Nut Runner Selector

You enter the joint torque, the type of station and a few requirements. The tool ranks every nut runner in its database from 0 to 100, explains each score line by line, and lists what it filtered out and why. Use the ranking to write an RFQ and to choose which two or three suppliers to call.

What it covers. Hand-held DC (corded) and battery tools, air tools, and fixtured spindles for multi-spindle stations, from international and Chinese makers. The Atlas Copco entries are taken from the Atlas Copco Industrial Tools and Solutions catalogue: every handheld and fixtured nutrunner table in it, with ordering numbers (air LUM, Twist, LTV, LTP61, LMP61 and ErgoPulse; battery BCP/BCV, Tensor SB, SRB, TBP and IxB; cable Tensor ES, SL, SR, ST, STR; EBL and MicroTorque; QST spindles). Manual torque wrenches, hydraulic and bolt-tensioning tools are not included. The Bosch Rexroth entries come from the Rexroth Tightening Systems catalogue (2016 and 2018 editions) and the ErgoSpin installation manual (2022): ErgoSpin and CC-ErgoSpin hand-held nutrunners, Nexo cordless nutrunners and the modular tightening spindles of sizes 2 to 5. Spindles are built from parts, so they have no single ordering number; the entry name gives the part codes (for example 3DMC060+3GE27+EC303). The catalogue gives ±2 % (VDI/VDE 2647, 6σ) for spindles only; the hand-held and Nexo scatter is not stated and is entered as ±5 %.

What it does not do. It does not design the joint. Specifications are ranges for each model family from public catalogues. Entries marked indicative have estimated ranges; entries marked catalogue were checked against a datasheet. Confirm torque range, speed, accuracy and controller compatibility on the current datasheet before you write the RFQ. Accuracy figures are torque scatter at ±3σ under ISO 5393 test conditions.

Who it is for: Merlin design and project engineers specifying an assembly tool.

1. Press the button below. It sets 45 N·m, manual station, DC, battery and air tools, any form, class B, hard joint, results to MES, fixed station, balanced budget.
2. Read the three boxes at the top of the results: Recommended class (Angle DC tool), Control strategy and Best match.
3. Read the first card in the shortlist. The green ✓, amber ! and red ✕ lines are the reasons behind its score.
4. Change Joint class to A. Air tools and current-controlled tools drop out, and the list shows how many models were filtered and why.
5. Change Show to 5, 10, 20 or All to see more or fewer cards.

Check by hand. For 45 N·m one of the two top models, the Leetx NRA angle tool (6–60 N·m), uses 45 ÷ 60 = 75 % of its maximum. That is in the 50–80 % band, so it gets all 35 torque points. A tool with a 50 N·m maximum would be at 90 % and get 24 or 12 points instead.

Load the 45 N·m example

01 Requirements and shortlist. Inputs on the left, results on the right. Results update as you type. 02 Check my selected tool verifies a tool you chose. 03 How it works explains the scoring. This manual is section 04.

The last requirements are remembered in this browser. Reset returns to the 45 N·m example.

• Target torque. The joint torque in N·m. Models whose range does not include it are removed.
• Bolt helper. Pick a size and grade and press the button to fill the torque from a VDI 2230 table (friction µ = 0.12, 90 % of yield). M10 grade 10.9 gives 71 N·m. Use your own design torque if you have one.
• Station. Manual shows hand tools; Fixture shows fixtured spindles.
• Drive type and tool form (manual only). Tick DC corded, battery or air; choose angle, straight, pistol or any.
• Number of spindles (fixture only). Multi-spindle stations need one controller to synchronise them.
• Joint class. A safety-critical, B function-critical, C standard. Class A needs a redundant transducer and removes air and current-control tools.
• Joint type. Hard (≤ 30°), mixed or soft (≥ 360°). It changes the reaction torque the operator can hold and the control advice.
• Traceability. None, OK/NOK signal or results to MES. Results to MES removes air tools and mechanical-clutch tools (BCP/BCV, EBL), which give no result data.
• Mobility. A moving line favours cordless tools.
• Budget. Premium, balanced or lowest cost. It changes the score by up to 8 points.
• Origin. Any, international only or Chinese only.
• Only this make. Limit the list to one make. Use it to compare models inside one catalogue, because Atlas Copco has far more entries than the other makes.

Use this when you already have a tool in mind, for example from a supplier quote. Choose the brand and model family, and type your part number. For Atlas Copco the part number is the catalogue ordering number (for example 8433 2056 82): when it is found, the model is selected for you. For other makes the part number is only echoed back. The check uses the requirements set in section 01 and shows Suitable, Suitable with points to confirm, Usable with checks, Weak fit or Not suitable.

