Precision Torque Control

High Precision Torque Measurement and Calibration System

Torque measurement tools used in automotive and aerospace assembly don't get to be approximately right. A wrench that reads within spec at 100% of rated capacity but drifts at 10% is a tool that fails the application where precision matters most. For this industry leader in torque measurement and calibration, the starting point was an obsolete electronics platform that needed a complete redesign, followed by a series of new product introductions built on the updated architecture.

DE Design Works took on the full electronics redesign and continued as the engineering partner through the new product development that followed.

Costumer: Industry leader in torque measurement and calibration tools, OEM of reliable tools for automotive and aerospace assembly, recently acquired by a Fortune 500 company

Our Responsibilities:

  • Complete electronics redesign of obsolete product, followed by multiple new product introductions
  • Sensitive precision analog front end design
  • Accuracy of +/- .25% of indicated value from 10% to 100% of rated capacity
  • PCB design for 6-foot drop and crush survivability
  • High SNR design with ESD isolation
  • Wireless, low power, IMU real space orientation sensing algorithms
  • Torque and angle sensing for ultimate control over the most exacting torque specifications

The DE Team Win:

A redesigned and modernized electronics platform that became the foundation for multiple new product introductions for a customer that was subsequently acquired by a Fortune 500 company

Our Process

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why is accuracy at the low end of the range the harder problem to solve?

Most measurement systems perform reasonably well at or near their rated capacity. The difficult engineering is maintaining accuracy at 10% of rated capacity, where signal levels are small, noise becomes a larger fraction of the measurement, and any weakness in the analog front end shows up directly in the reading. Achieving +/- .25% of indicated value across the full 10% to 100% range requires a precision analog front end designed for high signal-to-noise ratio, careful PCB layout, and ESD isolation that doesn't compromise the signal path. Getting that right is the difference between a calibration-grade tool and one that only passes in ideal conditions.

What does PCB design for a 6-foot drop actually require?

A torque tool used on an automotive or aerospace assembly floor gets dropped. Designing for that reality means more than selecting a ruggedized enclosure. The PCB itself has to survive the mechanical shock of a 6-foot drop and crush loading without solder joint failures, component detachment, or trace cracking. That drives decisions about board thickness, component placement, mounting strategy, and connector selection that wouldn't factor into a bench instrument design. The electronics have to be as durable as the tool they're inside.

How does IMU-based orientation sensing improve torque measurement?

A torque wrench applies force in three-dimensional space, and the angle at which that force is applied affects the accuracy of the measurement. Integrating an IMU with real space orientation sensing algorithms allows the tool to account for its actual position and motion during the fastening sequence, not just the peak torque value. Combined with angle sensing, this gives the operator and the quality system precise data on both how much torque was applied and through what arc, which is the information aerospace and automotive assembly specifications increasingly require.

What is the significance of this customer's Fortune 500 acquisition?

A company gets acquired by a Fortune 500 buyer when it has something worth acquiring, and in the precision tool market that means a product line that performs at a level competitors haven't matched and a customer base that depends on it. The electronics platform DE Design Works redesigned and developed became part of what that buyer was purchasing. That's a different standard of validation than a product launch, it means the engineering held up through the level of scrutiny that comes with a major acquisition due diligence process.

Why did this engagement extend from a single redesign into multiple new product introductions?

When a redesign goes well, the architecture it produces becomes the foundation for what comes next. By separating the application logic from the hardware-specific implementation and designing the analog front end to support the precision requirements of the product family, the initial redesign created a platform the customer could build on. New product introductions in an instrument family don't start from scratch when the underlying electronics architecture is sound. That's what allowed DE Design Works to continue as the engineering partner through the products that followed.