The Norbar team spent quite some time at energy-focused expos last month (April 2013). We were at Hannover Messe in Germany and an expo in Korea (International Green Energy / Wind Power Korea 2013) with our Korean distributor, Hydrofast, and their sub-distributor Forceline.

We took a stand in the Wind Energy section of the Hannover Messe in Germany, and were very pleased with the results.  In Korea, we are also seeing good outcomes from the International Green Energy Expo. I had the good fortune of attending the latter and an account of my trip follows.

I disembarked the plane on a beautiful spring morning at Incheon Airport, and caught a fast train to Daegu, a city of 2.5 million located about 300km south of Seoul – and host city of the Green Energy Expo.

Koreans love the Cherry Blossom season and my trip to Daegu perfectly coincided with thousands of beautiful trees gently scattering pale pink petals all around the city.  It was a wonderful way to arrive.

Hydrofast President, Mercury Choi, was leading the charge on-stand; working closely with sub-distributors, Forceline.  I rolled up my sleeves and got busy.  I don’t speak Korean, and not a single native-English speaker came on stand; so it’s fair to suggest this was a country-level show with some visitors from elsewhere in the region.  There were some exhibitors from outside Korea, including an engineering firm from the English East Midlands.

The stand was making excellent use of a pneumatic BIC tool with a rig they had designed (snapped in two for easy portability) and there were lots of interested visitors from a range of Korean industries, not just the energy industry – which I would not have expected, if I’m honest.

There were also lots of student visitors, mostly on the final day of the show.  I was really pleased to see that our distributor treated them with the same interest as if they were engineering managers – he told me later they will be his customers in the future.

I’m looking forward to supporting Hydrofast at other shows in the future and covering other sectors – even though a show is targeted at one sector, important visitors come from other sectors in Korean shows.

Hydrofast have been our distributor less than six months and are putting plenty of energy into building the Norbar Torque Tools brand in Korea.  The week after the show, Mercury was out visiting contacts made at the show, arranging demonstrations and sending out quotations.  I left Korea feeling that solid progress was being made and I look forward to going back in June.  The Cherry Blossom will be gone by then – and it’ll be fun to see what everyone is talking about in early summer.

Owen Hillis, Business Development Manager, Norbar Torque Tools

According to “Brake”, the road safety charity, runaway wheels kill 8 to 10 people and injure many more each year in the UK.

Naturally, as a torque solutions provider and torque tool manufacturer this is very concerning and our fear is that the issue is not given its due attention by the road haulage and public service vehicle industries where speed and low cost often seem to be the most important factors in wheel bolting.

It’s very important that maintenance engineers know that wheel nut movement indicators and nut locking devices are no substitute for good bolting practice, including the correct application of torque to wheel bolts.

Plastic wheel nut movement indicators can be applied to commercial vehicles, such as articulated lorries and buses, to indicate movement in the wheel nut.  Many commercial vehicle users also apply nut locking devices which link two or more adjacent nuts in such a way as to prevent them from undoing.

Wheel nut movement indicators are an excellent warning system to visually alert a driver, transport manager or mechanic that there is a potential problem with the wheel nuts.  Equally, locking devices can serve a purpose in helping to retain the initially applied torque.

However, the indicators and locking devices are not a substitute for good bolting practice which includes ensuring that the threads are undamaged, clean and free from rust and paint.   Vehicle manufacturers’ recommendations for thread lubrication should be strictly adhered to and the correct torque should be applied using a calibrated torque tool.

We regularly come across situations in both car and heavy vehicle garages where the wheel nuts are over tightened with an impact wrench before the torque wrench is applied for the final tightening.

We would always recommend that wheel nut movement indicators should only be fitted once this good practice has been applied.  The same is true of locking devices but they should not be used as a substitute for the regular wheel nut re-checks that are required by law.

Philip Brodey, Sales and Marketing Director, Norbar Torque Tools

For anyone with an interest in Mechanical Engineering it’s impossible not to be hugely impressed by the feat of engineering that is the Britannia Class mainline locomotive “Oliver Cromwell” – one of the last four steam locomotives used by British Rail.

