Apparatus for tightening threaded fasteners

1. An industrial bolting system for simultaneous tightening of industrial threaded fasteners including:

a plurality of networked electrically powered torque tools and/or drive portions of torque tools;

an operation parameter regulation unit, designed for wireless connection with the plurality of networked electrically powered torque tools and/or drive portions of torque tools, including:

a processing unit designed for the output of a value to be set on the operation parameter regulation unit based on fastener connection process parameters determined with a data capturing unit;

the data capturing unit, connected and/or integrated with the processing unit, designed as a mobile code reading device and/or RFID receiver and/or write unit;

an output unit connected and/or integrated with the processing unit;

an input unit connected and/or integrated with the processing unit;

an activation unit connected and/or integrated with the processing unit for activating operation units of the plurality of networked electrically powered torque tools and/or drive portions of torque tools; and

a control unit for controlling operation parameters of each of the plurality of networked electrically powered torque tools and/or drive portions of torque tools to maintain a difference between the operation parameters within a predetermined value to achieve a parallel joint closure.

2. An industrial bolting system according to claim 1 wherein the operation parameters include either: tool electrical circuit parameters including current, voltage and/or magnetic field; tool torque output values; fastener rotation speeds; fastener pretensioning force; fastener rotation angle; fastener elongation; fastener and/or tool torsion; reaction fixture side load; fastener frictional resistance; and/or any combination thereof.

3. An industrial bolting system according to any preceding claim 1 wherein during operation if the difference in the operation parameters of the plurality of networked electrically powered torque tools and/or drive portions of torque tools exceeds the predetermined value the control unit regulates the operation parameters of each tool and/or drive portion until the difference in operation parameter(s) returns to within the predetermined value by either:

ceasing operation parameter(s) of tool(s) and/or drive portions with increased operation parameter(s);

lowering operation parameter(s) of tool(s) and/or drive portions with increased operation parameter(s);

raising operation parameter(s) of tool(s) and/or drive portions with decreased operation parameter(s); or

performing any one or more of such actions to any one or more such tool(s) and/or drive portions either causally, simultaneously and/or in predetermined order.

4. An operation parameter regulation unit according to claim 1 including a storage unit.

5. An industrial bolting system according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of networked electrically powered torque tools and/or drive portions of torque tools are connected by any suitable wireless means including Satellite, WI-FI, WiMAX, Bluetooth, ZigBee, Microwave, Infrared, and/or Radio.

6. An industrial bolting system according to claim 1 including a sensor unit for direct and/or indirect measurement of the operation parameters of the plurality of networked electrically powered torque tools and/or drive portions of torque tools.

7. An industrial bolting system according to claim 1 , wherein the data capturing unit is designed for wireless connection with the processing unit.

8. An industrial bolting system according to claim 1 designed for the documentation of realized bolting connections.

9. An industrial bolting system operation parameter regulation unit according to claim 1 , characterized in that the fastener connection process parameters are determined from either: an operating personnel, a power operated tool, a fastener connection instance, items to be fastened, and/or any combination thereof.

10. An industrial bolting system according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of networked electrically powered torque tools and/or drive portions of torque tools are controlled by one of the electrically powered torque tools.

11. An industrial bolting system according to claim 1 wherein the operation parameter regulation unit automatically controls the plurality of networked electrically powered torque tools and/or drive portions of torque tools.

12. An industrial bolting system according to claim 1 wherein parallel joint closure minimizes risk of operator injury, property damage and/or production loss by joint leakage, joint failure and/or crushing a gasket buffering closure of a flange.

13. An industrial bolting system according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of networked electrically powered torque tools and/or drive portions of torque tools includes time and/or position capturing unit(s).

14. An industrial bolting system according to claim 1 including a sensing unit which determines when the plurality of networked electrically powered torque tools and/or drive portions of torque tools are available to tighten and/or loosen the threaded fasteners thereby rendering the operation unit activatable.

15. A method of automatically controlling an industrial bolting system according to claim 1 including maintaining a difference between operation parameters of each of the plurality of networked electrically powered torque tools and/or drive portions of torque tools within a predetermined value.

16. An industrial bolting system according to claim 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 or 7 or 8 or 9 or 10 or 11 or 13 or 14 .