When one of the world’s largest aerospace engine manufacturers wanted to improve and enhance the torque traceability process of their jet engine manufacturing, Crane Electronics were at hand to provide a suitable solution.
The engine manufacturing process requires each individual fastener and joint to be tightened precisely to the correct torque specification, which then needs to be individually checked, verified and recorded for traceability and quality purposes.
The client currently used older, mechanical torque wrenches, which while they still provided a solution to tightening critical joints, they were not delivering the efficiency and traceability they required. The process had become slow and inefficient, with hundreds of individual tightening’s having to be logged manually by their engineers.
The client approached Crane Electronics, who were on hand to demonstrate the innovative IQWrench2 digital torque wrench. The IQWrench2 offers all of the features of a high specification torque wrench but with built in torque data collection and auditing capabilities, which were ideal for improving on the client’s existing process.
The IQWrench2 allowed the client to ensure that each fastener was correctly tightened to the specified torque level, eliminating any potential quality issues during the final test stage of build. The digital torque wrench also allowed the client to pre-program each individual joint directly onto the wrench to ensure that no fastener or bolt could be missed, thus ensuring that all tightened joints would have their relevant data recorded and logged for future reference and complete traceability.
On high-quality, critical assets such as jet engines, the torque tightening process is critical. The IQWrench2 gave the customer complete peace of mind that components such as high pressure fuel pipes were secured correctly with zero chance of any inaccurate fasteners.
The customer was delighted with the results of the IQWrench2 digital torque wrench, including the fact that they are FOD (Foreign Object Damage) compliant. The success of the initial sales has led to the supply of over 300 wrenches to the client globally.
Ian Brown, Sales Manager at Crane Electronics, comments:
“Traceable fastening operations can be of particular benefit in the search for zero-defect assembly, particularly within the Aerospace manufacturing industry and this is a perfect example of that fact.
We pride ourselves on providing innovative solutions to our customers and helping them to deliver peace of mind in the quality of their products and components.”
For more information about how we can provide a solution for your business, call us on +44 (0)1455 25 14 88, email us at sales@crane-electronics.com.