Torque Tools, Maintenance and Avoidance
Torque tools are abundant in many industries. These mighty little machines are capable of a wide range of measurements. No matter what your project, you will need to make sure that your torque tool is being used and maintained correctly. We wanted to provide a few helpful tips to this end.
The basic mechanism within the common torque tool is a spring. This is being compressed and decompressed depending on the level of torque that you adjust your wrench or screwdriver to. For this reason, you can understand, that a torque tool will have a shelf life that is very dependent on its use. The better care that is given to the internal mechanisms the longer your tool and your calibration will last.
We have found that customers who do not regularly turn down their torque wrenches to the minimum marked level are more likely to have out of tolerance conditions. This is especially true if the calibration interval is longer than 6 months. This means that without proper use you could be cutting your calibration life in half. Not only will the reliability of the calibration diminish but the tool itself will not last as long and will need to be replaced.
Another condition to consider is the environment. This is a mechanical instrument with moving parts. The temperature and humidity it is used and stored in will effect its reliability, measurement and lifetime. It's obvious that excess humidity can create rust on metal parts. The other concern is that a hot environment will create swelling that could also damage the tool or generate incorrect readings. If you check your calibration certificate you will see what the environmental conditions were for the testing of your instrument. It will always be best to use and store the device in similar conditions. However, this may not always be possible. If you can at least store the device in the correct environment this would be the next best alternative. When this is not possible we have an even greater concern for our final consideration.
It is important to exercise your device before using it for measurements. Because of the effect temperature and humidity can have, and because an object at rest may need some warming up just like our bodies do for a workout, it is important to not just jump right in to demanding tasks without properly conditioning your device to the measurements it will be taking. Torque the tool a few times and then start taking your measurements to assure the tool has been warmed up properly.
The combination of proper calibration and these few considerations can greatly improve the reliability and lifetime of your instrument. If you are looking for more information like this or need to have one of your tools calibrated please contact us! You can use our website contact page at www.instcal.com or feel free to email me directly at danielle.bradford@instcal.com.