Aside from simple appreciation of this enormous machine (pictured above), I am bringing the Oliver Cromwell to your attention because Norbar recently donated 2 torque wrenches to the Great Central Railway (GCR) after being approached by one of the directors and Chairman of Cromwell Tools, Michael Gregory. Mr Gregory asked us if we could donate the wrenches for the maintenance of the steam locomotive engines and some of the GCR Diesel engines.

So, earlier in the month, I went up to Loughborough to present one Model 200 and one 5R torque wrench to Tom Tighe and Bill Ford (Managing Director, Great Central Railways Plc). Both wrenches will be used to torque cylinder bolts on the steam engines and also on the larger diesel engines that boast up to 2,500 horse power.

The Great Central Railway (GCR) is a heritage railway in Leicestershire, named after the company that originally built this stretch of railway, and is currently Britain’s only double track mainline heritage railway, with 5.25 miles (8.45 km) of working double track, period signalling, locomotives and rolling stock. It runs for 8.25 miles (13.28 km) in total from the large market town of Loughborough to a new terminus just north of Leicester.

Seeing as torque engineering became prominent at a similar time to the peak of locomotive engineering, it’s fitting that we were able to support the history and heritage of GCR and help keep their biggest assets on track and accurately torqued.

Philip Brodey, Sales and Marketing Director, Norbar Torque Tools

In dieser Woche nehmen wir an einer der für uns wichtigsten Fachveranstaltungen teil – der alle zwei Jahre stattfindenden Hannover Messe in Hannover, Deutschland.

Die Messe ist für Norbar von großer Bedeutung. Wir nutzen sie, um grundlegende Informationen über die Marktdynamik zu sammeln und zahlreiche unserer bestehenden und potentiellen Kunden zu treffen. Im Laufe der nächsten Woche werden wichtige Treffen mit vielen bestehenden und möglicherweise zukünftigen Vertriebshändlern von Werkzeugen der Marke Norbar und kundeneigener Hausmarken stattfinden.

An unserem Stand G84 in Halle 27 (Wind) werden wir im Verlauf der Veranstaltung eine umfassende Auswahl industriespezifischer Drehmomentlösungen vorstellen. Zu dieser Auswahl zählen der neue Handtorque 92, der HT52 – ein kompakter Handdrehmoment-Vervielfältiger –, das tragbare Ultraschallmessgerät USM-3 zur Messung von Schraubbelastungen, eine Kalibriervorrichtung für Hydraulikwerkzeuge sowie das neu auf dem Markt eingeführte elektrische Drehmomentwerkzeug EvoTorque.

Das neue EvoTorque wird auf der Messe für einigen Gesprächsstoff sorgen. Es wurde darauf ausgelegt, den Benutzern eine nie dagewesene Schraubsteuerung zu ermöglichen, die sicherstellt, dass den Bedienern dank einer zum Patent angemeldeten Motortechnologie und Steuerungssoftware bei harten bis hin zu weichen Schraubfällen stets das korrekte Drehmoment zur Verfügung steht. Das EvoTorque kann als Bestandteil eines Überprüfungsprozesses sicher an vorgespannten Schrauben verwendet werden.

Das neue EvoTorque ist für 5 unterschiedliche Drehmomentbereiche erhältlich: von 200 Nm bis 1000 Nm, von 270 Nm bis 1350 Nm, von 400 Nm bis 2000 Nm, von 700 Nm bis 3500 Nm sowie von 1200 Nm bis 6000 Nm. Dadurch ist es für eine Vielzahl von Engineering-Anwendungen geeignet – für kommerzielle Fahrzeuge bis hin zur Windenergie. Jeder Drehmomentschlüssel ist mit einer Spannung von 110 V oder 230 V erhältlich. Darüber hinaus ist das EvoTorque wetterfest und mit einem wartungsfreien Motor ausgestattet.

