new tool idea

[motorman]

Hello i am currently at university taking Design Engineering and the project i have devised for my final year project is a low powered ratchet wrench.

the idea is that it will be based on a normal 3/8" ratchet wrench (and still hold the original functionality) but will also have a small motor that the uiser can activate that will spin the socket when ratcheting is very easy, or when there is not enough resistance to turn the ratchet mechanism.

Please can anyone reply and tell me if they think this is a good idea and any comments, or ideas?

i have attached a questionaire if anybody has time to answer it, could you please also include your sex, age and occupation
"I am currently studying Design Engineering at Bournemouth University. My final year design project is to design a low powered electric socket wrench. That whilst retaining the functionality of a conventional ratchet wrench, also allows the user to electrically wind/ unwind a bolt/ nut."
"To assist in my research, please can you complete the following questionnaire. "

1. Do you use a socket wrench?
Yes
No
3. How often do you use a socket wrench?
Daily (frequently)
Daily (infrequently)
2-3 times weekly
Rarely
2. What size of wrench do you most commonly use?
3/8 inch
1/2 inch
3/4 inch
4. Have you encountered situations where space is restricted so use of a wrench has been difficult?
Yes
No
Don't know
"5. Do you find when a bolt/ nut is at the stage where it's easy or cannot be done by ratcheting, frustrating or tiresome?"
Yes
No
Don't know
"6. If a tool could be designed that electrically loosened or tightened a bolt/ nut when ratcheting was easy, how much would you be prepared to pay?"
Less than £10
Between £10 - £30
Over £30

many thanks

Jonathan

[ultimatehandyman]

Hi Jonathan,

Welcome to the forum

I think your idea is a good one and I have often wondered if this would be possible- at the right price!

Here are my answers-

1. Yes
2. Rarely
3. 3/8 inch and 1/2 inch
4. Yes, the better quality rachets such as teng/snap on have more teeth and so you can use them in more confined spaces.
5. Yes
6. Not sure about this I'd pay for a machine that could do it when ratcheting was difficult, but not easy

I can tell you where the design could be greatly improved- tap wrenches.

If you could design a better one of these then you would be on to a winner.

[motorman]

thankyou,

[motorman]

I know there are products out there at the moment (electric and air ratchets) but i dont think you can use them as a conventional ratchet i also find the initial winding a nut down a thread frustrating, especially when you have to introduce a second hand to induce some resistance.

[Hoovie]

I can see a great advantage in a powered ratchet where there is not enough room for movement.
I would imagine the biggest challenge there is getting enough torque in a compact enough design.

Other then that, I can't see a great market, but those sort of comments were made about all the great inventions....

Good Luck


"what is the point of this telephone thingy, Mr Bell? who is there to call?"

[Hitch]

A powered one is a good idea...ALthough there is a hand version, instead of having to hold the socket, and operate the handle as normal, the handle rotates along the londitudinal axis, a few gears provide a resonable amount of torque even just by operating the handle just with the side of your thumb.


The biggest problem with your idea would be keeping the size down but providing the power to make it practical.

For the charging system, something similar to an elec toothbrush, stopping the ingress of oil etc....?

To answer your questions-

1) Yes
2) Daily (infrequently)
3) 1/2"
4) Yes
5) Yes, but its rare that if its too loose for the ratchet to work you cant do it with your fingers.
6) £0 Its not something i would buy persoanally.



Good luck with the design and course BTW Johnathon

[big-all]

heeelllooo jonathan

may i suggest another usefull question would be

7 how much extra on the cost of your socket set would you be prepaired to pay for the motorized version [or simmilar wording]

this will produce an easier to respond to question as the actual additional cost of a slave motor set up is likly to be about 10 to£15 in the final mass production version

people may be happy to pay £90 for the motorized vertion over |£78 for manual as good value but £30 may look poor value on its own

[jason123]

Its late and I cant be bothered scrolling back,
yes I use ratchets
half inch usually, a quarter most often with a 250mm extension bar with 8 or 10mm socket

The advantage of hand tools is you can feel how much torque you are applying, you can physically feel when something is tight, on that note you would need to make it a torque wrench aswell

Automated hi torque appliances do have their downsides, I was physically pinned to the ceiling with a half inch air ratchet doing up 24mm nuts on a flange, it span out of control so quickly my left arm was pinned to the ceiling and couldnt move, I tried to pull my arm free and in doing so tighten the nut, it was so tight it wouldnt budge, a coleague hammered the nut runner off the socket.

[Hitch]

Torque control sockets Jas, they give at a set torque level. Not cheap though

I think johnathons idea is primarily to spin the nut/bolt while its still finger tight, then use it as a normal ratchet to finally tighten....?

[motorman]

yes that is exactly th idea, to spin the bolt when it is finger tight, or maybe a bit tightter then to finish it off as is it was a conventional wrench


Thanks

[jason123]

What size sockets??? you wouldnt get a 20mm nyloc past the nylon with your fingers.

[motorman]

it will be a 3/8" ratchet, so if you could get a 20mm socket that would go on a 3/8 ratchet it would work, im still on the research stage of the project, and dont know values of how much torque is involved in tightening a nyloc down a clean thread, unless anyone else does

cheers

[Hitch]

Thats not the idea though Jas, a nylock has plenty of grip to allow you to use a normal ratchet. Your talking m20 nylocks jas?

You could do a simple experiment to work out guideline torques to turn nylock nuts, just screw one onto a bolt in a vice, and use a torque wrench, to turn it, perhaps going up in incriments of 2nm until it turns instead of giving.

The biggest bolt your likely to use with 3/8 drive is what, M12 (19mm socket usually)

I assume this tool would be aimed at the automotive market?

[Hoovie]

Prob be a different tool - and may already be out there .... but tightening up a bolt where you have very little movement on a ratchet could be made a lot easier if there was some kind of worm drive at the end so that could be turned round instead of "waggling" the ratchet arm.

[Hitch]

Already is Hoovie....

This is one type, but i have seen much better ones.

http://www.allproducts.com/manufacture7/dess/21305.html