Industry 4.0 solutions are playing an increasingly decisive role when it comes to making business processes more efficient. Anything that can be computerised will be computerised. This megatrend is already having a major impact on the development and use of hand tools.
Torque tools, measuring and testing units will become increasingly integrated in the digital working environment and will communicate with one another. This does not only apply to large industrial enterprises, but is becoming more and more relevant for medium sized and smaller companies. Stahlwille has already positioned itself now to respond to these developments strategically and in the long term. The result is DAPTIQ, a range of integration-enabled solutions for use in Industry 4.0 environments that is being continuously expanded and developed. The focus is on minimising setup costs, reducing process costs and, in this way, accelerating processes while improving transparency.
Real-time response
Using DAPTIQ solutions enables real-time responses to changes in production processes and in maintenance. Efficiency and process capability can be significantly improved but above all, secure automatic logging is guaranteed. DAPTIQ products can not only communicate with each other, but also
with other systems in the specific working environment. The use of these solutions does not require any complex interventions in the IT infrastructure by the customer.
Stahlwille has opted for open and flexible programming interfaces. The integration of DAPTIQ solutions in production planning and control systems is possible without any major adaptation efforts, no software from Stahlwille is required. Tailored closely to the needs of the user, the system enables
future-orientated applications incorporating intelligent worker guidance and position determination to be set up.
Short training periods and high process capability
Controlled fastener tightening is becoming increasingly important in production processes and maintenance, and the same applies to the requirement to record bolted connections and tightening parameters. Intelligent strategies can be implemented to meet this requirement using integration-capable tool and torque solutions. In connection with superordinate systems, DAPTIQ solutions require only short training periods and provide enhanced process quality. At Stahlwille, the customer is always the focal point. The electromechanical torque wrenches are the only ones on the market that provide the familiar feedback of the mechanical "click", combined with the advantages of a tool that is integration-capable.
MANOSKOP 766 DAPTIQ – full integration in Industry 4.0 environments
The electromechanical angle-controlled torque wrench MANOSKOP 766 DAPTIQ can exchange data bidirectionally and receive and execute instructions. Users are freed from time-consuming routines and training times are shortened. Human error and, as a result, the error rate are reduced. Last but not least, interaction with the customer's centralised systems means automatic logging of tightening data is a simple matter.
This tool is the only one on the market that works electromechanically: it measures digitally and can be networked wirelessly. The wrench signals three times whether the tightening operation has been carried out correctly and the specified target torque has been reached – by means of an LED traffic light system, the digital display and the familiar click.
The system also detects whether fasteners have been over-looked or tightened twice. Error messages cannot be ignored.
The Manoskop 766 Daptiq can be directly integrated into worker guidance systems. When a fastener-tightening process is initiated, the tool receives its data from the process control system via radio transmission and the required torque is set automatically. The display of the tightening sequence and of the assembly points is possible in a number of ways – using permanently installed monitors, for example, or mobile end devices such as tablets.
Completed tightening operations are reported back to the process control system in real time in a traceable and loss-proof manner, logged with a time stamp and the exact torque, and the result visualised on the monitor screen, which ensures seamless traceability at all times.
Calibrating and testing in-house
With DAPTIQ perfectControl, Stahlwille offers a calibrating unit which, depending on the version, is able to calibrate both torque and angle-controlled wrenches automatically. The user is guided through the entire testing process by the software. Electronic torque wrenches can be calibrated fully automatically to a large extent. As soon as calibration has been completed, the corresponding data is available to the computer aided quality assurance (CAQ) system for archiving.
With the SmartCheck, end users can check torque and angle tightening tools themselves to ensure, before work begins, that the tools are working exactly and reliably within the specified tolerance ranges. With the DAPTIQ version of this solution, Stahlwille provides a model that has a non-proprietary cable-linked interface for direct connection to the CAQ system, for instance. This allows automated workflows to be created in which every tool has to be checked first before the CAQ system
releases it for production tasks.
Open to new solutions and business models
Stahlwille is continuing to add to its DAPTIQ range. Products that promise to deliver added value to customers in connection with networked production will, in future, always be available as DAPTIQ versions.
Stahlwille is also driving the development of completely new business models. With "Pay per Use", the user no longer pays for the tool, but for the actual use or for the data generated in the process. With a view to life cycle costs for use of the tool, such models provide for capital expenditure that is far more
calculable. Customers have the possibility to expand these solutions for their tools step-by-step up to an all-round care-free package. That includes modules such as training, usage analysis, condition monitoring, calibration, repair and maintenance, and an exchange service.
In the course of the digital transformation of processes and companies, Stahlwille also supports the development of digital IoT platforms, such as SIEMENS MindSphere. In doing so, the company is applying its expertise as a pioneer in torque technology to implement data-driven business models, which offer customers more flexibility and greater efficiency while reducing costs.
This article originally appeared in the November-December 2021 issue of Torque Magazine. Read the magazine in its entirety online or subscribe today.
