Torque plays a critical role in manufacturing, even if it often goes unnoticed. As the force that causes rotation, torque is essential in everything from tightening bolts on an assembly line to operating heavy machinery. In industrial settings where precision, safety and efficiency are paramount, accurately measuring torque is vital to ensuring product quality, maintaining equipment integrity and avoiding costly downtime.
To ensure the correct levels of torque are applied, torque testers are used across many industries to measure how tight or loose a component or fastener is. Inaccurate torque measurements can cause components to come apart, bottle caps to leak or critical fasteners to completely fail, resulting in serious safety issues.
In this article, we take a look at what torque testers are used for, why they are an important part of the torque measurement process and take a deeper look at the three most common types of torque testers: bottle cap torque testers, fastener torque testers and motor torque testers. But first, let’s define what a torque tester actually is.
What is a torque tester?
A torque tester is a piece of torque management equipment that measures the twisting force applied to an object. The object it measures could range from a bottle cap, a screw, a nut or even a motor shaft. A torque tester plays an important role in making sure that the correct level of torque is used and that it’s not too high or too low, too tight or too loose.
They are available in both manual and digital varieties. Manual torque testers are usually simpler to use and are useful for quick checks or for checking a low volume of components. In comparison, digital torque testers are more advanced and give more precise readings. They can also store data for analysis and track trends over time.
In addition to being manual or digital, torque testers are also available in a range of different sizes and setups. Some are handheld and portable, making them ideal for use on production lines or in the field, whilst others are benchtop mounted and often used in testing or laboratory environments where repeatability is essential.
The most common types of torque testers
Three of the most common types of torque testers are:
Bottle cap / closure torque testers
This type of torque tester is widely used in production environments to ensure lids, screwcaps and bottle caps are applied with the right amount of torque. Common sectors that use bottle cap torque testers include food and drink, pharmaceutical and cosmetics. Bottle cap torque testers not only help guarantee the safety of a product and protect against leaks, but they also play a role in safety and shelf life.
If a bottle cap is too loose, air or other contaminants could get in and spoil the contents. Similarly, if medicinal bottle lids aren’t secured properly, potentially harmful contents could be accessed by those not intended to use them, such as children. Bottle cap torque testers are an essential part of quality assurance and can help ensure:
- Leak-proof seals
- Easy-to-open packaging
- Tamper evidence
- Consistent product quality or freshness
Tool torque testers
As the name suggests, tool torque testers measure the torque applied to fasteners by assembly power or hand tools. These types of torque testers are most commonly used in manufacturing and assembly plants to test, monitor and also calibrate assembly tools to ensure they are consistently delivering the correct torque.
These torque testers are widely used across the automotive, aerospace, construction and electronics industries where proper torque application is critical to ensuring the safety and integrity of the products being built.
By helping to prevent over-tightening and under-tightening, tool torque testers reduce the risk of damage to components, improve product reliability and durability whilst also supporting compliance with industry standards.
Motor torque testers
If you need to measure the torque output of motors and drive systems, then you need a motor torque testing system. This type of torque testing is used in industries where motors play a key role, such as electric vehicles and other general automotive applications, ship engines in the marine sector or industrial tools and machinery.
When a motor isn’t producing enough torque, it may not be able to perform its job properly. On the other hand, if it’s producing too much torque, it could be wasting energy or wearing out too quickly. Motor torque testing systems, often comprising of both a rotary torque transducer system and a digital display, accurately measure the amount of torque being generated. This helps engineers to determine if a motor is working as it should be, to identify any potential issues and to keep everything running smoothly.
Torque motor testers can also be used in product development, assembly and maintenance environments to help avoid motor failure and reduce unplanned downtime.
Our range of torque testers and torque test benches
At Crane, we offer an extensive range of torque testers to help you ensure precise and reliable torque measurements. Our range includes:
- ReadStar TT Torque Tester: easy to operate for fast and accurate assembly tool auditing and torque readings.
- CapStar Torque Tester: accurate digital measurement and testing of bottle cap / closure release torque.
- Wrenchmate Torque Tester: measures the torque setting of all click and dial-type torque wrenches.
- WM10K Torque Tester: accurately measures torque output for pneumatic and electric torque multiplier tools and other high torque tools, from 200 to 10,000 Nm.
- Rotary Torque Systems: our coupling and clamp-on torque transducer systems can be used to test and monitor the torque applied in motors and engine shafts.
All of our torque testers are designed for use in a number of manufacturing and quality control environments to ensure accurate monitoring and compliance with industry standards and regulations. We also offer a range of torque test benches and joint simulators, including:
- tJRS Joint Test Bench: the only fully automated joint test bench that utilises a threaded fastener system for the most authentic assembly tool testing.
- Mobile Torque Testing Station (MTTS): a portable tool station to test tool torque readings at the side of the assembly line.
- Mobile Auditing Station (MAS): a portable station for auditing the torque applied to fasteners and critical joints in your assembly process.
If you need to check and measure torque accurately or replicate real working conditions to test assembly power and hand tools, Crane Electronics has the right solutions and know-how to help.
Why choose Crane for torque testing?
Whether you need torque testers for bottle caps, fasteners, motors or other components, Crane is here to provide you with a fit-for-purpose torque testing solution. With more than 50 years of experience in torque management, we can help you ensure the precision and accuracy of your torque measurements while also helping establish compliance with a range of industry standards and regulations.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss your torque testing requirements, please get in touch with a member of our friendly team.