Here at Tool Beast, we're huge fans of the entire Armor Tool line. And one of the things that we love most about their tools is the unique Auto-Adjust technology that is featured in all of their clamps.
What makes it unique you ask? Here is a breakdown of everything you need to know.
What is Auto-Adjust Technology?
Auto-Adjust means the clamp maintains consistent pressure while automatically adjusting to different-size work pieces.
Simply rotate the adjustment screw to achieve the required clamping pressure. Turn the screw counterclockwise to increase the pressure and clockwise to decrease.
Now let's take a look at some of the issues with standard clamps...
The Problem with Standard Clamps
Standard Toggle Clamps are difficult to make precise pressure adjustments and that adjustment is only effective on one thickness.
If you change material thickness, the pressure and thickness setting must be re-set usually with the use of a wrench.
This is time consuming and not very precise. In addition, most standard toggle clamps have a small rubber tip that make contact with the clamping surface and only clamp at a true 90 degree angle.
The evolution of the Armor Auto-Adjust Clamps stem from the Wedge Lock.
The old Wedge Lock design is an expired Patent that had basic functionality problems.
The Armor design came to be after countless failed attempts to evolve the Wedge Lock.
The core problem with the Wedge Lock is that it is friction based. Friction based locks are a lot less likely to hold up over time/cycles as the mechanism binds as dust and metal shavings from the friction gets between the wedges.
The Wedge Lock also struggles to perform at high pressures, and the falloff in clamping pressure is significantly greater than Armor's Cam design.
As competitors try to reintroduce this older version, we advise that you test those products to the criteria noted above.
What Makes Armor Tool's Auto-Adjust Technology Special
One Armor Auto-Adjust Toggle Clamp replaces several standard toggle clamps because of its ability to hold consistent force over variations in material thickness, which means fewer tools, fixtures and workstations are required as you change the materials that you are processing.
It also eliminates the constant need for adjustments. This result is increased productivity and improved ergonomic safety.
The photos below illustrate how Armor’s Auto-Adjust Technology automatically accommodates variations in material thickness while keeping the same clamping pressure without making any further adjustments to the clamp.
The pivoting spindle base compensates for the change in angle with the change in material thickness and thus automatically adjusts to maintain even pressure across the clamping surface.
Armor Tool’s Auto-Adjust Technology is the newest generation of Auto Adjust clamping technology. If you'd like to get your hands on one of their outstanding clamps, be sure to visit our Armor Tool page.
