All the aircrafts need to be maintained from time to time and for that power operated tools are required.

What are power operated tools required in aircraft maintenance?

Aircraft maintenance is an essential part of ensuring the proper condition and working of the aeroplanes. Aircraft do get affected by wear and tear and corrosion due to age, as well as chance failures like structural loads and tyre burst. It can be defined in several ways and generally encompass those actions which are required for maintaining and restoring the condition of the aircraft. It includes repair, servicing, inspection, overhauling and determination of condition. Technically, aircraft maintenance is intended to ensure that the aircraft is in a state which will enable a certificate of release to service to get issued. Precaution and inspection are the primary parts of aircraft maintenance.

There are plenty of tools and types of machinery which have to work in coordination to make sure that the aircraft work in order. Out of these, one classification of tools is the power-operated tools. Let us have a quick glance into some of them:

Pneumatic tools

A pneumatic tool, also known as a pneumatic-powered tool, is a kind of power tool, which functions on getting driven by compressed air that gets supplied by an air compressor. They can also get driven by compressed carbon dioxide, which is stored in small cylinders, so that movement becomes easier. Most of the pneumatic tools, convert this compressed air to work with the help of a pneumatic motor. As compared to their electric counterparts, they can run safely and can be maintained without any risk like short-circuiting, sparks or electrocution.

When they get jammed, there are very little chances of them getting jammed. The general grade pneumatic tools usually come with a short span of life and are also cheaper. Some of the common pneumatic tools are die grinder, air hammer, impact wrenches, angle grinder etc.

There are various categories of pneumatic tools. One of them is pneumatic air tools. As already discussed, pneumatic air tools, are the ones which are power-driven by compressed air. The pneumatic power tools band, the pneumatic hand tools, are rated by keeping specific metrics in mind. These are free speed, air pressure, horsepower, air consumption and spindle size. Each of these tools has its own specific requirements, determined based on their compatibility with the various air compressor systems. The flow or the airflow, which is related to the consumption of air in the pneumatic tools, is nothing but the air that is compressed and which passes through a particular section over a unit time.

Some Other Uses of Pneumatic tools and equipments

Pneumatic tools run with the help of compressed air, to not only offer high power but also to make the products lighter. They can be used for chiselling, cutting, hammering, punching, drilling, sanding, sawing and riveting. They have a lesser number of moving parts, as compared to the electric tools to minimise the needs for maintenance. The air caulk guns help in having controlled dispensing of caulk for maintaining the consistent application. The air guns are capable of delivering a powerful jet of air for both drying and cleaning purposes. The air nailers take the help of this air power to drive in the fasteners for roofing, framing, finishing and siding. The air scarifiers are used for removing finishes, roughing up the work surfaces and preparing the surfaces for refinishing. The air-trapping arms have an air motor that can optimise the speed of the spindles and the torque for tapping the thread. The rivet presenters can automatically help in indexing and feeding the rivets to the front side of the tool, so as to reduce the cycle time on the lines of production. The needle scalers remove the rust, the excess material, the old paint and many other unwanted things from the metallic surfaces.  

Hydraulic tools

The hydraulic tools are versatile and high-power tools that find applications in various kinds of daily operations and industrial settings. They use the fluids in pressure to operate the different kinds of hydraulic machinery. These machineries are quite durable, strong and flexible for their widespread applications in a variety of industries. These tools are not only easy to repair but also to maintain. They also have a huge shelf life. Their naturally rugged design makes it sure that they can sustain fewer numbers of breakdowns even after repeated number of uses. Some examples of hydraulic tools are lifting systems, pruners, railroad tools, pipe benders etc.

Bolting tools

As the name suggests, bolting tools are quite important for bolting or fastening various other types of equipment or parts of an aircraft. They are also undergoing constant innovation, backed by research and development of newer and advanced bolting technologies.

As already discussed, pneumatic air tools, are the ones that are power-driven by compressed air.