Stainless steel tubing is used in a variety of industries. It is used in aircraft hydraulic lifts. These use small amounts of nickel and large percentages of chromium. Many factories, mills, and production lines use these components for their machines or in the manufactured products.
Fractional Tubes Size Are Available: 1/16” to 2”
Metric Tubes Size Are Available: 3mm to 50mm
Tube selection plays very important role in achieving safe, reliable and leak free installation. Correct installation practices should be followed and care should be taken while selecting and handling the tubes.
Some of the important factors and good practices while selecting the tube are as below.
♦ We recommend to use fully annealed seamless tubing complying ASTM A 269 or equivalent specifications.
♦ Tubing material shall be compatible with the process fluid and environmental conditions.
♦ While selecting tube wall thickness due consideration should be given to parameters like temperature, pressure, vibrations and shocks. Extremely thin wall tube may get collapsed by ferrule action and a tube with too heavy wall thickness will not allow desired ferrule action.
♦ The surface finish should be smooth free from scratches and burrs. Draw marks and dents on tube surface will allow lighter gas particles to escape thereby causing a leakage.
♦ Tube material shall be softer than that of fitting / ferrule material. Tube shall be fully annealed to make proper gripping and sealing. Typically, SS seamless tube shall have Hardness 80 or less on HRB scale.
♦ Eccentricity and ovality are tube defects and should be avoided for correct installation.
♦ Cap the tubing ends to avoid contamination and foreign particles inside tube.
♦ Store the tubes in racks and cover them to avoid dust collection on the tube surface.
♦ Never drag tubing out of tubing rack or on floor surface.
♦ Always use tube cutter for smaller tube sizes. Do not cut deep while using tube cutter. It may damage the tube.
♦ Tube ends must be cut squarely and deburred to achieve desired leak proof performance.
♦ Do not try to force the tubing in the fitting body, it will damage either fitting components or tube end.
♦ It is suggested to use good quality tools like tube cutter, tube benders, deburring tools etc. to prepare the tube for consistent performance and best results.
♦ For tubes above 1” OD size use of guided blocks or tube saw guide is recommended. Cut the tube with fine teeth hacksaw blade and de-burring is very crucial when hacksaw is used to cut the tube.
♦ Never lean on or foot step onto the tubing.
♦ Use tube supports at recommended intervals to support tubing.
♦ Do not pull up tube fittings when system is pressurized or bleed the system by loosening nut or body.
♦ Always use compatible thread sealants or lubricants on pipe threads.
♦ Always use right sized spanners to turn fitting nut by holding fitting body firm.
♦ We do not recommend intermixing and interchanging of tube fitting components.
