Tools

Tool requirements and tool availability

Tools can be stored at different geographic locations. They are used for maintenance tasks based on their availability.

The Tools tab on the Work Package Details page shows tools and their availability. This page also displays whether the tool is available locally, remotely, or not at all. Based on this information, appropriate decisions can be made by maintenance personnel.

Tool requirements are included in tasks as an indication that they are needed for the task. Unlike parts, Maintenix does not generate requests for tools and does not reserve tools.

When you add a tool requirement to a task, you select the part number of the tool from the tools and support equipment (TSE) assemblies. If tool inventory is not available locally during the time the work package is scheduled, your material controller fills the requirement by having tools shipped in from remote locations, or by creating a purchase order to buy new tools. If the tool inventory will not be available in time, your material controller communicates the problem to the maintenance organization so that the task can be scheduled later, or the entire work package rescheduled. If more tools are required to complete the task than are initially expected, a technician can add a tool to the task.

Tool control

Tools are tracked because they are expensive resources and can cause non-compliance issues if they are not fit for use in maintenance tasks or if they are accidentally left on aircraft after maintenance work is done.

You can track specialized tools in Maintenix by using serial numbers and barcodes. You can store these tools in a secured tool room and require that technicians check tools out and in as maintenance work is done. When a tool is checked out, the Expected Return Date is displayed. You can monitor the Checked Out Tools tab and investigate when tools are not returned on time.

Tool crib clerks can manually enter the expected return date when tools are checked out, or if an hours value is specified for the EXPECTED_TOOL_CHECKOUT_DURATION configuration parameter, then Maintenix adds the specified number of hours to the system date/time at check-out and automatically populates the Expected Return Date field. You can override an auto-populated date by manually entering a date.

Tool maintenance

Technicians can be assigned to perform maintenance on tools, such as calibrations. They can use Maintenix to raise faults on tools, but the warehouse manages the location and status of individual tool serial numbers.

Calibration tasks can be initialized on tool inventory in the same way as calibration tasks are initialized for aircraft inventory. Serialized tools may require calibration to be performed based on a specific maintenance schedule. The scheduling of this maintenance task is specified in Maintenix, which determines when calibrations are due. Tool personnel can monitor when tools are coming due for calibration on the Tool Search page. If the deadline of a calibration task is extended, the tool's Calibration Due By date is updated with the new due date.