A torque tool that reads correctly is the only evidence you have that a joint was tightened correctly. On a mine site that evidence matters twice over: once for the equipment, which fails expensively when bolts are loose or over-stressed, and once for the audit, where an uncalibrated tool invalidates every torque record it produced since its last certificate.
Trackcor calibrates torque tooling inside Zambia. That is the difference worth stating plainly, because the alternative for most operations on the Copperbelt and in North-Western Province has been to crate tools to South Africa and wait. Calibrating locally turns a multi-week round trip into a workshop turnaround, or into no trip at all when the work is done on your site.
What we calibrate
- Hydraulic torque wrenches and their pumps, calibrated as a matched set so the gauge and the tool agree
- Torque multipliers, including the geared multipliers used on large flange and mill work
- Click, dial and electronic manual torque wrenches
- Pneumatic torque tools and impact wrenches with a controlled output
- Battery and mains electric nutrunners and assembly tools
- Hydraulic cylinders, jacks and pumps under load test
What a Trackcor calibration certificate carries
A certificate that only records a pass tells a reliability engineer nothing. Ours records the readings, so you can see how far a tool had drifted before it was corrected, and decide whether the work it did in that period needs revisiting.
| Field | Why it is there |
|---|---|
| Tool identity and asset number | Ties the certificate to the tool in your register, not to a model name |
| As-found readings | Shows the drift before adjustment, at each test point |
| As-left readings | Shows the tool was returned inside tolerance |
| Test points across the range | A tool correct at mid-range can be out at the top of its range |
| Traceability statement | Names the reference standard the measurement is traceable to |
| Date and recalibration date | Drives the sticker, the reminder and the online status check |
| Technician and equipment used | Makes the result auditable rather than anonymous |
Stickers, reminders and an online status check
Every calibrated tool leaves with a sticker showing its identity and the date it is next due. Behind the sticker, the record is held indefinitely, so a certificate from three years ago is still retrievable when an audit asks for the history rather than the current state. Recalibration reminders go out before tools fall due, and the status of any tool can be checked online without phoning anybody.
Onsite or in the workshop
Onsite calibration suits a fleet of tools that cannot all leave at once, a shutdown window where tools must be certified before work starts, and any operation where the transport itself is the delay. Workshop calibration suits tools that need repair or servicing alongside the calibration, and equipment that needs a load frame rather than a portable transducer.
Most operations end up using both: a scheduled onsite visit for the fleet, and a workshop route for the tools that fail as-found and need work before they can be certified.
How often tools should be calibrated
Twelve months is the usual default, but an interval is a risk decision, not a rule. A torque wrench used twice a month in a clean workshop and one used every shift on a dusty pit face have no business sharing a schedule. We set intervals against use, environment, the consequence of a wrong joint, and what the as-found data has shown on that tool historically, then tighten or relax them as the evidence comes in.
Common questions
Do you calibrate on site, or do tools have to come to the workshop?
Both. Onsite calibration covers hydraulic, pneumatic, electric and manual torque tooling at your operation, which avoids taking the fleet out of service. Tools that need repair before they can be certified, or that need a load frame, come into the workshop.
Are the certificates traceable?
Yes. Every certificate names the reference standard the measurement is traceable to, and carries as-found and as-left readings at each test point rather than a bare pass or fail.
How long do you keep calibration records?
Indefinitely. A certificate issued years ago is still retrievable, which matters when an audit asks for the history of a tool rather than its current status.
How often does a torque wrench need calibrating?
Twelve months is the common default, but the right interval depends on how hard the tool is worked, the environment it lives in and the consequence of a wrong joint. We set the interval against use and against what the tool’s own as-found history shows.
Do we still need to send tools to South Africa?
Not for torque calibration and load testing. Trackcor carries this out inside Zambia, which removes the freight cost, the border delay and the weeks the tool spends out of service in transit.