My questions are simple: which bolts are to be treated with thread lock
compound in prosthetics? And what are the appropriate torque settings?
We recently stopped using labs for most of my fabrication, set up our own lab
and hired a technician. He has worked at several P&O facilities in Florida.
He claims that, while everyone Loctites the pyramid screws, no one in any
place where he has worked Locktites the foot bolt or the horizontal screw
that tightens the adapter around the pylon.
He has brought a number of very sloppy techniques to me, which I am working
him out of, and this sounds like another “shortcut,” yet his reasoning for
not Loctiting these two bolts seems somewhat sound, so I don’t know what to
think.
And, while I am at it, he claims that at each place he has worked previous to
mine, they have owned a torque wrench but never used it. Rather they have
just tightened all bolts “as tight as we could get them.”
Is this standard practice? Is it safe?
In case we should be torqueing every bolt to preset standards, where can I
learn what those torque settings are? I know I can get torque information
from each manufacturer, but is there a source which has compiled such
information and offers it on a chart?
Thanks, in advance. I will, of course, post responses.
David Hendricks, CPO, FAAOP
HOPE, Inc.
http://www.acebrace.com
Phone: 800 613-8852
Fax: 813 779-1217
37033 SR 54 West
Zephyrhills, FL 33541
