When should it be done?
or “What a difference a few seconds can make”

Every pulse tool requires periodic service. Whether it will only need a simple oil
change or a major overhaul depends greatly on how the tool is preventively
maintained. A common analogy is having the oil changed in your automobile’s
engine. If you do it regularly the motor will last much longer, cost less to
maintain over its useful life and perform better. But if you wait for the motor to
fail it will result in a significant repair bill.

So when it comes to preventive maintenance for a pulse tool, where do you
start? First be sure the tool has clean, dry and lubricated air at the recommended pressure supplied to it. After this, the next most important maintenance consideration is the pulse fluid inside of the Liner Casing Assembly, also referred to as the pulse unit.

While determining how often the pulse fluid should be changed is simple, the schedule can be influenced by several factors such as the type of application, the quantity of work the tool is performing and the where in the tools range the torque is set. For this example we will assume the tool is in a moderate-use environment. Remember, like any other mechanical device, the harder you use or abuse a pulse tool, the shorter its service intervals will be.

The basic reference point is that after 150,000 pulsing seconds the tool should be evaluated for general performance and pulse fluid condition. A pulse-second is not every second the tool is running, only when it is in the “pulsing mode” and applying torque. So, unless the fasteners have significant prevailing torque, the tool does not start pulsing until after the fastener is snug. When running the tool on the actual application, start counting once the tool begins pulsing. You can use a watch with a second hand or, more simply, count “one thousand one, one thousand two, etc until the cycle is complete. The resulting count is how many pulsing seconds each fastener requires.

Now do some simple math to figure out how many pulsing seconds the tool performs in an average day. Remember to include all of the pulsing seconds including re-work, back-offs, double hits, etc. The calculation is not accurate if significant pulsing time is not included.

Here is an example:

So, based on the above example, if there has not been a noticeable drop-off in tool performance, the first time you should change the fluid is after approximately 111/112 work days. Of course if the application consists of extreme conditions (poor air supply, extended pulsing times, torque setting at the high end of tool range, high cycle counts), the maintenance interval may need to be reduced further.

When first servicing the tool, if you find the pulse fluid looks to be extremely worn then you should shorten the service interval. If the pulse fluid looks to be in good condition you may slightly increase the service interval.

As has been stated, many factors can affect pulse fluid wear. Servicing a tool a bit sooner than needed rather than later is always a safe bet. Keep in mind that if the workload increases or the components of the joint are changed the service interval will need to be re-evaluated. But as shown above, this only takes a few seconds.

Look on under Service/Support for other Service and maintenance information or contact your AIMCO sales representative for additional assistance.