ToolGuard^TM

• ToolGuard is commercially available Decmber1, 2015

Product Overview

Catalyst’s ToolGuard Module is the newest and one of the most innovative modules to be added to the Tools Data Manager (TDM) suite.   ToolGuard can be an add-on module to the deployed TDM package or can be deployed as a standalone system with the base TDM package.

ToolGuard is an integrated asset management system for your torque tool inventory designed to do the following:

1. Accurately track actual tool usage for scheduliing preventive maintenance events, calibration events and certification events.  ToolGuard does this by reading the tool controller cycle counter directly and by counting cycles based on results file receipt.
2. Optimize preventive maintenance cycles by applying a wear factor offset derived by calculating the actual load on the tool for each tightening cycle. 
   • If the tool is working at a duty cycle less than the manufacturers guidelines for calculating the rated life expectancy of the tool, then that differential is used in the aggregation analysis of the wear factor to be applied
   • Conversely, if the tool is working at a duty cycle above the manufacturer's guidelines for calculating the rated life expectancy of the tool, then that differential is used in the aggregation analysis of the wear factor to be applied.
3. Monitor the amount of work within each joint (with required data collection) against the amount of work generated by the tool to achieve tightening (with required data collection) in order to detect a tool being overworked based on tool specification.  ToolGuard will issue broadcast alerts when there is a load mismatch for a tool.
   • The projected life cycle of each tool is calculated based on its history of use and shown in ToolGuard reports
4. Preventive Maintenance schedules are updated at the end of each production day.  ToolGuard projects the day of the week when oreventive maintenance events come due using adjusted cycle counts (wear factor adjusted), the cycle count recommendation for each PM event and the average rate of use of the tool in production.  ToolGuard will display tools scheduled for PM in the current week and the current month based on the projection calculations.  The monthly schedule view for PM is broken down into a sliding 4 week horizon (weekly listings).
5. Caliibration and Certification events that are required for each tool are tracked by ToolGuard and automatically scheduled based on unadjusted cycle counts of each respective tool. 
6. Predictive Failure analysis and alerts are available in ToolGuard for each tool.  If the current of the motor is available to ToolGuard, the behavior of the motor draw is closely monitored and analyzed for reportable deviations.  Basically, if the tool must work harder to achieve the same level of work in the joint, then degradation is occuring in the tool itself and the engineer will be able to set thresholds based on experience and knowledge as to when an alert is issued.
7. Complete, detailed inventory records are maintained by ToolGuard to include whether a tool is seen as active based on connected feedback.  ToolGuard has several status and activity dashboards to reflect these types of status updates.
8. Historical tracking of labor and material costs for each tool's preventive maintenance, repairs, calibration and certification events are maintained by ToolGuard.
9. Provide a variety of reports and views for reviewing tool inventory status or individual tool status.

These design features are applied to effectively provide a customer with a very proactive, real time and hands-free tracking and managing all aspects of torque tool management.  Once set up, ToolGuard provides several levels of benefits, as follows:

1. Extend the Mean Time Between Failures by monitoring tool conditions and workloads in real time and responding as necessary
2. Reduce total cost of ownership for tool by:
   • Optimizing trigger point to perform required preventive maintenance events based on actual usage
   • Intervention on tools that are rapidly degrading before damage extends beyond primary failing component
3. Extend the expected life of a tool by accurately matching tool capability to actual joint load and being alerted when this condition occurs.  This goes beyond the rule of thumb that a target torque of the joint should not exceed 80% of the tool's maximum torque rating. 
4. The complexity of "clerking all the data for tools and manufacturer's recommendations" are completely handled by ToolGuard significantly reducing staff efforts to execute this process.

ToolGuard is equipped with simplified user interfaces to make navigation and maintenance of the system easy to follow.  The activity dashboards and status updates provide at-a-glance views of all the items that help the engineers and team to stay ahead of the challenge to manage the torque tools.

Contact the Catalyst sales team for more information or to arrange a demonstration of ToolGuard.