Why is using a transducerized tooling system important to me and my customers? To understand the importance you must understand the accuracy difference between Transducerized and Current Controlled tooling.
Current Controlled (Open Loop) tools are a dedicated system consisting of a tool, cable and controller. They are pre-calibrated in a lab using an external transducer on a rundown fixture. The tool is operated on the external transducer at set torque points. The amount of current supplied by the system is matched up to the torque reading of the external transducer.
The lab will input these torque readings, which the system translates into the amount of current it needs to supply, to achieve the amount of torque required. Unfortunately current controlled tooling is an open loop design. Once the tool is removed from the external transducer there isn’t any true torque feed back into the system. The system simply supplies the per-set current and the operator has to accept the torque was properly applied.
However a number of things affect the torque output but not the torque readings of the system. Things like temperature, gear wear, voltage and motor performance all affect the torque output but the system is unable to adapt and compensate for these changes. It’s simply all guess work…! It’s also a dedicated system. Something as simple as changing out the cable voids the calibration.
