STRwrench Compact – your all-in-one solution for joint tightening

The new electronic torque wrench STRwrench Compact represents the next step in industrial digitalization. This smart assembly tool for production offers convincing, innovative functions and is a consistent further development of the STwrench. 

The STwrench, the first really smart torque wrench, was launched by Atlas Copco some 15 years ago. It offered the perfect solution for safety-critical joints which required full traceability and documentation of tightening data. The breakthrough of Industry 4.0 and the smart factory has since changed to requirements faced by production. As a result of continuous dialog with its customers, Atlas Copco is familiar with the requirements currently posed by the marketplace. Valuable feedback and the wishes and suggestions of users have been combined with the in-depth practical knowledge of the company to develop an electronic torque wrench that sets new standards. Despite all the features it has its in common with its predecessor, the STRwrench Compact is much more than just a successor model. The new wrench is a universal testing and production tool for the precise, traceable tightening of joints on a variety of components and products in all sectors and industries. 

Space is at a premium in any production facility. This is why it is good when a tool can literally create more leeway. The STRwrench Compact provides more space because it combines two tools in one – a tightening tool and a test wrench. In addition, the full functions of a separate physical controller have been integrated directly in the STRwrench Compact. This on-board controller reduces hardware and installation work to a minimum as no bulky control units or cabling need to be installed at the assembly stations.

Nevertheless, the STRwrench Compact wrenches are compatible with all the widely used Power Focus controllers from Atlas Copco. Controllers such as the Power Focus 4000, Power Focus 6000 and Power Focus 8 which have already been installed can continue to be used without any retrofitting or additional investment.

Programming, the uploading of parameter sets and data transmission are faster because the STRwrench Compact has WLAN and Bluetooth functions. The smart torque wrench uses wireless connectivity to communicate smoothly with local area networks and other units. That saves time and reduces errors caused by manual data transfer.

Production tools are often subject to impact in a rough production environment and are sometimes even dropped. The STRwrench Compact is designed for service under these conditions and is extremely sturdy. In contrast to predecessor models, the battery of the wireless production wrench is integrated in the handle and is especially well protected from external impact. The large color display is also 10 times more resistant to impact than previous models.

The extremely sturdy display can withstand rough handling of the type that is normal practice in industrial production without any damage. A special feature of the display is that it can be rotated in 90° steps, allowing it to be read easily from any position. Especially when working overhead, this is a considerable advantage for the user.  
The robust design of the STRwrench Compact ensures a longer service life and the service time per battery charge has also been improved. A single battery charge is now sufficient for more than a whole shift of tightening work.

In any tightening process, process security is the top priority. The STRwrench Compact already monitors and documents the tightening process while tightening is still in progress, which means that you can be sure that your joint has been tightened properly. Immediate feedback gives an indication of tightening results at all times; LEDs on the handle of this smart tool indicate tightening progress. The LEDs and the display light up in red or green to indicate whether the tightening operation is OK or not OK. In addition to this optical indication, the STRwrench Compact also has a buzzer and a vibrating handle. The optical acoustic and haptic indications and signals ensure that workers tighten all joints correctly. 

“Compact“ is certainly the keyword in connection with the STRwrench Compact. Thanks to improved accessibility, this tool can reach joints which are almost inaccessible with conventional angle tools. 

While conventional continuously tightening pneumatic, electric or cordless tools already need a torque support from torque values of about 50 Newton-meters (Nm), the STRwrench Compact does not need these bulky accessories. A torque support is not required to absorb harmful reactive torque and to protect the worker. This means that the ergonomically designed torque wrench is an attractive alternative to conventional nutrunners as a manual tightening and testing tool in series production with low to medium production volumes.

An STRwrench Compact is not simply a high-performance electronic torque wrench. So that you are well prepared for practically any assembly task with a large number of production variants, you receive access to a comprehensive product portfolio for extremely high flexibility in production and testing. You can benefit from the smart, modular design of these tools to assemble precisely the STRwrench Compact unit you require almost as if you were using a tool kit. And, should your requirements change, you can simply adapt the STRwrench Compact to your needs with minimum effort.

For a large number of different wrench sizes and bolt head shapes, we offer what is probably the widest range of sockets and bits available in the marketplace.

 
In addition, there are ratchet heads for a variety of sockets and open-end attachments for pipe joints as well as ring wrench attachments (closed-end solutions). This wide range of accessories can be reliably connected to the smart mounting system, the “smart HEAD”, by simply pushing them into place. They measure torque values with exemplary precision directly by transducers and submit the values measured to the STRwrench Controller. The smartHeads currently available already cover the torque range from 4 to 400 Nm and further heads are due to be introduced in the near future. At the end of the year, additional models for torque values from von 1.5 to 1000 Nm will be available. Not only the high measurement accuracy of 1%, which is already available from 5% of the wrench capacity upwards, should be mentioned but also the fact that the STRwrench Compact can automatically adapt its program to the extensions attached.  
  
By the way, annoying interruptions to shut down and restart the tightening system are a thing of the past for the STRwrench Compact. To ensure that you do not lose any valuable assembly time when replacing the smartHEADS, they are designed for “hot swapping” with the controller switched on. There are therefore no interruptions of the type which occur with earlier tool models. 

It has also become very easy to select the appropriate tightening program. Four options are available. You can either select a defined program manually via the keypad on the display or using an RFID tag or by scanning with the integrated 2-D barcode scanner, which avoids manual errors when selecting programs. Finally, it is easy to communicate with the STRwrench Compact via Open Protocol.  
  
In addition to program selection, the 2-D barcode scanner already mentioned can be used for another important purpose. Like the QR code scanner also integrated in the STRwrench Compact, the 2-D barcode scanner considerably simplifies component identification compared with the predecessor model. This significantly expands the possible applications of this electronic testing and production wrench.

Last but not least, the use of the STRwrench Compact can save money as well as time. Thanks to the intuitive operation of the new testing and production wrench, operators no longer need special software knowledge and additional investment in complex training and induction is no longer required. The STRwrench Compact has a user-friendly Web-GUI interface that is both easy to use and easy to program. As you can program this smart production wrench easily via any web browser, there is no need to buy any additional software.

The STRwrench Compact is a further step in the direction of  zero-error assembly and higher production quality.