wrenches, Fuchs says. “Each tool has a unique identifier because of the tag associated with it.”
RFID technology also can alert managers that tools are about to go out of the building. CribMaster, for example, supplies additional readers, called Last Point Read’s (LPRs), that can be installed in other areas. These record tool location and user ID at the last point the tool was read. They can identify a tool that a technician has forgotten about in his pocket or help to narrow the search for a missing tool. PinPoint offers individual readers, as well. From a FOD perspective it’s good to know that a tool wasn’t left in an aircraft, but the tool still has to be returned to a cabinet. With CribMaster, however, even if a tool is put back in the wrong box, the system still can see it and let you know it’s not an FOD issue, Harper says. It also can “tell you to put it in the right box,” he adds.
If a tool is unaccounted for, managers can use LPR data to identify the physical area where the tool was last seen. This area is generally confined to an aircraft, Harper says. Then the searchers would walk through the aircraft with a handheld scanner until it reads the tag. “It would beacon us in like a metal detector until it took us where the tool was.” Tags can be read from 5 to 25 feet away, depending on the tool and the environment, he says. CribMaster can’t tag screwdriver bits yet, but it can track all sizes of sockets, Harper says. And the company’s RFID switches—one switch per pocket—allow a tool box to know which of the bits are there although the switches can’t track the bits outside the box.
What happens if an RFID tag falls off of a tool? If this should happen, the tag would not be readable, and the system would log it as out of the box, Harper says. So there would be no way it could be returned at the end of a shift, he says.
PinPoint
Prop & Wing Boots for General Aviation Aircraft
One of PinPoint’s differentiators is the availability of dual-band RFID technology, Fuchs says. The company offers three levels of RFID technology, designated Ready, Basic and Pro. The tools in the company’s top-of-the-line Pro system have two RFID tags. UHF tags have a longer-range signal that enables searchability. And HF tags allow more granular tracking. Instead of having one RFID reader for the whole box, there is an HF RFID reader for every tool pocket, Fuchs explains. That way “you can establish that every tool is in its assigned pocket.” Tool check-in and check-out is also faster with the dual-frequency system. “As soon as you take the tool out, the system recognizes it—you don’t have to close the drawer for the system to know.” The HF tags are very small—less than ¼ inch in diameter, he says. “And from an ergonomics perspective, you don’t notice it.” Some aerospace operators, such as PinPoint’s launch customer, require tracking by assigned pockets, he says. Pocket-level control, however, is not necessary in every
PinPoint offers three sizes of tool boxes. AeroCREW, show above, a portable unit that can be taken on an aircraft; AeroMASTER, a rolling shop box; and AeroRACK, a customizable cabinet.
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environment. PinPoint offers two other levels of tool control. The Basic level, for example, uses UHF tags on every tool and a UHF RFID reader on the box. As an option, customers can deploy additional readers at strategic locations to establish zones within their facilities.
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30 Aviation Maintenance |
avm-mag.com | February / March 2013
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PinPoint Basic and PinPoint Pro both come with a magnetic sensor system for tracking small parts like allen wrenches and screwdriver bits. Each part is assigned a pocket and each pocket has a magnetic sensor. So if a mechanic takes a certain bit out of its pocket, the tool box will know it instantly, Fuchs says. Customers who may not be sure whether to go with Pro or Basic systems can choose PinPoint Ready, which can be upgraded to either. PinPoint offers three sizes of tool boxes: AeroCREW—a portable unit that can be taken on an aircraft; AeroMASTER, a rolling shop box; and AeroRACK, a customizable cabinet. All are available at any of the three technology levels. The PinPoint system also includes software that allows for administration of user permissions and report writing. Administrators can set access permissions down to individual drawers, Fuchs says. Tool inventory and calibration status also can be determined in real-time across the entire network of tool boxes, even at remote locations, he says. AM
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