How Calibrating Your Torque Wrench Leads to Assured Joint Integrity and Safety

At Aztec Bolting, we know a thing or two about the tools used in our line of work. We also provide calibration services for just about all of those tools. Quite often, we encounter jobs where other providers were clearly using uncalibrated torque wrenches. It got us thinking about why calibration is so critical and why we recommend our customers have it done regularly.

Below, we’ll get into some of the benefits of calibrating your torque wrench. You’ll learn how having properly calibrated tools, help you assure joint integrity. You’ll also get a sense of the improvements it enables where efficiency and safety are concerned. By the end, you should have a better sense of why keeping your torque wrench accurate is about more than just checking a box. It could save you a lot of trouble you may not even realize you’ll face.

Torque Accuracy Assures Joint Integrity

Torque wrenches are often used to securely fasten bolts or fasteners on a wide array of joints, which are the points at which two different objects are connected to one another. A correctly calibrated torque wrench provides confidence to its wielder that the right amount of torque is used in order to keep the joint locked in place, thus keeping the two objects attached.

If a torque wrench is dropped, its accuracy may be compromised beyond the manufacturer's tolerance. This in turn can bring about other issues in bolts or fasteners; for example, they’ll become more susceptible to being too loose or overloaded, or could become stripped.

When any of the above issues occur, you face the increased chance of a full joint connection failure, where the bolt or pin simply gives out. By keeping your torque wrench calibrated, you can be certain the tool and the torque it applies is always in that acceptable accuracy range, thus assuring joint integrity.

Accurate Calibration Allows for Increased Efficiency

To start, calibrating your torque wrench gives you peace of mind to get as much work done as possible. You don’t need to wonder how accurate the tool is – you can just use it, moving from one job to the next without undue stress. When the wrench is working as designed, you don’t need to second guess yourself, use other tools to measure torque or potentially fix an issue that presents itself thanks to an inaccurate wrench. But it all starts with establishing a regular schedule for calibration. That helps keep the tool operating at peak performance.

Across the industry and here at Aztec Bolting, it is believed that a torque wrench is at its most accurate right up to 2,500 normal, recommended use repetitions. At that point, accuracy starts to waver and readings will start to drift off to either the high side or the low side. This is when you should plan on getting calibration service – in most cases.

There are some exceptions to the rule, of course. If you’re often using your torque wrench beyond its recommended load, it’ll likely require more frequent calibration. For the most part, however, you should be okay if you adhere to the repetition-based method for getting your wrench on its mark.

Having Your Tools Checked Can Help Keep You Safe, Too

Finally, calibrating your torque wrench is about more than just ensuring accuracy in the work you do. Having a tool that performs as expected means you can keep yourself and others around you safe, as well.

Inaccurate torque calibration can cause you to apply the incorrect amount of torque while tightening a vital bolt. You can imagine how that might present an issue. It could lead to a joint failure like the ones mentioned above, and if such a failure occurs in structure you or others are working in, accidents are much more likely.

Also during the calibration process, it’s possible other concerns could be discovered that disqualify your torque wrench from the field, at least temporarily. In those instances, it’s much better to learn about such problems while the tool is off the job site instead of during or after its use.

Trust Aztec Bolting for Torque Wrench Calibration

No name is more synonymous with bolting equipment sales and rentals than Aztec Bolting. However, our business goes beyond merely selling the tools to provide first-class calibration services for hydraulic, pneumatic and electrical devices. That includes – you guessed it – torque wrenches.

See why so many in the energy industry trust Aztec to keep their bolting products working as intended. Contact us today to schedule calibration services at our location or at one of your job sites.