CASE 02 Pinion Preload Monitoring for Drive Heads
Collapsible-washer preload setting, taken from operator feel to continuous, monitored control.
- The Challenge
- Crush torque spikes sharply near the end point — overshoot the spec and bearings are overloaded, leading to premature failure.
- Sleeves resist crushing early on, tempting operators toward power impact wrenches that blow straight past the ideal setting.
- Manual torque wrenches give bouncing, erratic readings — a precise, repeatable stop point is nearly impossible to hit by feel.
- The PAIR Solution
- Continuous, real-time monitoring of preload torque as the sleeve is crushed — stopping at exactly the specified point, every time.
95%
First-Time Quality on a step that used to depend entirely on operator feel.