Fallstudie demnächst auf Deutsch

Electronic Torque Auditing Equipment Improves Quality

December 1998
Using electronic torque auditing equipment has enabled Perkins Engines to further improve the quality of the diesel engines that it manufactures. Wrenchmasters, TorqueStars and CheckStars from Crane Electronics are now being routinely used for setting up tools, auditing and troubleshooting, both on the production line and within the quality control department.

Perkins Engines is ISO 9001 and 9002 accredited for the manufacture of diesel engines, which are used in a wide variety of equipment in the construction, agriculture and materials handling sectors. The torque on the fasteners used to assemble the engines can be a major influence on their reliability and longevity. Until recently, the only means available within the factory for checking torques was a dial-type wrench that could simply measure the resultant torque on a fastener.

“We needed something that was more accurate, as well as being quicker and easier to use”, says Rob Jackson, SPC co-ordinator. “The Crane equipment also helps isolate problems with tools and fasteners – previously, we could not tell which was at fault if we had a problem”. Wrenchmasters are ideal for precision torquing, and breakaway testing is commonly carried out with one of these. CheckStars, on the other hand, are used in-line between the air-wrench and fastener to monitor the torque actually applied to the fastener. The third weapon in Perkins’ torque-auditing armoury is the TorqueStar, used for measuring and recording the torque applied by a tool.

At Perkins Engines, all three instruments have proved to be utterly reliable and have made a significant difference in the quality of the finished engines. Data from the TorqueStar is used to create SPC charts far more quickly and accurately than was possible before. It has also been possible to verify that new tools are delivering the correct torque before they are released to the production line.

Rob Jackson explains why the new equipment was selected: “Unlike many suppliers of torque auditing equipment, Crane Electronics specialises in auditing, not shop-floor tools. Our requirement was for equipment that would be robust, reliable and easy to use. In fact, the Crane equipment was also a very good price, which is remarkable because we believe their instruments are second to none”.