April 24, 2007
OVER HALF OF NORTH AMERICAN NUCLEAR PLANTS HAVE CHOSEN LINK TOOLS FOR FOREIGN MATERIALS EXCLUSION SAFETY PERFORMANCE

The advanced hand tool technology incorporated in LINK tools has resulted in their use at more than 50% of all the nuclear plants in North America. The principal reason for this extensive reliance on LINK tools is their ability to curtail foreign material incidences when performing maintenance in sensitive areas.

“ LINK tools have become the tool of choice during outages at nuclear facilities with strong FME (foreign materials exclusion) programs because LINK tools remove the greatest FME concern, arising from the use of regular mechanics’ tools, ” according to John Davidson, President, LINK Tools International. The LINK patented LOCK SOLID HAND-TO-WORK tool superiority guarantees no dropped sockets or tool separations, the major problem with ordinary mechanics’ tools.

The adoption of LINK tools at the majority of North American nuclear plans has occurred rapidly, not only because they present a major upgrade in plant safety, but also because they have proved to increase efficiency. “LINK tools are faster and very easy to use; this is one safety requirement imposed by FME coordinators that the workers are pleased to embrace,” continued Davidson.

TXU, Arizona Public Service Co., STP Nuclear and Southern Co. plants are among the more recent adopters of LINK tools, joining continuing clients such as PG&E, Ontario Power (Canada), Entergy, Dominion and Constellation Energy.
Turbine installation, maintenance and repair, not only in nuclear plants, but also in fossil fuel plans and aviation, have been rapidly expanding areas of use for LINK tools. In addition to the safety issues LINK tools address, they also prevent damage to this costly equipment.

“ Tool control in tight or generally inaccessible areas has been vastly improved with LINK tools,” says Davidson, who points out the flexibility of LINK tools gives them an advantage over standard tools.

The widespread adoption of LINK tools at nuclear facilities has been duplicated in other markets where users share security concerns, making rigorous maintenance critically important, such as all branches of the U.S. military and the aviation and marine industries.

The full LINK Tools catalogue can be viewed on the LINK website www.linktoolsonline.com or copies may be obtained by calling 1-888-433-4234. Evaluations from many diverse industries, including automotive, aerospace and heavy industry, are available on the website.