Meet the Atlas Copco tools and solutions that are revolutionizing assembly in the aerospace sector! When our client reached out to our specialists for industrial tools for a major project, we eagerly jumped at the opportunity to present the powerful combination of Tensor IxB and Saltus Geared Front Attachments. Learn why these innovative solutions were an ideal fit for their aerospace assembly needs.
Choosing the right industrial tool supplier is more than a matter of convenience—it's a strategic decision that can significantly impact your operational success. In today’s manufacturing landscape, quality, process reliability, and efficiency are the keys to success, which is why you need a supplier that sees your success as their success and helps you every step of the way.
At Atlas Copco, we don’t just deliver tools, our experts are ready to provide ongoing support, expert insights, and scalable solutions to help you grow your business. Not only can building a lasting partnership with us help improve your production efficiency, but it can also set the foundation for a prosperous future.
Atlas Copco has been a stable industrial tooling supplier for this particular aerospace manufacturer for several years. From 2021 onwards, our experts supplied Saltus Geared Front Attachments (GFA) in small orders, testing the high quality of the products. Due to our long-standing commitment to our customer, we have made progress in supporting them in their future endeavors.
In 2024, our customer launched a large-scale project that necessitated new tools and solutions to advance. As the project was underway, they reached out to our experts and competitors to uncover the superior technical offering. Read on to discover if our tools were right for the job and how we proved the solution to our customer.
Before we begin, let’s present Tensor IxB and Saltus Geared Front Attachments
One tooling ensemble paving the way for improved efficiency and accuracy, especially for those in the aerospace industry, is the dynamic duo of Tensor IxB and Saltus Geared Front Attachments. These solutions work together to make fastening smarter and easier, especially in applications where space is limited. If you’re not familiar with these solutions, continue reading to learn more about this portion of our product offering. Alternatively, you can check out our entire product offering here.
Tensor IxB – Tensor IxB is Atlas Copco’s next generation of assembly tools, ready to be integrated directly into your production system. What makes Tensor IxB different is its ability to be managed in several different ways. The tools can be managed using a physical controller (such as our Power Focus 8), the integrated controller, or connected to our server-based controller software environment, like ToolsControl. This enables Tensor IxB to support all types of assembly lines, facilitating a transformation towards a new, smart, and flexible approach to your manufacturing process.
Saltus Geared Front Attachments – Saltus GFA enables us to offer customers even more ways to tighten hard-to-reach bolts and tube nuts. Available in a variety of open or closed offset models, our GFAs transform any standard tool into a precise, application-specific solution, ensuring a custom fit for every application.
There are three main types of Saltus GFAs, each designed for specific fastening tasks and configurations:
- Hold and Drive Inline Torque (HIT): This attachment enables inline fastening with precision and stability, having been exclusively designed for pistol configurations.
- Closed Offset Torque (COT): Compatible with both pistol and angular configurations, it offers options for standard sockets as well as Hold & Drive sockets.
- Open Offset Torque (OOT): Intended exclusively for angular configurations, it excels in B-Nut and Tube-Nut applications, ensuring reliable fastening even in very confined spaces.
With all these available models and variations, we can configure your solution in over 100,000 combinations. In aerospace engineering, where precision and reliability are critical, Atlas Copco’s Saltus GFAs empower engineers to tackle the industry’s most demanding challenges successfully.
Delivering precision and efficiency to the aerospace industry
In the aircraft industry, the margin for error is virtually nonexistent, and the success of each aircraft relies on the precise accuracy of the fasteners. By using offset attachments in conjunction with high-precision torque tools during aircraft assembly, operators can ensure precision and control, even when working in tight or awkward spaces.
When our customer reached out to request tools for their application, our experts responded promptly. The local team conducted technical sessions at the customer’s facility, showcasing the versatility of the IxB platform and demonstrating that our technical offering was superior to that of our competitors. This opened up the conversation to evaluate different technical possibilities for achieving their application goals. One possibility was that of our Saltus Geared Front Attachments.
One characteristic that makes Atlas Copco truly special is our commitment to each and every customer we encounter. In this case, while our experts were showcasing the IxB platform to our customer, our Projects Department in Auburn Hills, MI, collaborated with Saltus GFA to evaluate various accessibility cases and determine the best solution for them. Initially, we introduced them to our Tensor IxB tools offering, and we evaluated each accessibility case to find the perfect IxB and GFA solution for their various applications. Atlas Copco was able to offer not only the standard solution (1 tool + 1 GFA) but also the modular possibility with our ICB-Q.
The Tensor ICB-Q nutrunner is small, ergonomic, and one-handed, making it the ideal solution for cramped assembly areas where good operator ergonomics is essential. This modular solution, accompanied by attachment heads, can help handle multiple fastening tasks, eliminating the need for time-consuming tool swaps. This is essential in the aerospace industry, where efficiency and various tools are necessary for tightening applications. The ICB-Q enables operators to quickly switch between various head attachments, allowing them to operate on a range of applications more efficiently and easily than with traditional tools that have fixed attachments.
We quoted them for 117 units, 99% of which were equipped with Saltus GFA solutions. In this way, our product offering covered nearly their entire application with fewer tools than our competitors. To date, we have supplied this customer with the first batch of 75 GFAs, and the Projects Department continues to collaborate with Saltus to finalize the design of the remaining GFAs in accordance with the latest modification requests to their design.
Thanks to our collaboration with the customer and our various departments, we were able to understand our customer’s needs and successfully execute a strategy that best suited their unique production line requirements.
Delivering innovation, reliability, and long-term support
At Atlas Copco, we are committed to our customers. That’s why we establish the foundation of our partnership by delivering the best industrial assembly tools and solutions for your unique assembly needs. In this case, our experts have demonstrated our commitment through years of continued collaboration and the tools necessary to get the job done.
Your success is our priority. Let’s work together to get the job done. Contact our experts today to learn more.
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