Every second counts

Visitors to the exhibition were invited to change a car wheel in Formula 1 pitstop style but using an Atlas Copco battery clutch pistol (BCP) hand tool. Competitors worked against the clock and although no one came even close to matching McLaren- Mercedes' Indian Grand Prix feat of changing all four road wheels and a steering wheel in 3.3 sec, great fun was had by all and all pitcrew hopefuls completing the challenge in under 40 seconds won a prize. Times tumbled during the morning as the competition heated up but the reversible handheld tools met the challenge with battery capacity to spare. The Atlas Copco BCP range is distributed by regular FAST exhibitor Total Air Tool Services UK and has been designed to carry out 1000 fastening operations in a day on one battery charge. The tools used in the Pitstop challenge were set for 2 to 6 Nm of torque at 1000 rev/min but other models in the range can produce up to 12 Nm. A speed control can also be supplied in an optional battery pack to reduce speed and eliminate damage when processing soft materials.