Stainless Steel Fittings
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Stainless Steel Fittings
Imagine that you’ve arrived on the first day at a new job. You’re forced to work in harsh conditions with no training. Depending on how things go, you might even be required to perform your duties in spite of the fact that all of the tools around you are getting wet.
This doesn’t sound like a whole lot of fun, but it’s exactly what pneumatic fittings go through when they’re attached to air tubing. They have to be able to hold up to intense internal pressures while also dealing with a potentially corrosive situation on the outside.
If you want your equipment to last for a long period of time, then you need to opt for high-quality stainless steel fittings that are rated for this kind of abuse. SMC Pneumatics offers a complete product line that features uniform performance characteristics. Have a look at the following:
- Specifications
- Operating Pressure Range -14.5 to 145psi
- Proof Pressure 435psi
- Ambient and Fluid Temperature 23 to 302°F (-5 to 150°C)
This should prove more than sufficient for an overwhelming majority of situations, While stainless steel fittings might be a bit heavier than those made from other materials, their resistance to corrosion and mechanical durability more than make up for it in most cases.
Take a look at the list of various shapes and styles SMC currently lists in our product catalog.
9 Stainless Steel Fittings from SMC Pneumatics:
Union Tee
When you want to split one line into two outgoing ones, you need a stainless steel union tee. You’ll also need one of these if you want to merge two lines into a single one. It’s a perfect way to add an additional level of flexibility to your existing installation. They’re also good for planning a new run that might have to adhere to some pretty odd dimensions.
These pieces work with all of the following applicable tube OD specifications:
- 5/32
- 1/4
- 5/16
- 3/8
- 1/2
Union Elbows
If you only need to join two lines together, then a tee is overkill and would just leave you with an unused port. Union elbows are capable of connecting a pair of lines without sacrificing anything in the way of leverage. They’re also quite sturdy. Engineers usually think of connectors and fittings as the weak point in an air circuit. While these elbows naturally won’t be as strong as a single piece of a line would be, they’re still quite resistant to leakage so you shouldn’t experience any measurable loss in pressure due to using them.
Straight Union
If you’ve worked with pneumatic equipment for any significant length of time, then you’ve more than likely come into contact with the straight union more than any other fitting. It’s used to join two tubes together without altering the natural shape of the run in any fashion. This makes it attractive for a wide variety of uses. Whenever you need to connect two tubes of the same diameter to make a solid inline air connection, you’ll need one of these pieces. Workshops usually keep a number of them on hand just in case. They’re so useful that there’s really no reason not to.
Male Connector
When you need to make a connection between different pieces that wouldn’t otherwise fit together, you need a connector. Technicians often tell stories about times when they were left with only a male or female connector and didn’t have the opposite type to attach it to the circuit that they were working with. Once again, you’ll want to keep a healthy number of these around to avoid the disruptions in the workflow that result from not having the right piece on hand when it’s needed.
Male Elbow
In some cases, you might want to be able to connect one piece to another on an angle. If you have to join a female adapter to the rest of your circuit, then you should consider investing in one of these useful pieces. It should fit around corners quite easily and get into any tight space.
Male Connector – Internal Hexagon Socket Head
Finding the right piece to match hexagonal adapters can be quite difficult. That’s why SMC offers this fitting in so many different sizes. It’s perfect for any situation where you might need an internal socket head to latch on to a piece of tubing.
Male Branch Tee
Those planning on branching off their connections along multiple paths need the right fitting. While it might be tempting to use a traditional tee, these fittings will hold together better since they’re designed for this particular use case.
Bulkhead Union
Bulkhead unions connect two tubes through a panel without changing their direction. They feature an external tightening mechanism so you can be sure they won’t come off any time soon.
Branch Y
Should you have the need to split one line into two without changing direction, then this branch Y will do the job quite nicely. This should prevent you from having to redesign a run just to accommodate a fitting.
Getting the Right Stainless Steel Fittings for Your Small Business
Deciding which kind of fittings are best for a particular job can be very difficult, especially if you’re working with multiple air tubes that feature different diameters. You don’t want to use too many fittings since each one can introduce another variable into an air circuit. On the other hand, you don’t want to try to solve all of your problems by running since tubes between your tools and the cylinders they’re connected to.
If the decision-making process is starting to get to you, then you don’t have to worry at all. Our team of trained experts is standing by right now to help you find solutions that match the unique problems your company faces. Contact us today and we’ll help you get the stainless steel fittings you need to keep your existing pneumatic equipment running longer than you ever thought possible.