Pneumatic Torque Multiplier

A pneumatic torque multiplier does what regular torque wrenches can't do, apply much greater torque to a piece of machinery.

Some of these multipliers can magnify torques up to thousands of torque pounds. You may be asking yourself, what kind of product would need such torque. In truth, there are many different applications that require this amount of torque.

One of the areas where a pneumatic torque multiplier is needed is in the steel construction business. Any high rise buildings need a torque multiplier for fastening bolts to joints, because these are under a lot of pressure from the weight of the structure itself. Without this heavy duty torque, structural integrity may be compromised and the building fall. Also, any application that uses a lot of back pressure, especially on a constant basis requires a high amount of torque for joints and seams. Some of these may be high pressure oil lines, water lines, or large pieces of machinery.

In addition to high pressure needs, a torque multiplier works for extra large nuts and bolts, as well as in places where a regular hand torque wrench wouldn't be able to apply enough force in. These multipliers can reduce your strain, even with an extension bar, and because a pneumatic wrench may start to wear down because of the air dissipation, they work in a shorter amount of time, without as much power.

Without going into some complicated detail that the average person may not understand, a pneumatic torque multiplier is really a simple, and yet complicated device. The multiplier has a gear train, whether it is planetary, where the multiplier gears rotate around a central gear, or epicyclic. As the multiplier goes through these stages, each step in the 'chain' increases to torque by a factor of 5, 25, and even 125, depending on the tool and the need.

The thing you need to know about a pneumatic torque multiplier is that they are not cheap. Many places don't even carry pneumatic multipliers, just manual products. You can find a few companies that do carry pneumatic power tools though.

One place where you can find a limited selection of pneumatic torque multiplier tools is at Industrial Supply Company, a Yahoo Search Store. They have two different products to choose from both by JH Williams. One provides up to 2200 pounds of output, the other 3200. As mentioned earlier, while these tools are greatly needed for many applications, they do come at a price.

Offshore Technologies.com is a company that supplies high quality tools for the oil and gas industry, and they also carry a selection of Norbar tools, including a pneumatic torque multiplier. This company, as well as others like Mountztorque.com, offers a selection of the tools, but in order to find out what the prices of their tools are, you have to send in a request for their catalog.

Mountz torque offers the CLD multiplier, and there are some good features about these products. They are compact and simple, with flexible positioning; the handle can rotate a full 360 degrees. It is non-impacting, instead operating with a smooth, continuous rotation, and shut off automatically when the desired torque is applied. These products cut down on down time, increase productivity, and since they don't have a hammering action, they are more ergonomic for the operator, reducing strain dramatically. They are available in a variety of different torques, from 121 pounds of output all the way up to 8,257 pounds. The smallest one weighs just fifteen pounds, and the heaviest is 55.