Ultrasonic Wrench

The MRO Americas show is wrapping up today as I write this blog. The Aerospace Maintenance Competition was exciting! It's always fun witnessing the competition and camaraderie between participating teams. We will be announcing the winners in the next few days.

As I walked around the show, I talked to a lot of exhibitors to learn about the products and services they provide. One of the new products I saw was an ultrasonic wrench. Developed and manufactured by NEXTGEN Aerospace Technologies, the Ultrasonic Breakaway Torque Reduction Tool greatly reduces the torque needed to remove seized bolts. The company's president and chief technical officer Gary Ward demonstrated the product to me. The tool focus a 28 kHz ultrasonic signal to the bolt head, breaking up any debris that may be causing the bolt to seize.

The kit comes with different extensions and adapters to fit different applications. The unit is definitely larger than a wrench, but not too heavy to cause extreme fatigue during use.

Expect to pay more than $50K acquire this wrench! Although this hefty price will mean mechanics will not likely purchase this tool for their personal tool box, I can see it being useful in repair stations — especially those that do a lot of engine work.

To learn more about the technology behind the ultrasonic wrench, visit https://nextgenaerospacetechnologies.com/product-overview-video. To see a demonstration video of the wrench in use, visit https://nextgenaerospacetechnologies.com/demonstration-video.

Thanks for reading!

Joe