Understanding Torque…

I received this question the other day via telephone…

Steve
Can you explain the concept of torque…? and why using a torque wench is so important?
My Response
Basically… Torque is a measure of rotational force. In other words, the force being applied to rotate something is considered torque.
The way torque is calculated is by multiplying the force being applied times the distance it is being applied. This is typically represented as Newton-meters (N-m) in the Metric system or foot-pounds (ft-lb) for Imperial measurements.
For a more detailed definition of torque, please feel free to visit wikipedia:
Technicians and mechanics often use torque wrenches to measure the rotational force being applied to a screw when they are being tightened. This helps prevent the platen threads from becoming stripped or damaged.
For a more in-depth discussion on this topic, please visit my previous blog:

Proper Torque Value for Clamping Mold to Platen

Additional Thoughts
Engineers are often concerned with the amount of torque or rotational force being generated by a servo motor. Since the energy usage of the servo motor is measured in AMPS… it will directly relate to the rotational torque being produced.

-Andy

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