On the Wing – Torque Expo at Silverstone 2016


Now in its second year, Torque Expo is gathering pace. With the UK venue well established it is turning its attention abroad – to the Far East and the USA. In the current Brexit climate this could prove to be a very sensible notion and could help dispel some of the anxieties associated with the current situation of just not knowing what to expect next and the Pound sliding on the currency exchanges. However, despite many


Brexit conversations I had with the visitors and exhibitors, the mood remained upbeat, with many expressing confidence that we would pull through just fine – because that is what we have always done. With around sixty exhibitors


both halls were filled to the edges with spacious stands. My attention was caught by


the Innovation Zone in which ten products vied for the crown. Visitors were invited to vote for their favourite innovations that ranged from non-metallic safety boots from Castle Clothing through to universal screws from Spax and a cordless 12mm glue gun from Power adhesives. DART Tools was the victor with their DART Angle driver – a simple device that is fitted to the chuck of a drill driver to enable it to fit fixings around corners. With its internal gearing it is able to exert more torque than usual, a feature that can be very useful. Several screw companies


vied for attention all having done some serious research on what makes the best screws for many applications. Forgefix has recently launched the Forgefast range that appeals to professional users. Tite-Fix screws offers an unbeatable range of specialised fixings each developed and designed in the UK to meet the needs of specialist users. Optimaxx has had a lot of success with its range of tough screws


and Reisser and Spax are two acknowledged industry names that are the reference points for others. Now TIMco is entering the fray too with a new range of screws that are easy to start, well made and salt spray tested to over 1000 hours – I just hope that the end user will benefit from all of this competition and I hope that prices will remain very competitive too. Other things that caught my


attention were quite diverse – like the cordless portable magdrill from Nitto Kohki Europe. An ideal solution for many small scale independent working engineers – especially when working at height, due to its portability. In an age of large scale theft


of anything from tools to plant in the construction industry Pryor Marking Technology offers a range of permanent marking solutions from the old- fashioned (steel stamps) to the modern – laser etched and chemical dot pen. There is absolute no doubt


that digital technology is the way forward because of the precision, speed and efficiency that it brings. Keyence inspection equipment can be used to check batches of components for dimensional accuracy, and then even generate reports about what the inspections reveal. Better than a bloke with a micrometer? One of the added


excitements of the Silverstone venue is that guests can choose to go out onto the balcony to view the cars speeding down the pits straight and this year we were not disappointed at the sight of the Mercedes AMG cars thundering by – lucky drivers.


26 ToolBUSINESS+HIRE


www.toolbusiness.co.uk


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