Die Drehmoment- oder Drehwinkelregelung kann vom Bediener am Werkzeug eingestellt werden. Ein Freigabesignal am Werkzeug zeigt an, wann das korrekte Drehmoment oder der korrekte Winkel erreicht wurde. Zu den weiteren entscheidenden Merkmalen von EvoTorque zählen eine durch Dritte geprüfte Schallleistung von 72,3 dB (A) und ein Schwingungspegel von 0,304 m/s², wodurch medizinische, gesundheitliche und sicherheitstechnische Risiken wie zum Beispiel Gehörverlust und Durchblutungsstörungen in den Fingern während des Gebrauchs drastisch gesenkt werden.

Bei Norbar widmen wir uns der Konstruktion, Entwicklung und Produktion von Geräten zum Anziehen und Messen von Drehmomenten. An unserem Produktionsstandort in Banbury, Großbritannien, befindet sich zudem unser UKAS-akkreditiertes Labor für die Drehmomentkalibrierung zwischen 0,005 Nm und 108.500 Nm. Die UKAS-akkreditierte Drehmomentzertifizierung entspricht den Zertifizierungen durch die DAkkS in Deutschland, des BMWFJ in Österreich und der SAS in der Schweiz in Übereinstimmung mit der Vereinbarung über die gegenseitige Anerkennung hinsichtlich der Kalibrierung gemäß der Norm ISO/IEC 17025 der ILAC (Internal Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation).

Folgen Sie Norbar auf Twitter oder klicken Sie auf unserer Facebook-Seite auf „Gefällt mir“, um aktuelle Neuigkeiten während der Veranstaltung zu erhalten. Sie finden uns ebenfalls auf LinkedIn und über Xing. Sollten Sie an der Veranstaltung teilnehmen, besuchen Sie uns doch an unserem Stand G84 in Halle 27 und wir unterhalten uns gern mit Ihnen über die neuesten Entwicklungen im Bereich der Drehmomentregelung.

COUNTDOWN HANNOVER MESSE 2013 – LAUNCHING EVOTORQUE

This week we’ll be attending one of our most important trade events, the biennial Hannover Messe, in Hannover Germany.

The show is invaluable to Norbar. We pick up ground level intelligence about market dynamics and meet many of our existing and potential customers. Key meetings will be taking place over the next week with many current and prospective new distributors of Norbar branded and customer own label tools.

We will be on stand G84 in Hall 27 (Wind) throughout the show, showcasing a comprehensive range of industry specific torque solutions. This range includes the new Handtorque 92, the HT52 – a Compact HandTorque Multiplier, the portable USM-3 ultrasonic bolt meter, a Hydraulic Tool Calibration fixture and a new to the market Electronic Torque Tool – EvoTorque.

The new EvoTorque will be a significant talking point at the show. It has been designed to offer users unprecedented joint control and to ensure that operators have the correct torque output from hard through to soft joints by utilising patent pending motor technology and control software.  The EvoTorque can safely be used on pre-tightened bolts as part of a joint verification process.

It is available in 5 different torque ranges from 200 N.m up to 1000, 270 N.m up to 1350, 400 N.m up to 2000, 700 N.m up to 3500 and 1200 up to 6000, which makes it applicable to a wide range of engineering applications, from commercial vehicles through to wind energy. Each wrench is available with a voltage of 110 or 230.  Importantly, the EvoTorque is weather sealed and equipped with a maintenance free motor.

Torque control or angle control can be selected by the user on the tool and a clear signal on the tool indicates when the correct torque or angle has been achieved.  Crucially, the EvoTorque has a third party verified sound power of 72.3 dB (A) and vibration level of 0.304 m/s² which significantly reduces any possibility of medical or health and safety related issues such as hearing loss or White Finger during use.

Here at Norbar we are devoted to the design, development and production of torque tightening and measuring instruments and have a UK manufacturing base in Banbury that is also home to our UKAS accredited laboratory for torque calibration between 0.005 N·m and 108,500 N·m. UKAS accredited certification of calibration is equivalent to DAkkS in Germany, BMWFJ in Austria and SAS in Switzerland, in accordance with the ILAC (International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation) mutual recognition arrangement for calibration to the ISO/IEC 17025 standard.

For live updates during the show, follow Norbar on Twitter and like us on Facebook. You can also follow us on LinkedIn and Xing. If you’re at the show, come see us on stand G84 in Hall 27 and we’ll talk torque.

