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Ever wondered why connecting to industrial nutrunners (those torque tools that tighten bolts in factories) is harder than it should be? There’s a standard protocol. There’s documentation. There are even a few libraries on GitHub.

But try using them in a real factory and things fall apart quickly. Network cable gets unplugged? Connection’s dead. Multi-spindle tool? Good luck getting all the results. VIN traceability? Hope you enjoy debugging at 2 AM when the line is down.

We’ve built enough IIoT gateways and OPC UA servers for automotive plants to know these pain points well. So we wrote our own library, used it in production for a while, and today we’re open-sourcing it.

What We Built

It’s called node-nutrunner-open-library. A Node.js client for Atlas Copco Open Protocol (also works with Stanley, Desoutter, Ingersoll Rand). But the goal wasn’t just “implement the protocol” – it was “actually work on a factory floor.”

GitHub: https://github.com/hj91/node-nutrunner-open-library
Install: npm install node-nutrunner-open-library

Why This Matters

Most existing Open Protocol libraries suffer from the same issues:

• No automatic reconnection – Connection lost? It’s gone forever.
• TCP fragmentation ignored – Parsers break when packets arrive split.
• Missing safety interlocks – Nothing stops unsafe operations.
• Poor multi-spindle support – Tools get stuck waiting for results that never arrive.
• No VIN lifecycle management – VIN stays locked across job changes.

These aren’t theoretical problems. These are 2 AM debugging sessions on factory floors where every minute of downtime costs money.

Key Features

Automatic Reconnection
Network hiccup? Controller reboot? It handles it. Exponential backoff, automatic resubscription, the whole thing. Because Ethernet cables get bumped on shop floors.

Safety Interlocks
Can’t start tightening without a job selected. Can’t run with alarms active. Can’t skip VIN download if required. Same rules the controller enforces, now in your code.

VIN Traceability That Works
For automotive work, every bolt needs to trace back to a VIN. The library handles VIN lifecycle correctly – locks on first tightening, clears on job change. Exactly like the real workflow.

Multi-Spindle Support
Aggregates all spindle results with a watchdog timer for missing packets. Tools with 2+ spindles just work.

Batch Production
Real-time progress events for your HMI or MES system. Track batch completion without polling.

What’s Included

• 50+ MID (message) types covering all common manufacturing workflows
• Full VIN/identifier traceability
• Batch manufacturing support
• Multi-spindle tools with auto-detection
• Alarm handling and recovery
• Job and parameter set management
• Controller time synchronization
• Zero npm dependencies (just Node.js core)

Easy Integration

Works with whatever you’re building:

• OPC UA servers – Expose nutrunner data as OPC UA variables
• InfluxDB – Store every tightening in time-series database
• MQTT gateways – Publish to MQTT broker for IIoT
• Custom MES connectors – Event-driven API makes integration straightforward

The library includes 8 complete examples covering basic tightening, VIN traceability, batch manufacturing, alarm handling, fleet management, and integration patterns for InfluxDB, OPC UA, and MQTT.

Supported Hardware

• Atlas Copco PowerFocus 4000/6000/PowerMACS
• Stanley Assembly Technologies
• Desoutter CVI controllers
• Ingersoll Rand QX Series

Why Open Source It?

Because the existing options weren’t good enough. Most Open Protocol libraries on GitHub are either demo code that works once, abandoned projects from 2017, or missing critical features like reconnection and multi-spindle support.

We built this for our own projects. Used it in production. Fixed all the weird edge cases. Figured we should share it.

It’s Apache 2.0 licensed. Use it commercially, modify it, whatever.

Try It

bashnpm install node-nutrunner-open-library

Full documentation, API reference, and working examples:
https://github.com/hj91/node-nutrunner-open-library

Bug reports and contributions welcome.