Investing in high-quality tools is a smart move for any operation, but ensuring they perform optimally over time requires a commitment to preventative maintenance. We understand that extending the life of your tools not only reduces repair costs but also minimizes downtime during crucial production cycles.

The Power of Preventative Maintenance
Routine cleaning and lubrication are the unsung heroes of tool longevity. By addressing the wear and tear of gearboxes through regular maintenance, you ensure that every moving part operates smoothly, contributing to prolonged tool functionality. While nothing lasts forever, catching small problems early on can save you a significant amount of money compared to dealing with larger issues down the line.

The key advantage of preventative maintenance lies in its predictability. Unlike reactive repairs when a tool becomes non-operational, scheduled maintenance allows you to plan for tool downtime proactively. This strategic approach to maintenance ensures that your tools are out of service precisely when it suits your operational schedule, minimizing disruptions to production. If you’re ready to schedule preventative maintenance, our world-class service department is ready to help: Contact an expert today.

Routine Calibration: A Variable Eliminator
With a number of different variables and processes in every application, ensuring that tools are calibrated to the right torque becomes paramount. Correct torque application reduces the risk of broken parts due to over-tightening and loose pieces due to under-tightening, contributing to overall product quality.

The frequency of calibration depends on various factors, such as the application’s demands and internal requirements. Whether it’s an annual verification, a daily check, or after a certain number of cycles, confidence in the correct torque application is crucial. At ASG, we offer torque verification, certification, and adjustment services. For those instances where sending the unit out is impractical, our portable DTT torque tester allows for in-house verification.

Daily Torque Verification: Time Well Spent
Don’t waste valuable time by using a tool that isn’t properly calibrated. Daily verification of torque accuracy ensures that your tools consistently perform within the specified parameters. This simple yet effective practice minimizes the risk of errors and enhances the reliability of your tools, contributing to a smoother production process.

Proper Storage and Cleanliness: A Visual Commitment
To maintain the longevity of your tools, proper storage and cleanliness are crucial. Store your tools in a clean environment, free of dust and debris, to prevent contaminants from affecting performance. Perform frequent visual inspections to ensure each tool is in good condition, paying special attention to power cords to avoid kinks or damage.

Within the Proper Torque Range: A Fundamental Rule
Using tools within the designated torque range is not just a suggestion; it’s a fundamental rule. Operating within these parameters ensures optimal performance and prevents unnecessary strain on the tool. Make it a practice to adhere to the specified torque range for each tool, contributing to their longevity and overall efficiency.

Preventative maintenance, routine calibration, daily torque verification, proper storage, cleanliness, and adherence to torque ranges are not just tasks; they are strategic investments in the longevity and efficiency of your tools. By adopting a proactive approach to tool care and incorporating these practices into your routine, you ensure that your tools operate at their best, maximizing your production capabilities. At ASG, we are committed to helping you get the most out of your tool investment. If you’re ready, schedule your preventative maintenance today.

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Generally, calibration does two main things: ensures the proper tolerances are being met by each individual tool, and ensures consistent alignment to specific standards across all manufacturers. Not only will a properly calibrated tool perform its task to the precision specified, but any tool that conforms to the same calibration standards will perform the same, within the tolerances of the standard.

Many different types of machines can be calibrated. Our focus here at ASG is manual torque wrenches and power tools used in the assembly of threaded fasteners. Torque can be a critical variable in assembly for safety and general quality considerations. For instance, if a fastener is too loose, safety or product integrity can become a concern. On the other hand, if a fastener is too tight, you risk damaging or deforming the product. A torque meter can calibrate these torque-critical tools. The torque tester itself also requires regular calibration using traceable weights and radius wheels, conforming to set standards.

At ASG, ensuring ease and quality of assembly is a chief concern, which is why we calibrate torque tools, torque meters, and more by measures traceable to National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). We also have live technicians standing by during business hours to help you with your questions. For quality calibration and calibrations equipment, look no further than ASG.

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ASG offers calibration services, performed and traceable to NIST standards, and issues a paper Calibration Certificate.

Calibration does two main things: ensures the proper tolerances are being met by each individual machine, and ensures consistent alignment to specific standards across all manufacturers for any given machine. So not only will a properly calibrated machine perform its task to the precision specified, but any machine that conforms to the same calibration standards will perform the same, within the tolerances of the standard.

NIST, or The National Institute of Standards and Technology, is an agency of the United States Department of Commerce. Its mission is to promote American innovation and industrial competitiveness. NIST essentially sets the standards for measurement which guide us in our calibration efforts.

All calibration certificates follow a certain structure. The document has various information about the device, along with the original standards. Here’s a basic structure of a calibration certificate:

• Title: The certificate name
• The details of the service center/laboratory tasked with the calibration
• Customer details
• A unique identification code for the calibration certificate
• The device name and details
• Details on the environmental conditions where the calibration took place
• Calibration results with respective sign conventions
• Name, designation, identification, and signature of the person in charge of the
  calibration
• A statement that specifies these test results are only relevant to this specific device
• Evidence that the measurements are traceable

Some of these details may not be present or can change depending on the device that you purchase.

