Understanding customized assembly tools for Aerospace

The design of fastening tools in aerospace must account for precision, accessibility, ergonomics, and torque requirements. These considerations have led to two primary configuration shapes: Pistol and Angular, each offering unique advantages for specific assembly scenarios.

This configuration is ideal for tasks requiring straight-line accessibility.

• In-line (HIT): Excellent for areas with good accessibility, including hold & drive fasteners.
• Off-set and Extended-Offset: Designed for cramped spaces.

Angular tools are highly adaptable, offering configurations for nearly any assembly area, even in extra-cramped spaces. These tools are essential for overcoming the unique accessibility challenges posed by the complex designs of aerospace assembly. They also deliver higher torque levels, ensuring better performance in demanding applications.

• Hold & Drive 90°: This configuration provides good accessibility, especially in scenarios where it is impractical or impossible to hold the screw from the opposite side of the threaded end. Engaging the fastener securely ensures efficient tightening even in highly constrained environments. This makes it particularly valuable in applications such as fuselage assembly or wing attachment, where limited space and intricate layouts are common.
• Off-set and Extended-Offset 90°: These configurations are specifically designed for confined areas, where direct tool alignment is difficult. Their versatility allows engineers to navigate around obstacles and access fasteners located in recessed or obstructed locations, such as within engine compartments or landing gear assemblies, or beneath ribs.
• Off-set and Extended-Offset 110°: Ideal for extra-cramped areas, this configuration builds on the 90° design by adding even greater flexibility for extreme accessibility challenges. It is indispensable in areas where angular clearance is minimal, such as inside avionics bays or tightly packed hydraulic systems. These tools deliver superior ergonomics, reduce assembly time, and improve fastening accuracy in the most demanding aerospace environments.

Atlas Copco, a leader in assembly solutions across multiple industries, specializes in developing tools tailored to aerospace assembly challenges. These tools feature thousands of configurations made possible by our proprietary SALTUS Geared Front Attachments (GFAs).

This means that our custom tools consist of two components:

1. Standard Tool: The latest battery-powered assembly tools, for example, the IxB family which are known for their advanced performance and flexibility.

2. SALTUS GFA: Commonly referred to as a "crow-foot" or "offset head," the GFA transforms a standard tool into a precise, application-specific solution.

The SALTUS GFAs come in three main types, each designed for specific fastening tasks and configurations:

1. Hold and Drive Inline Torque (HIT): this attachment supports inline fastening with precision and stability. Exclusively designed for pistol configurations.

2. Closed Offset Torque (COT): Compatible with both pistol and angular configurations, it includes options for standard sockets and Hold & Drive sockets.

3. Open Offset Torque (OOT): Designed solely for angular configurations, it excels in B-Nut and Tube-Nut applications, providing reliable fastening even in highly confined spaces.

Custom assembly tools are indispensable in aerospace engineering, where precision and reliability are critical regardless of how confined assembly areas are. Through innovative designs and customizable solutions like the SALTUS GFA system, allows more than 100,000 combinations and empowers engineers to tackle the industry’s most demanding challenges. By mastering the configurations, attachments, and strategies engineers can enhance assembly efficiency, ensure structural integrity, and contribute to the innovation of aerospace technology as well as improve operator ergonomics and make daily tasks more comfortable.