The Mountz ETA (Electronic Torque Analyzer) System originated in the early 1970s based on a need for the U.S. Navy Polaris Missile Program. With the assistance of Lockheed Missile & Space Co., the primary contractor, Mountz was awarded a development contract for 50 ETA systems. The first system encompassed a strain gauge torsion bar transducer coupled to a crude readout device. The readout used a Weston meter as the analog display. The company, Gentran, in Sunnyvale was the only company in Silicon Valley capable of mounting strain gauges on a steel torsion bar. Gentran manufactured our transducers for the first few years of production. The second version of the ETA, Mark 1, was our first digital readout. We had changed our transducer technology to encompass a plug-in module coupled by a connector to the readout device and a plug-in probe to the transducer that was similar to an electric fry pan probe to power the unit.
Over the next 15 years continual improvements were made to the Mountz ETAs, assisted by Dick Grey, formerly Chief Engineer of Gentran. Dick manufactured the ETA exclusively for Mountz for a number of years; then Mountz later acquired his company (RGA Associates) and Dick became an employee of Mountz, Inc.
The Mountz ETA System was the first electronic calibration system in the world, later copied by a number of our competitors. The Mountz system was the torque calibration standard for years at major military sites. Thousands of systems were sold in a product life cycle that lasted almost 25 years. There are still systems in use by the industry today. Mountz is proud to say that it was the founder of electronic torque testing and continues to be a leader in the field of torque measurement.
Mountz M Series Torque Tester
In the mid 1980s Mountz pioneered the concept of torque verification by inventing the M Series torque tester/checker. Mountz developed the M series torque tester to check and verify power tool and light torque tools up to 200 inch pounds. These desktop units were color coded to identify the torque range. They were able to check auto shut off and impacting clutch drivers, direct drive stall tools, as well as any torque hand tool. Torque verification and the M series were heralded by leading manufacturers for improving quality control by instituting a process control methodology interim to recall or interval based calibration plans that often flagged tools for annual calibration. By verifying the torque of tools on the production line, out of tolerance tools could be identified earlier than an interval calibration and reset or replaced to the proper torque setting. This also was proven to reduce the number of back up tools needed to support an interval based calibration program as well as reduce fastening related failures.
Born of a customer requirement in the very early 1970s, the customer focused and innovation culture at Mountz has generated 17 models of unique torque measuring and verification products. Today, Mountz products are a standard in most any quality minded company. Find out more about the history of Mountz products, including our latest generation of torque testers currently in development by following this blog.
Don Mountz
Chairman of the Board/Founder
Mountz Inc.