The ASG Service Department can calibrate most any tool and we have live technicians standing by during business hours to help you with your questions.

About NIST

• NIST became NIST in 1988 after an 87-year run as the National Bureau of Standards.
• NIST’s laboratory in Boulder, CO has an atomic clock which
  serves as the nation’s official time.
• As you would expect from an agency which sets and maintains standards, it has an accuracy to about one second in 20 million years, and this amazing clock looks mesmerizing in action:

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Whether the need is repair, preventative maintenance, tool reconditioning or calibration and certification for torque products, ASG is committed to providing service which meets the highest quality standard for assembly line tools. With expedited technical support and troubleshooting assistance, our technicians are available to answer technical questions on tools sold by ASG including FIAM, GEDORE and HIOS.

Our service and repair center is specifically designed to help customers optimize tool performance and reduce unexpected downtime. Our customer service team is available Monday-Friday 8:00am-5:00pm EST to assist customers with any difficulties they may be encountering with a torque tool. The ASG team can be reached via phone (888-486-6163) or email (asginfo@asg-jergens.com).

Our quick repairment rate is one reason why our maintenance center has been at the top of its class for years. Striving to keep the repairment process quick, affordable and convenient is what we focus on and guarantee to all of our customers.

ASG provides both warranty and non-warranty repair service. Our non-warranty repairs are covered by a repair warranty on parts and labor for a period of 90 days from completion.

We also recommend to all of our customers that torque assembly products be calibrated on a regular basis to maintain quality operation and avoid unnecessary disruptions to your business.

With this ongoing level of service, we aim to help our customers get the very most out of their tool investments while maintaining the level of efficiency they count on from ASG products.

If you have any questions or need further assistance, please contact ASG Customer Service at 888-486-6163 or asginfo@asg-jergens.com.

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A proper measurement program can help you avoid free fall (not tightened enough), and/or damage to either the fastener or substrate (too tight), all while extending the life of your tool.

Torque testers are a vital production component to ensure assembly tools and torque wrenches are providing accurate and repeatable results, so let’s quickly jump into their use, and highlight the process by which this testing and calibration is conducted.

Overall, the operation of torque testers is a pretty standard across the board with the exception of what some of the buttons are called between brands/models.

• First up is identifying and selecting the measuring mode for your test within the torque tester’s menu system. Peak torque, first torque, track mode, etc.
• Adjust the torque of the tool, aiming for the target torque. This might take some trial and error to align the torque output of the tool and reading on the tester.
• Apply torque to the sensor by using the tool until the tool shuts off or the torque wrench or driver hits torque.
• At this point the preliminary results should be displayed. Most companies will require a certain number of rundowns – 25 or more.
• Record the results. Many torque testers will allow you to save these for future reference.
• If the tool is not able to come into calibration, service is recommended.

ASG offers a variety of torque testing models including the DTT Series, DDT-L Series, and ST Series Smart Transducers. ASG also carries a variety of HIOS torque testers which can be
used for testing or auditing depending on the needs of the operator. All testers come with a certificate traceable to N.I.S.T. Various rundown adapters are also available.

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The importance of error-proofing assembly processes can’t be over emphasized. Quality control regulations for automated procedures call for a very small margin of error, so as to most effectively optimize repeatable procedures to get the best and most consistent results.

The possibility of an assembly mistake leaving the work area is not usually a risk worth taking, as it could result in expensive rework or may even put a customer contract in jeopardy. When it comes to installing threaded fasteners into an assembly there are three main error-proofing choices commonly used, and all of them can be interfaced with line controls. They are:

• Monitoring the clutch shut-off signal of an assembly tool. This approach uses an electric auto shut-off tool with a power supply that provides a clutch signal output, and verifies that the assembly tool reached torque. While this is the least expensive option, it is also the least thorough. One significant downside to this approach is that it does not catch cross-threaded fasteners or missed fasteners.
• Using a process verifier with pneumatic or electric auto shut-off screwdrivers or nutrunners. These process verifiers utilize time monitoring, clutch shut-off, and fastener counts to provide very good error-proofing functions. This method is more expensive than manual monitoring, but provides a very good method of error-proofing.
  Closed-loop controlled screwdrivers or nutrunners. These systems utilize a combination of torque transducer and angle encoding feedback to both regulate and report the process. This is the best error-proofing method, but comes with the largest price tag.
• The choice, as many in manufacturing or automation are familiar with, is one of determining where your project or process falls on the continuum between budget allocation and quality control. With larger budgets or larger businesses and projects, the clear benefits of stringent management and preemptive attention to potential error will justify the capital costs of automated control. With shorter term or smaller quantity jobs, it becomes a question of where best to allocate resources to organize your process as efficiently as possible.

Wherever you fall on that spectrum, ASG is glad to be able to outline the available options to help you determine what is best suited for your needs. Contact our experts today to jump start the conversation about how ASG can help you error-proof your processes. (Contributions by Phil Klingler, ASG Product Manager)

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