Expert Q&A: Sockets

Date: Wednesday, September 30th, 2020: 10:00 - 10:30 AM AM EST

Welcome to the Sockets question and answer session. 

Taking viewer questions in this Q&A is Matt Crowley, Product Specialist at Atlas Copco. In this session, we’re going in-depth on Atlas Copco sockets and bits available in standard options and custom designs. The Q&A starts out with a brief history of Atlas Copco sockets, and Matt explains that we began selling sockets after we acquired Saltus, a socket company in Europe. Atlas Copco sockets are now manufactured in Sweden, right beside the building in which our tools are assembled. 

When a question is asked about our global structure in place to support the Sales teams in the U.S., Matt explains that though our sockets are manufactured in Sweden, Atlas Copco has global product support for local Product Managers, meaning that customers receive local support close to home. We think global – act local. After a question about how our sockets stand against competition, Matt displays a graph with availability, concentricity, durability, wear, and accuracy (dimensions) as variables. Atlas Copco is ahead of the six other socket suppliers included in the graph. 

We then go into the Sockets and Bits catalog from Atlas Copco. Matt describes the wide range of standard options available in the catalog, including rotaction sockets, insulated sockets, LongLife sockets, and more. Our rotaction sockets are a premiere product that protect your operators and their tools from injuries and wear and tear. The rotaction concept consists of a tool cover, sleeved extension, socket cover, and a sleeved socket. Following a question about the maximum torque our sockets can withstand, Matt explains that it depends on the socket and application, but all torque ranges are listed in our catalog. 

The Q&A finishes on the subject of custom socket work. Customers have the opportunity to create their own socket drawing for a quotation. Matt says that sometimes that process makes quoting, designing and delivery simplified. Customer quotations for a more complex custom socket design can take up to a few days. For simpler designs, 48 hours is usually the time it takes to receive a quotation. Delivery times can take up to a few weeks, though we have the option to expedite the process for a fee. Customers can also trial an Atlas Copco socket, and should get in touch with their local Atlas Copco representative to learn more.