Intelligent Multi Spindles Increase Production and Quality

Problem:

A local axle manufacturer has had ongoing issues with accurate torqueing of axle shaft bolts. The bolts are inaccurately torqued with pneumatic pulse tools or missed altogether by the operators as they are in 8 lug and 12 lug patterns and require many accurate rundowns to produce a quality part.

Air Power Solution

Apex Tool Group intelligent 4 spindle multi-spindles with torque management arms eliminate both inaccurate torques along with potential mishits of fasteners. The 4 spindles will be adjustable to hit both patterns, highly accurate within a few percent of the targeted torque, and have rotational transducers that will tell us which fasteners have been hit and eliminate missed fasteners and re-hits by the operators.

Results

This solution will decrease the amount of manual operator input of fastener tightening thus speeding up the manufacturing process, as well as, eliminate re-hits and missed fasteners by the operators. This system will collect data and communicate with their existing MES system to confirm the accurate torque of each set of axle bolts, providing data points and a birth certificate of a successful assembly. This will have a profound effect on both the quality of the parts produced as well as the speed at which they are produced. One ergonomic bonus – the system will remove the operator from handling the existing large pneumatic pulse tools manually creating for a safer and more sustainable work environment.