Tips To Use a Torque Wrench

A torque wrench serves the purpose of applying accurate torque on the fasteners. Applying inaccurate torque can either result in imperfect fit or even damage the entire set up. This is a handy tool when you are working with high performance equipment, inspecting tolerances of nuts and bolts, automobile engine and other such parts. Extreme care has to be taken in the operation and maintenance of this tool.

When you have a torque wrench in your kit, have these tips in your head:

Usage:

• Irrespective of the type and magnitude of the hand tools, always protect your eyes by safety goggles while working with them.
• Each such tool is designed to work in a specific range. This helps you to decide the perfect tool for your application. Exceeding this limit can cause considerable damage to your device.
• Don’t use an accessory just because you have it. Stick to the type of accessories the manufacturers specifies.
• Take extreme care so that the tool doesn’t drop on hard surfaces. When you accidentally slip it off, recalibrate the tool before using it.
• While storing the click type wrench, adjust it to the minimum scale position.
• Use the device for the intended purpose. Remember that it is not the primary tool for loosening or tightening nuts or bolts.
• While handling the torque wrench place your hands on the centre of the tool to ensure better maneuvering. If you have to make use of both the hands, place one over the other.
• These tools are so designed that they send out signals like beeping or clicking after reaching specific torque. When the tool shows such indications, cease the operation.

Maintenance:

• Avoid exposing the wrench to extreme working conditions like intense pressure and high temperature.
• Study the torque wrench suppliers’ manual about the device. It helps you to get started and work effectively with the tool. Focus on the aspects like lubricants used, direction of operation, torque pattern, tight/release cycles and others.
• Every time you move out to work, check the tool for damages like cracks or worn out parts. Take immediate action, if you find something wrong with the tool.
• When left unused, there are chances that the tool can be corroded. Clean the tool after every use store in protective casings.

It is essential to know the types of torque wrenches before you choose one. The first aspect to be considered ion this aspect is the accuracy of the system. Make ensure that the tolerance doesn’t exceed 5%. Comparatively better ones have an accuracy of 2%. Focus largely on the quality aspects of the device rather than its fancy features. Never expect the device to perform well just because it has an LED readout. Prefer a well made and sturdily designed wrench. Ask yourself, “How often do you use this wrench?” The answer for this question lets you decide on the amount you can spend on the wrench.

Tips to help select the apt tube expander tool

In the present scenario, if there is a tool, which finds its application almost on a regular basis, it is the tube expanders tools.  This specifically finds application in the industrial area wherein the boilers, heaters and equalizers need expansion on a frequent basis. Hence, it becomes imperative to select the perfect tool to get the desired results. Herein the requirement becomes a benchmark to select the tool. It is very important to understand your requirement in order to select the apt tool. Here is a little guide, which will help to identify the tool along with its usage:

Three Roll Parallel Expanding Tool

Three Roll Parallel Expanding tools imply the basic three fold mechanism. They are further categorized into two types:

• Single Flare Roll Type- The basic aim of this tool is to provide rolling as well as flaring action in a single manoeuvre. The tools are made of special kind of nickel chrome alloy steel, which ensures the longetivity of its service life. As they provide both rolling and flaring action, they have an amazing flexibility. These tools are ideal for water boilers, super heaters and fire tube boilers. They usually come in the range of one inch outer diameter.
• Straight Roll Type- The straight roll types are very effective since they are designed to reach great depths. Their highlight is the effective roll length, which makes it ideal for rolling any thick tube sheets. Also the ball bearing collars are designed to have thrust that makes it friction free allowing a greater ease of working. These tools usually come in the range of two inches to three and a half inches outer diameter

Four Roll Parallel Expanding Tool

Four Roll parallel expanding tools are again of two types- Double flare and straight roll type

• Double Flare roll type – These tools are made up of four expanding rolls and two flaring ones that can ease both the operations at a single go. They are made of special kind of nickel chrome steel alloy, which are treated in electric furnace in order to increase its service life. These tools are quite flexible in nature, owing to the interchangeable mandrels and rolls. Double flare four roll is ideal for fire tube boilers, water tube boilers, air heaters and economizers. These tools outer dimension is usually two inches to four and a half inches.
• Straight Roll Type- These tools are very effective wherein there is limited space. With the help of headers and small head holes, they can reach any area even if the space is less. They basically help in straight expanding process, which is usually required after or before the welding process. They are ideal for any type of boilers and air heaters.

With so any options available in the market, just select a one that closely fits into your requirement. Expanding tools are really very helpful and with the apt kind one can easily achieve the goal.

Know the basics of a tube expander

There are many occasions wherein the need of a tube expander is required by the manufactures. In fact, tube expander is one of the inevitable tools at their disposal which makes their work easier and faster. There is plethora of tube expander manufacturer in the market from whom the desired tube expander tool can be purchased. But before plunging to buy the tool, it is imperative to understand the basics of the tools and its functionalities. This will help to get the apt tool as per requirement. So here is a basic touch up about the tube expander tools:

What is a tube expander?

As the name suggests, a tube expander is a tool, which is used for the expansion of the tubes into sheet like forms. This is ideally used in manufacturing firms in the boiling and condensing work. Tube expanders are rolling tube type tools that make this process easier and faster.

Components of a tube expander

A tube expander generally consists of four main parts. Depending on the way that they are joined together, two different variation of the tube expander can be designed. This depends entirely on its construction, which is generally referred to as the CB and BK Construction. Here are the main components of the tube expander

• Roller– This is one of the most important parts of the tube expander tool. The roller consists of R- shaped smooth chamfer, which is tapered in shape. Its main function is to apply a rolling pressure on the insides, which is perfectly done by the tapered end. Further, tool is so designed that it helps to get a perfect spherical shape, which is the need. The roller action is the first action that happens on the tube, and the entire construction is done strategically to facilitate the rolling process without causing any extra stress or causing sharp edges.
• Mandrel– Mandrel supports the roller to facilitate the rolling process. Actually both the roller and the mandrel are required for the rolling action and hence, both their structuring in tapered form is necessary. Since, they aid in the rolling process, these parts need to be abrasion resistant, which is ensured by their steel type (undergoes special heat and grinding treatment to achieve this). They use the principle of contact friction to achieve the rotation process.
• Frame– The frame provides a sort of support to the roller and the mandrel creating a screw feed like mechanism by providing the essential feed angle. This mechanism is the core setting of the automatic expansion of the tube expander.
• Bearing Collar– A bearing collar basically helps to reduce the thrust and prevent any sort of damage to the tube sheet during the expansion process. Usually, it is adjustable and can be flexed to the desired length.

Now that you know about the core components of the tube expander, it will become a little bit easier to use it. Tube expander is equally effective for parallel tube expansion as well as flare tube expansion. So, use it as per d