Stuart Clarke, European Business Manager, Norbar Torque Tools

As the ‘Voice of Torque’ we believe we have a responsibility for  all torque users, fictional or otherwise, to assist them in the application of torque and educate them on best practice.

That’s why recently, during an episode of Eastenders (one of the British nation’s favourite soaps) we felt we had to point out an incident where a torque wrench was inappropriately applied to the bolts on a gate – not something that usually needs to be tightened to such an accurate setting!

AJ, who works in Albert Square hard-man and Eastenders veteran Phil Mitchell’s garage, the Arches, was using a Norbar manufactured torque wrench in a February episode of the show.

We look to uphold our mission statement – “To be the best Torque Tool Company in the world.  Respected, profitable and a great place to work” – and felt it only right to alert the Producers of the show, send out a new torque wrench model and of course invite AJ and the team to a torque wrench seminar.

Unfortunately we’ve had no response from Eastenders or AJ yet but we’re confident that the next torque wrench we see on the show will be the right one for the job.  Meanwhile, if you’re watching AJ, you can find out how to use a torque wrench by watching our video below.

We may even decide to go one step further and supply Norbar Torque Wrenches to the props’ departments of Emmerdale and Coronation Street too. We believe it’s important that the nations soap garages are seen to be tightening wheel nuts and bolts correctly. After all, careless torque can cost lives and we’d hate for the inaccurate application of torque to one day become part of a gruesome storyline! Now theres an idea?

The Voice of Torque

There is approximately one smartphone to every 5 mobile phones in the world as it stands, meaning the app market is gargantuan. And amongst the plethora of Flipboard, Instagram and Ebay downloads (as well as many others) there has been a huge number of  downloads for Norbar’s very own Torque Calculator Apps across Android, iPhone and Blackberry.

Norbar have two apps that are available across the three main mobile platforms. One is a Torque Conversion Calculator and the other is a Torque Extension App.

The calculator (much like the one on the Norbar website) offers instant conversion across a full range of SI, Metric and Imperial Units.

The Torque Extension App (also available on the Norbar site) calculates the value you need to set on a torque wrench to achieve the desired level of torque when the wrench is extended. Putting an extension on a torque wrench increases the level of torque being applied to a fastener – the bigger the extended ratio is to the normal length, the greater the torque.

Also, with instructions available in English, French, German and Spanish, the Norbar Torque Wrench Extension Calculator App has proved to be an invaluable international tool, providing instant and useful calculations as guidelines for engineering professionals, students and apprentices and any other sector where setting accurate torque measurement is a priority.

Being able to access this information from mobile devices can be invaluable for professionals in engineering and all other sectors requiring accurate torque measurement. Students and apprentices in engineering and technology might also find this app a useful tool to assist in their calculations.

In a world where mobility and flexibility of use is vital in many working environments it’s great that we can assist torque users everywhere using smartphones – saving time and ensuring accuracy.

David Rollason, Marketing Manager, Norbar Torque Tools

Like most drivers I often take my car into a franchised dealership or an independent garage for a change of tyres.

Usually, the mechanic removes and then replaces the wheel with a torque wrench.  All generally goes well until the first click of the wrench which signifies that the nut has been tightened to its optimum torque.

However, all too often in my experience the mechanic continues to tighten the nut beyond its optimum torque.  In the past, I have counted two, three and even four clicks of the torque wrench before the operator stops tightening.

The assumption appears to be that a nut can never be “too tight”.  Unfortunately, this is untrue, as the impact of a nut being too tight is as serious as being too loose.

For this reason, all car manufacturers specify the correct torque for wheel nuts on their vehicles in the handbook.  For example, a wheel nut on a BMW 5 series is 120 N.m, whilst a Ford Focus Titanium requires only 95 N.m.

Why is this important?  Because, when the nuts are attached to the wheel bolts or studs, the bolts stretch as the nut is tightened.  By over-clicking you apply extra torque and apply extra load which further stretches the bolt above and beyond its optimum capacity.  This brings the bolt closer to its yield point which can ultimately lead to bolt failure.

Conversely, under-tightening can be equally as dangerous.  A wheel nut applied with inadequate torque can work itself loose through general use or vibration of the vehicle.