• Not suitable means a hard requirement fails: wrong station, drive or form, origin filter, target torque outside the tool's range, air or current-control tool on class A, or an air tool when results to MES are needed. Each line shows ✓ or ✕.
• When nothing fails, the tool gives the same 0 to 100 score as the shortlist, says where it would rank among the models that pass your filters, and names the top match if that scores 10 or more points higher.
• Other / not listed. Type the brand and the datasheet figures (maximum torque, drive, form, sensing, scatter). The check then runs on your figures.
• Copy this result puts the verdict and every line on the clipboard for your RFQ file or email.

Limits. The database holds model families, so drive, accessory and option variants, the battery pack and the controller must be confirmed with the supplier. The card lists the catalogue ordering numbers behind a family where the database has them.

Example. Load the 45 N·m example, then type part number 8433 2053 48, or pick Atlas Copco, ETV ST81-70 (angle): range 20–80 N·m, 45 ÷ 80 = 56 %, inside the 50–80 % band. Result: Suitable, score 96, rank 3. Pick an Atlas Copco air tool instead and the check fails because air tools give no result for MES.

Score. Out of 100, from six parts: torque window 35, accuracy and sensing 25, ergonomics 15, traceability 10, mobility 5, budget 10. A model with no datasheet check loses 1 point.

Torque gauge. The bar shows the model's range, the green zone is 50–80 % of its maximum, and the line marks your target.

Reaction torque. For hand tools the tool is compared with a comfortable reaction limit: 8 N·m for a pistol grip, 5 for a straight tool, 60 for an angle tool. A soft joint lowers the limit to 60 % and a mixed joint to 80 %. Above the limit the card advises a reaction arm; above twice the limit it advises an angle tool or a fixture.

Recommended class box. Up to 8 N·m: pistol or straight tool. Up to 60 N·m: angle DC tool. Up to 150 N·m: angle tool with a reaction arm. Above that: reaction-arm tool or fixtured spindle.

Filtered out. The line under the cards counts each reason a model was removed: torque outside range, wrong station, drive type unticked, different form, origin, class, or no result data.

Tier and confidence tags. Value, Mid or Premium on each card, and indicative or catalogue.

Safety-critical M10 joint. M10 grade 10.9 is 71 N·m, class A, DC and battery tools only. The air tools drop out. The top models, Ingersoll Rand QE angle (100 N·m size), Stanley E-series DC angle and Estic handheld angle, score 82 (Atlas Copco Tensor models follow with lower scores) because a single transducer only earns 15 of 25 points unless the tool is dual-transducer. The advice is to ask the supplier for a redundant transducer or an independent angle check.

Load the class A example

Four-spindle fixture at 120 N·m. Fixture station, four spindles. The top models are the Danikor TQC spindle and HNH N30 servo spindle (both 97), then the Atlas Copco QST50-150 and QST62-150 spindles (96). The reaction is taken by the fixture and all four run from one controller.

Load the fixture example

Chinese value tool on a moving line. 20 N·m, soft joint, lowest cost, Chinese makers only, moving line. Only a few models remain, led by the Danikor TBD wireless tool (87) and Leetx NRA (84). Cordless tools score higher for mobility.

Load the Chinese value example

• Entering the tightening torque but ignoring scatter. If the joint needs 45 ±5 %, check the tool's accuracy against the datasheet, not only the class label.
• Choosing a tool whose maximum is close to your torque. Above 90 % there is no headroom for re-hits.
• Oversizing. A bigger tool is heavier, slower, and less accurate at the bottom of its range.
• Ignoring reaction torque. A pistol tool at 20 N·m hurts the operator.
• Treating indicative entries as quotes. Ask the supplier for the datasheet, the controller and the MES protocol.
• Using this as a joint analysis. It ranks tools. It does not check preload, friction or joint stiffness.

• v4 · 12 Oct 2026
  Bosch Rexroth entries replaced by the catalogue data: 24 ErgoSpin and CC-ErgoSpin models, 8 Nexo cordless models and 14 modular spindle configurations (56 entries), with ordering numbers for the hand-held tools. Check my selected tool finds them from the ordering number.
• v3 · 12 Oct 2026
  Atlas Copco entries replaced by the full catalogue (369 model entries, catalogue-checked, with ordering numbers). New Only this make filter. Check my selected tool finds a model from its Atlas Copco ordering number. Mechanical-clutch tools (BCP/BCV, EBL) are treated as giving no result data, so they drop out for MES and class A.
• v2 · 12 Oct 2026
  New section 02, Check my selected tool: choose a brand, model family and your part number, or enter your own specs, and the tool verifies it against your requirements with a verdict, score, rank and line-by-line reasons. Sections renumbered.
• v1 · 12 Oct 2026
  Converted to the site format. Requirements form with bolt helper, ranked shortlist with line-by-line reasons, torque gauge, filter summary, how-it-works notes and this manual with examples.