FORCE MEASUREMENT SOLUTIONS FOR SCREW AND SCREW FASTENERS

Among the many uses of force gauges, a seemingly simple application can have a major impact on worker safety, productivity, waste reduction, assembly and product performance. In this new animated application note highlight, we take a look at the tools used to measure screw fasteners.

Bolts and screws are used to connect different parts or components together for almost every product imaginable, especially when it comes to large machines and even cars. The success of these products and the manufacture of these components requires a high level of detail, right down to the tightness of a screw. It's not like your typical "do it yourself" furniture where you just tighten a screw or bolt until you can't do it anymore. The precision required to clamp certain objects to the exact size is essential.

Interface provides measurement solutions for all types of industrial automation and toolset testing used in thousands of applications that are ultimately used in building products. In the example below, we have provided equipment used to accurately determine the required bolt force and tightness. The aim of the tightness measurement is to avoid under- or over-tightening. As you can imagine, under-tightening can cause components to break apart. However, over-tightening can also cause significant damage to the parts screwed together.

APPLICATION OF SCREW FASTENING
Watch this latest application video demonstration to show the process of measuring screw strength.

For this screw fastening application, the customer used an interface model LWCF load washer along with an interface model INF-USB3 single channel PC interface module to monitor the force applied when tightening the screws. Data transmitted from the through-hole load cell to the instrumentation is displayed, logged, and graphed directly on a computer for analysis and performance testing.

This is a basic example of the test and measurement process, but Interface has also worked on a number of real projects and created application notes to illustrate it. One of our favorites is when an industrial automation company built an automated assembly machine for an automobile factory.

The product engineers and testing team had to tighten all cap screws on an engine on their assembly line to a specific torque value. Precise and consistent tightening of the head bolts on the engine block is critical to the operation of the engine.

To measure this force, several Model T33 Interface Torque Transducers were installed on their new machine to control torque and angle and ensure the cap screw was properly tightened. The T33's square drive allowed the customer to attach their tool directly to the end of the torque sensor, streamlining the installation.

This solution installed the cap screws correctly according to the manufacturer's specifications, resulting in an engine that met the car factory's performance and reliability expectations.

Here are additional solutions that show how interface load cells, torque transducers, instruments and custom solutions are used for various tools and manufacturing processes in various industries.