So how can we define best practise when it comes to tightening wheel nuts?  First off garage operators must check the torque required by different vehicles.  The variation may only be minimal, but it is still vital to check.

Secondly, it is crucial to use a torque wrench checker or a torque wrench calibration device to check the accuracy of the wrench.  Our recommendation is that a torque wrench is checked at least once a year or every 5,000 cycles, which ever event happens first.  Busy garages can get through thousands of calibration cycles, or clicks, every month and it is important therefore to align torque wrench calibration with work volumes, to ensure the unit remains within accuracy.

Of course, torque wrenches are not the only method of tightening wheel nuts.  I’m sure many of us have been to garages where pneumatic impact guns are used to tighten bolts.  Again, there is a basic rule of thumb that must be followed.  If an impact gun is being used it must apply less than the specified torque and the task completed with a torque wrench in order to ensure accuracy.

All of this may sound overly complex but garages must remember that, in the event of bolt failure, if it can be proven that a bolt has been over-tightened, liability may potentially rest with them.

Dave Waters,  Norbar Torque Tools Ltd

One of the more frequently asked questions from our customers is “how do I select the correct torque wrench for application?”

Generally, most torque wrenches are used for tightening nuts and bolts accurately. Nuts and bolts need varying degrees of accuracy depending on the materials being fastened together, and therefore, there are different wrenches for different applications.

The two main reasons why we use torque wrenches are to achieve the correct level of tightness and then to ensure consistency across all of the bolts in the assembly. Used properly, a torque wrench will ensure that all bolts have the same level of torque applied. The effect of badly tightened bolts can be seen in lost time and money. It’s also worth noting that careless torque can cost lives.

The most common torque wrench is called a click wrench. This wrench is used to tighten bolts and nuts and will indicate when a pre-set torque has been reached. The pre-set value can be set by the user, or by a quality control department, but one thing that users must remember is that one click is enough. The first click the wrench makes signifies that the nut has been tightened to its optimum torque.

The second most common torque wrench is used to check an already tightened bolt to ensure consistency. The wrench can be equipped with mechanical or electronic sensing mechanism and also an electronic or analogue display.

There are of course other tools referred to as torque wrenches, such as hydraulic and pneumatic wrenches, powered by pressurised oil or air respectively. Both these tools are alternatives to impact wrenches and are much easier to operate, making less noise and applying torque with high accuracy and little effort. These devices are more likely to be used for larger applications such as flange bolting or when there are a large number of bolts to be tightened on an assembly.

There are other more complicated applications so do take a look at our product pages and if you need further information, get in touch.

By David Rollason, Marketing Manager, Norbar Torque Tools

A demonstration of how to safely operate the Anti Wind-Up Ratchet on a HandTorque™ 92 Multiplier.

James Page, The Norbar Apprentice

It’s been another couple of months since my last blog and yet again, plenty has changed during this time.

Since late autumn I have completed several new placements, along with a  return to previous placements to hone my knowledge further. These placements include; Continuous Improvement, Marketing, Calibration Lab, Paint & Welding, Tube Preparation, Gearbox assembly, Special Products and once again Quality Control.

Experiencing this intense schedule  can be challenging at times due to having such a wide basis of information presented to me and I’ve had to create my own training diary to help manage my time and make the most of the experience. By itself, this has been a valuable life skill.

I am also progressing through my college course (City and Guilds level 3 machining) and have just finished my final assessment for milling to a distinction grade, with the theory test to follow. I am also currently working on my final assessment for turning. Fingers crossed that goes just as smoothly.

Having recently attended the meeting for the up and coming Norbar Engineering Open Evening coming up on the 4^th of March, it has made me look back and see how far I have come in the past year.

Apprenticeships are such a valuable option for young people looking to begin their careers and for the manufacturing and engineering sector in the UK they present a good solution to filling the ‘skills gap’. I know I have developed a lot of life and specialist skills so far.

It’s given me a sense of pride knowing that I have come through the apprenticeship process myself and will play a part in introducing this program to other potential young engineers.

By James Page, The Norbar Apprentice