Aerospace Industry Hydraulics
Hydraulic torque wrenches, pumps, spreaders and nut splitters for aerospace assembly, MRO bays and defense vehicle service.
Industries We Serve
Aerospace work is specified down to the individual fastener, and hydraulic tools are how a crew hits those numbers all shift. Force from a hydraulic tool is a function of pressure, so an operator can set it, read it off a gauge and record it. Much of the Power Team line we carry works at 10,000 PSI, which gives a bolting crew a known, repeatable ceiling to work against.
Flickinger Machine is a hydraulic equipment supplier and aerospace tooling supplier serving Houston’s heavy-duty industries. We stock the bolting tools, pumps, spreaders and nut splitters that airframe assembly and MRO crews rely on, and our shop services and repairs every category we sell. It is the same power we bring to the energy, oilfield and automotive industries. If your field personnel need power to do their job, we can supply that power.
Fastening is where aerospace hydraulics earn their keep. A hydraulic torque wrench applies a set torque value the same way every cycle, which is exactly what an aerospace joint specification asks for. We carry Power Team hydraulic torque wrenches across a broad output range, and we help match the wrench to the joint and the space around it.
Low Clearance and Low Profile Hydraulic Torque Wrenches
Aerospace fasteners often sit inside structure, behind systems or under skin. A low clearance hydraulic torque wrench reaches those joints and lets the crew work them in place. The TWLC30 is a low clearance torque wrench rated to 28,100 ft lbs, which brings serious output into a slim profile and opens up access that would otherwise call for disassembly around the fastener.
Square Drive Hydraulic Torque Wrenches
Where clearance is comfortable, a square drive hydraulic torque wrench is the direct and versatile answer, since one wrench covers many sizes through its sockets. The TWCH1 is a 3/4 inch square drive unit, with the TWCH3 and TWCH6 stepping up through the same family for higher-output joints. Browse the full torque wrench range or the wider hydraulic tools catalog to compare outputs.
A torque wrench performs to the standard of the pump behind it, so we treat the pump as the first decision. The right hydraulic torque wrench pump comes down to where the work happens and what the crew wants to carry.
For fixed stations and repeat production runs, electric pumps carry the day. The Power Team PE554T ships with a 9500 valve and a four inch 0 to 10,000 PSI McDaniel gauge, putting the working pressure right in front of the operator. The PE55 family spans several voltages and reservoir sizes, including 220 volt and five gallon configurations, so a cell already committed to a supply is easy to match.
Where a bay already has compressed air run to it, an air over hydraulic pump gets the same pressure with no cord to manage. The RWP55-BS is an air hydraulic pump rated to 10,000 PSI, and the PA6M is a lighter air hydraulic option well suited to lower duty work.
For work up on a stand, out on a wing or anywhere a cart will not follow, hand pumps are the practical choice. The P55 is a single speed, single acting pump moving .160 cubic inches per stroke. The P159 is a two speed version covering .160 to 2.6 cubic inches per stroke, closing a gap quickly and then building to full pressure. See the full range of pump types to compare drive options.
A hydraulic spreader opens a joint with controlled, measurable force spread across a broad contact face, starting from a gap barely wide enough to accept the tips. It is a clean way to separate mated components and create the access a crew needs for the next step.
The HS2000 is a one ton hydraulic spreader operating at 10,000 PSI, sized to open a joint far enough to get a tool or a lifting point into it. The same family of wedge and flange spreader tooling serves crews separating flange faces on ground support and fluid systems, so one tool class covers a lot of ground across a facility.
Overhaul work brings hardware that has been in service for years, and a hydraulic nut splitter is the efficient way through it. Rather than turning a seized nut, the tool cuts it away, so the fastener comes off cleanly with no heat applied and no rotational load put into the stud or the structure underneath.
The HNS150 is a 15 ton hydraulic nut splitter, and it keeps an overhaul moving on its planned turn time. For an MRO crew working to a schedule, that predictability is worth as much as the speed. Nut splitters sit alongside the rest of our hydraulic tools range.
Do You Service and Repair Aerospace Hydraulic Equipment?
Yes. Hydraulic repair and service are core to what we do, not an add-on. Our team has serviced pumps, torque wrenches, cylinders and bolting tools for decades, and we handle hydraulic equipment repair in Houston out of our own shop.
Bringing tools in on a maintenance interval keeps every gauge reading true and every wrench delivering its rated output, which protects the tolerances your work is held to and extends the service life of equipment you have already invested in. It is the most direct way to get full value out of a hydraulic tool crib.
For a deeper look at contamination control and maintenance intervals, read our definitive guide to aerospace hydraulic systems and maintenance, and see why the aerospace industry needs a reliable hydraulic equipment supplier.
Your Houston Source for Aerospace Hydraulic Equipment
Aircraft and defense programs are held to tolerances that reward tools which repeat themselves, and that is what hydraulic bolting equipment delivers. Whether the job is production fastening, structural assembly or overhaul on equipment with years of service behind it, we can put the right tool in your crew’s hands and keep it working.
Flickinger Machine has supplied that power to Houston’s heavy-duty industries for decades from our shop at 405 Nebraska in South Houston. Call 832-671-0978 or email fdf@fmpte.com, and we will match the equipment to your application. See every industry we support on our industries we serve page.
Frequently Asked Questions
We supply hydraulic torque wrenches, pumps, spreaders and nut splitters for aerospace assembly and MRO work, along with the cylinders and hoses that go with them. Our aerospace tooling is largely Power Team and SPX equipment, and we service and repair every category we sell.
The TWLC30 is a low clearance hydraulic torque wrench rated to 28,100 ft lbs, built to reach fasteners a standard wrench cannot approach. Where clearance allows, our square drive wrenches such as the TWCH1, TWCH3 and TWCH6 give you broad coverage through one tool.
It depends on where the work happens. Electric pumps such as the PE554T suit fixed stations and repeat runs. Air hydraulic pumps like the RWP55-BS work well where a bay already has compressed air. Hand pumps such as the P55 and P159 go anywhere a cart cannot. We will help you match the pump to the wrench.
Much of the line works at 10,000 PSI, including the RWP55-BS air hydraulic pump and the HS2000 hydraulic spreader. Our PE554 electric pumps ship with a four inch 0 to 10,000 PSI gauge so the operator reads working pressure directly.
Both. We service and repair the pumps, torque wrenches, cylinders and bolting tools we supply, from our shop in South Houston. Our team has worked on this equipment for decades.
A hydraulic nut splitter cuts the nut away rather than turning it, so no rotational load reaches the stud or the surrounding structure and no heat is applied. Our HNS150 is a 15 ton hydraulic nut splitter built for exactly this.
We are at 405 Nebraska, South Houston, TX 77587. Call 832-671-0978 or email fdf@fmpte.com.
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