Patent ID: 7953508

Claim:
A method for monitoring an assembly operation, the method comprising: providing a machine assembly line having a plurality of machines being assembled; providing a power wrench for tightening a threaded fastener and being calibrated to provide torque within a specification limit, the tightening of the threaded fastener resulting in a measurement of torque applied to the threaded fastener by the power wrench; performing a plurality of tightening operations on a plurality of threaded fasteners using the power wrench; measuring the torque applied by the power wrench for at least a subset of the plurality of tightening operations, each measurement providing a torque value; storing the torque values within a data collection device in an electronic format; analyzing the measured torque values; comparing the analysis of the measured torque values to at least one predefined torque value; and providing a signal to a first level responder based on the comparison of the analysis of the measured torque values to the at least one predefined torque value, the signal indicative of the power wrench providing torque values within or without the specification limit.