this post was submitted on 11 Jan 2024
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Technology
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I still don't understand why a wrench needs to be connected to a network, even a wrench that makes very precise torque measurements.
In an ideal world: a wrench would self-adjust torque limits for every particular bolt, get that data directly from the plans for the part being worked on, and log every wrenching operation for quality control and compliance purposes.
In the real world: because it's another bullet point the manufacturer can charge for.
I'm guessing it's about documenting the assembly of safety-critical components. If some part of, let's say an airplane fails because a bolt comes loose, the manufacturer wants to have a paper trail attached to it to prove that this specific bolt was indeed torqued to the correct spec. Connecting the wrench to the network could make this documentation much easier.
Changes the torque and the application of said torque for each bolt. As in "tool head has 5° of give until in place, then in ramps torque to 5nM over half a second, and holds for 1 second and then ramps to zero over .1 seconds", and then something different for the next bolt. Then it logs that it did this for each bolt.
The tool can also be used to measure and correct the bolts as part of an inspection phase, and log the results of that inspection.
Finally, it tracks usage of the tool and can log that it needs maintenance or isn't working correctly even if it's just a subtle failure.