Swagelok hoses and flexible tubing

Take an 'inside-out' approach, working from core to cover.

Start by addressing the core—the innermost layer that contacts the fluid—available in materials like nylon for low temperatures or metal for high temperatures, and then adding a reinforcement layer for strength and pressure containment.

The outer cover, with options like stainless steel or Swagelok's Fire Jacket, provides protection against various environmental factors, including temperature extremes.

Finally, choosing the right end connections, such as NPT threads or tube adapters, ensures a secure, leak-free system that meets industry standards and minimizes downtime.

Here are five tips to prevent setbacks.

Most PTFE-lined hose failures are due to factors that can be controlled. By avoiding one or all of these pitfalls you can maximize the life of your hose.

1. Right hose, wrong application: Choosing the right end connections and designing an appropriate layout should eliminate a large percentage of these failures.
2. Right application, wrong hose: PTFE is one of the most chemically inert and compatible materials on earth. However, the use of rubber, metal or even PTFE-lined parts in the wrong application can be prevented by checking fluid compatibility with the wet hose material before installation.
3. External damage: Abrasion can shorten the useful life of a hose. Abrasion can even corrode the stainless steel outer braid of our PTFE-lined hoses, drastically reducing their pressure-retaining capabilities.
4. Electrostatic Discharge: Although PTFE is non-conductive, it can be modified with sufficient conductivity to ground static electrical charge, eliminating the risk of catastrophic failure from charged particles arcing through the PTFE core.
5. Tested hose works better: Poor quality components or choosing a hose based solely on the lowest price can lead to high costs associated with maintenance, safety, lost fluid or degraded equipment.

Faulty hose routing is the leading cause of industrial hose failure.

Routing rigid tubing requires careful planning, but routing hose and flexible tubing is relatively effortless—right?

Wrong. In fact, Swagelok has thousands of data points showing a clear pattern: faulty hose routing is the leading cause of industrial hose failure. And short hose service life is costly in several ways. For one thing, too many manufacturers, processors, researchers, and other essential businesses overspend, year after year, on preventable hose repairs and replacements.

Correctly routing hose requires two things:

1. Knowledge of best practices (see below)
2. Commitment to act on the knowledge

Our Hose Advisory Service helps take the pressure off of you regarding hose routing. View information on the program on this page and download the pull sheet.

Here are 5 tips to prevent permeation.

All materials are permeable to some degree, but in industrial hose applications, permeation is important to consider when using PFA and PTFE materials. We recommend the following to reduce permeation:

1. Choose hose materials known for their resistance to permeation by the specific medium being transported.
2. If possible, choose hoses designed with barrier layers that significantly reduce permeation. These barriers can be made of materials such as nylon.
3. Inspect hoses regularly for signs of wear, damage or other problems that may increase permeation. We offer a hose consulting service that can help with this.
4. In cases where permeation is unavoidable, venting systems can capture and safely drain or contain the permeated substances.
5. In critical applications, it may make sense to use hoses that exceed required specifications, depending on the risks involved.

Swagelok Netherlands offers a hose consulting program where our highly trained field consultants come on site. After touring your facility, learning about your unique situation and documenting problems, we help you choose the right types that extend hose life and improve performance.

Yes, we have a dedicated hose cell where we do that every day.

Our technicians manufacture hoses to your specifications in the Swagelok Corporate workshop. We can handle orders from one piece to hundreds and offer a wide range of hose solutions.

Our capabilities don't stop at assembly. We can perform hydrostatic testing, immersion testing and pressure drop testing. Many hose shops make the hose and send you on your way. We test 100 percent of the hoses we make. The hydrostatic test involves filling the hose with water and then sealing it. We keep it pressurized while checking for leaks where the end connection is attached.

Some hoses require us to provide a test certificate, and others do not. But we can provide documentation with each hose if requested. If ever needed, we can trace each individual hose back to its original assembler.

We have you covered with six cover options.

Hoses can be subject to a variety of outside forces that speed up wear and tear. With the right cover, the service life will be extended.

Here are some of your options:

• Fire Jacket
• Thermosleeve
• Armor Guard
• Spiral Guard
• Nanogel Cover
• Spring Guard

For personalized, up-to-the-minute answers to sales and support questions, please use green buttons on this page to request details/quote.

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