Bloodhound SSC use the STwrench to tighten the runway wheels ahead of Newquay test runs.

Bloodhound SSC engineers are using the STwrench to torque up the specialist runway wheel ahead of the test runs at Newquay Aero hub later this year. These tests, in Newquay will be the first running of the car and are the vital first steps on the road to breaking the land speed record. With the car currently in the final stages of assembly we are getting ever closer to seeing the car move under its own power which is very exciting, especially for all of us here at Atlas Copco given our partnership and close involvement with the project. Our wide range of tools have been used throughout the build process, from the 16,000 rivets, to the nuts on the wheels, and along the way we have helped them to achieve Quality Assurance in Tightening (QAT) for the critical joints on the car. QAT is a process designed for leading manufacturers in industry to avoid the serious problems that can occur when joints are not tightened correctly. Our smart tools check the torque of all joints which helps to eliminate part failures and increase product quality and reliability. Once the car has been tested in Newquay and everything has been shown to work as expected, the team will then travel in 2018 to the Hakskeenpan in South Africa. Here they will attempt to break the current record of 763mph. Following this they will then develop the car further, reduce its weight and increase the power before returning to South Africa in 2019 to break the 1,000 mph mark.