliability of the repairs from your shop or the quality of the products that roll off your assembly lines.
How to Know if Your Torque Wrenches Need Calibrating
The most basic rule of owning tools is that you must properly care for them, and torque tools are no different. Torque wrenches and screwdrivers should be kept clean and in good repair. Ensuring that all your tools are visually inspected before the working day begins and again when it is over will save you grief. While a visual inspection alone won’t tell you if a torque wrench is out of calibration, it may reveal signs that you need to check the calibration, including:
- Old or dry grease that can indicate ratchet heads are no longer properly sealed and lubricated.
- Signs of wear that indicate hard use or that an excessive number of use cycles have passed.
- Loose or unstable components.
If any of the above conditions are met, then it is time to take the affected tool out of service, arrange for maintenance of the tool, and check torque wrench calibration. You should check torque wrench calibration at regularly scheduled intervals to be sure the tool is operating within specifications even if it passes muster visually. If a torque tool exhibits signs of wear, it is just an indicator that the check is due early.
When it is time for checking torque wrench calibration, the appropriate tools can make this a much simpler process. Technically, you can check a torque wrench’s calibration by doing some calculations, mounting it to a nut with its shaft parallel to the ground, hanging a weight consistent with your calculations from the handle, and seeing if a click wrench clicks or the clutch of a cam-over wrench disengages. However, torque analyzers and torque sensors are much more accurate. The tester simply has to follow the onscreen instructions to see a precise measure of the torque output on a digital display. Operating torque analyzers is about as difficult as working a smartphone app, and the whole process is easier than analog methods.
If you determine that the torque wrench settings are off, then it will need to be calibrated. Calibration equipment, such as hangers and weights and loading benches, allow companies to calibrate their torque tools in-house. However, many repair shops and assembly lines don’t have their own calibration laboratory available and instead use a torque wrench calibration service.
What to Look for in a Torque Wrench Calibration Service
If you’ve ever subcontracted services out, you have probably been frustrated by scheduling delays. This is unacceptable in a torque wrench calibrations service, as every day that your torque tools are out is one where they are not performing their work on the assembly line or in the repair shop. It is a problem that can be especially trying if you’re forced to send your torque tools to multiple locations for calibration. One calibration service may move more slowly than the other, leaving you missing a tool that you need.
A quality torque wrench calibration service should offer the following:
- Calibration services for all types of torque tools, including torque wrenches, torque screwdrivers, torque multipliers, and many more.
- A strict deadline for the return of your torque tools that you can count on and the option to select rush service.
- Compliance with the International Organization for Standards (ISO) standards for quality control and valid laboratory results to ensure precise torque wrench calibration that you can count on.
The combination of full torque calibration service for all types of torque tools, compliance with international standards, and timeliness makes for a torque wrench calibration service you can rely on. You count on your torque tools to be on specification, and you should look for a calibration service that is also on spec.
The quality and reliability of your repairs or the products you manufacture are affected by the torque applied to the fasteners that hold them together. Unreliable torque wrench calibration services will affect the quality of your work and products. You can ensure that both are to the highest standards and that your customers are satisfied by choosing top quality torque tools and a top quality torque wrench calibration service.
At Mountz Inc., we provide a torque wrench calibration service that can accurately calibrate any torque tool regardless of manufacturer. We also offer service for all Mountz tools, and a Mountz Preferred Service Program ensures fast servicing with no additional costs. To see our full range of products, shop our store. Contact us anytime to ask a question. To inquire about price, request a quote. If you’d like to see our equipment in person, schedule an appointment.