To the customer, TAX, Plarad's hydraulic tensioner power pack, means reduced costs and valuable time savings. As well as being the most reliable and safest hydraulic power pack in its class, TAX is also the lightest device of its kind. This saves time during transport and bolting.

The reduced weight helps the technician who has to carry the tensioners while climbing up more than 100 metres before he can tension bolted joints in rotor blades or hard-to-reach flanged connections found in chemical plants. Another time-saving factor is the safe and faultless software assisted installation process. Finally, the TAX provides standardised documentation to assure quality.

With the new TAX, Plarad managed to shave a handsome 45 per cent off the weight of their tried and tested high-pressure tensioner power packs. This lightens the operators burden by no less than 22 kilogrammes. More importantly, it lets him work in greater comfort as the unit helps him save time and conserve his strength.

A performance feature of the tensioner for which we seek patent protection: Indicator for perfect seating

Plarad equips their tensioners with a patent-pending depth indicator device including measuring gauge. "We incorporate an indicator in every single one of our tensioners, indicating to the workman when the draw nut is seated perfectly," explains Andreas Zimmer, Head of Development.

"When you are dealing with pressures of up to 2,400 bar, you need to keep the risk from improper handling at a minimum. Our solution tells the user immediately when the draw nut is seated perfectly on the bolt, indicating the time when he can switch on the pump and build up pressure.

Preset bolting programs ensure correct workflows

Minimising errors, including errors on the software side, is front and centre at Plarad. In order to prevent the workman from inadvertently applying the wrong amount of pressure to the tensioner, thus damaging the bolt or not pretensioning it firmly enough, the control unit on the TAX can be programmed with the corresponding settings prior to each and every installation process.

A supervisor uses software on a PC to define the pressure and the resulting pretensioning force with which each bolt will be tightened. The end user of the TAX will not be able to alter these programs in any way. The TAX, thereby, ensures that all bolted joints will be subjected to precisely the same preset tensioning force.

Synchronising bolting applications for standardised documentation and quality control

The control unit can be used for more than just setting parameters for bolting applications. When the supervisor connects the control unit to the PC after all bolting operations are complete, the software will immediately sync the standardised data of all automatically captured tensioning processes and save it to a database.

"This is a decisive factor in quality control," head developer Zimmer continues to explain. "The data allows the supervisor to prove that all bolted joints were tensioned in compliance with regulations. This is an aspect that is becoming increasingly important for the construction of wind power plants as it has become a requirement for obtaining certification from the Technical Control Board (TÜV) or German Lloyd."

The compact control unit keeps control at your fingertips and in full view – another time-saving innovation

Plarad always focuses on the application at hand on the construction site when developing their systems. "The remote control of the TAX shows the user at a glance at which pressure the power pack is currently operating", says head developer Zimmer.

"This eliminates the cumbersome need to read the operating pressure at the pressure gauge of the power pack, which is invariably in a different place than the bolted joint you are working on. You can, of course, also use the remote control to release the pressure on the tensioner. This is a feature missing in most competing devices, which usually require you to go back to the power pack and execute the function there. This costs time."

Conclusion: Companies trusting TAX power packs made by Plarad for their installation needs will save time and money, keeping their technicians better protected at the same time. Key factors are the low weight and the standardised workflows of this system as they can be directly linked to a more efficient use of the workmen's hours as well as increased and documented quality.

Source: Plarad, Maschinenfabrik Wagner GmbH & Co. KG