While working on our recent who owns which brand tool company affiliation post, I came across an unfamiliar product category on Snap-on’s industrial tools website: anti-mutilation tools.
You read that correctly, there’s such a thing as anti-mutilation tools.
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Anti-mutilation tools are specialty tools or accessories designed to protect personnel and equipment.
The diagram above, from a Lance Tools sales flyers, describe how anti-mutilation protective sleeves attach to extensions and sockets to create a protective shroud.
Snap-on’s example of such a tool is their sleeved 3/8″ drive 11″ socket extension.
Snap-on’s anti-mutilation device is actually a 3-piece assembly that consists of a socket, socket extension, and the anti-mutilation sleeve. When in use, the extension and attached socket rotate within the sleeve, but the anti-mutilation sleeve can remain stationary.
While Snap-on’s anti-mutilation sleeve is a one-piece device, Lance Tools’ sales flyer suggests that modular sleeves with interchangeable extension and socket shrouds can also be built.
Essentially, these and other anti-mutilation tools are safety covers or sleeves that help to eliminate or control rotating shaft safety hazards and product defects that can arise when rotating tool attachments rub along finished surfaces.
Snap-on’s anti-mutilation socket extension sleeve, shown above, was designed for use in automobile production. These types of tools are probably used more to prevent workpiece and finished product damage, but I can envision how they could potentially help prevent operator injury in assembly lines and other fast-paced work environments that are filled with high-speed tools.
A couple of brands make hand tools with freely-rotating sleeves for improved user control, but this is the first time I have seen or heard of sleeves being used to prevent workpiece damage and to protect users from potential harm.
Snap-on, Lance, and other tool makers can design and manufacture customized anti-mutilation tools for any application. These aren’t tools that you or I would ever commission, but it’s still good to know they exist.
Non-marring safety sleeves sounds better than anti-mutilation tools, but anti-mutilation is actually very exact and correct by definition.
mikeh says
This is why we frequent TG – these are really cool…wish i had known about them a long time ago, i can remember several situations where they would have been handy in not damaging surrounding surfaces
Robert says
Anti-mutilation is pretty common term in the auto assembly industry. Lots of times these are custom covers, good to see some off the shelf stuff.
Toolfreak says
Plastic-shrouded lug nut sockets are pretty common at high-end wheel shops so they don’t mar the chrome or scratch the paint of expensive wheels.
It’s hard to find a set of thin slip-over socket covers, but I just make my own, either from cardboard toilet paper/paper towel rolls for temporary use, or from the thin container plastic you’ll find a lot of items in at the grocery store. Some guys use duct tape, but of course that winds up leaving tape residue and doesn’t have the benefit of allowing the socket to spin inside the sleeve, making any marring less likely than if the sleeve is fixed to the socket and spins with it.