Pneumatic
Impact Wrench
A half-inch impact wrench with every exterior surface — housing, grip, and drive nose — built from scratch around the tool's existing internal mechanism.
The Brief
Redesign Ingersoll Rand's half-inch impact wrench from the internals outward. Time in a working shop set the priorities: high torque on stubborn bolts, a compact head for tight spaces, low weight and vibration for long sessions, and a work light that actually reaches the fastener. The result had to read as tough and purposeful in the hand while staying balanced rather than front-heavy.
Full exterior housing, grip, trigger, power regulator, and drive nose — designed around off-the-shelf internal components.
Max pressure: 90 psig / 6.2 bar
Free speed: 8,500 RPM
Shop Floor to Foam
The project started at a working shop, talking to technicians about which tools they reach for and what frustrates them. Those conversations set the priorities, and foam models tested how the tool actually sits in a hand before anything went into CAD.
What technicians asked for
Mind map
Foam models
Three grip studies
Shaping the grip in foam was the fastest way to judge volume and balance in the hand — the part of the tool hardest to evaluate on screen — before any of it went into CAD.
Design Decisions
Forward-set work light
The light moved forward and extrudes outward so the beam clears the socket and tool head instead of being blocked by it. A curved slot spreads it more evenly, cutting the shadow directly in front of the tool and reaching into recessed areas.
Hourglass power regulator
The narrow center fits a natural thumb grip and makes small power adjustments more precise, while the wider ends are easy to find without looking. LED indicators around the dial show the current setting at a glance.
Chamfered wrap texture
The texture wraps continuously around the handle so grip stays consistent in any hand position and holds traction with oily hands. It doubles as a visual line that carries the form through the body of the tool.
Compound-curve trigger
Curved across multiple planes to match the shape of a finger, spreading pressure more evenly than a flat trigger and reducing fatigue over a long job — with finer control through the variable-speed range.
Hose Management
An air hose dragging across a shop floor is a trip hazard and a snag risk. A set of magnetic ring clips snaps onto the hose and sticks to toolboxes, lifts, and frames — keeping it off the ground and letting the user reposition it hands-free as they move.
The Tool
A cross-section through the finished housing, checking clearance around the air motor and hammer mechanism.