Emergency equipment varies widely. Simple tools—like backboards, braces, anchors, pulleys, ladders, and axes—intermingle with more complex equipment like SCBA gear, ventilation fans, HAZMAT-rated suits, the jaws of life, and even remote-controlled or autonomous search and rescue drones. For each of the many, far-ranging types of emergencies in the civil, industrial, wildland, marine, or military spheres, specific equipment has been developed based on proven efficacy.
What remains the same, no matter what the emergency is or what equipment is required, is that when it’s time to put these tools to use, they need to work. Emergency responders and the victims of accidents, attacks, and catastrophes depend on this equipment for their lives. So, when manufacturing emergency equipment with threaded fasteners, it’s not just important that each fastener receives the correct, controlled amount of torque. It’s essential.
Why Torque Control is Essential in Emergency Equipment Manufacturing
At home, at work, at play, at sea, and at war, people depend on their emergency responders. When something does go wrong, it often does so very quickly. Depending on the nature of the incident, the risks can be severe. Emergency responders in the field don’t have time or access to replace equipment that fails, at least until they return to base. In a busy day or week, they might not have the chance to replace or repair broken equipment over the course of multiple assignments. If the equipment fails, so might the mission.
At the same tie, emergency equipment can be placed under severe stress during the course of normal operations. Responders often must complete demanding, arduous tasks in poor environmental conditions. It’s one thing for a tool to hold up to stress under laboratory conditions—it’s another for it to hold up to heavy use in the field.
To handle this duress, emergency equipment must be built to exact standards. Good enough isn’t good enough; these tools must be perfect. If a manufacturer develops a reputation for tools that don’t hold up under field conditions, then emergency managers will find a different manufacturer, one which doesn’t endanger their personnel.
So, when manufacturing emergency equipment that uses threaded fasteners like screws and bolts, torque control is non-negotiable. Fasteners can’t be so loose they fall out under stress. They can’t be so tight that they warp or deform the materials they’re attempting to hold together. If they do, then those materials will not hold up to the stress levels they’re rated for. When that happens, you end up putting lives at risk.
Achieving Torque Control When Manufacturing Emergency Equipment
In order to safely manufacture reliable emergency equipment, companies must invest in production tools which can detect and control the amount of torque they deliver to their threaded fasteners. Torque is the radial force which drives a screw or a bolt, compressing its threads against those of the material it’s securing. There are many tools which control torque, commonly called torque tools.
Hand torque tools, whether they’re wrenches or screwdrivers, can deliver precision and power at the cost of speed, for a lower price than electric or air tools. Hand torque screwdrivers have a clutch mechanism that slips when the selected level of torque is applied, preventing under or over-torque conditions.
Click wrenches are inexpensive hand torque wrenches that are useful for large bolts because they can deliver high amounts of torque. However, unlike cam-over wrenches, click wrenches do not slip when torque is reached, relying only on an audible click to warn their operator when the right amount of torque is reached. For critical fasteners, cam-over wrenches, with their internal clutches, are preferable.
Power torque tools, including electric screwdrivers, continuous-drive pneumatic tools, and pulse tools, are fast and accurate, but they come with a higher price tag. Electric screwdrivers are ideal for small fasteners and high-speed assembly lines. They can easily be connected to screw-counting systems or automated assembly programs, thereby enhancing quality control. Continuous-drive pneumatic tools are rapid, precise, and can deliver more power than electric screwdrivers.
Pulse tools, which use compressed air to turn fasteners with a series of rapid bursts, are able to deliver more power than continuous-drive pneumatic tools without harming their operator. However, their pulsing action renders them slightly less accurate than a continuous drive air tool or even a large hand tool.
When you’re responding to an emergency, you need to know you have the right tools. It’s no different when you’re manufacturing equipment for emergency responders. Each fastener in each piece of emergency equipment must be tightened to the proper tension—no more and no less. That’s why torque control is an indispensable component of emergency equipment manufacturing.
