Who Wouldn't Want to Find Something Shiny & Swagelok under the Tree?

Give that special fluid-systems person a memorable present this year

Considering how much of our lives we spend working, it sure makes life better when we can work with high-quality parts and tools. So think about how happy you can make someone by giving them a Swagelok gift. OK, so you probably won't actually wrap up a box of tube fittings in bright Swagelok blue paper and stack it with the other presents. But you might want to think about how Swagelok parts can improve the lives of people who spend all day working with fluid systems.  Let's look at a couple of categories.

For your favourite hoser

	Download a copy of Swagelok's Hose & Flexible Tubing catalogue here

Hose is a very versatile product. There are even jobs where hose can be more appropriate than tubing. When you need tubing to change direction, you have to bend it or put an adapter elbow on it. That can affect flow rates, increase pressure drop and add to the overall cost. It also comes in a lot of varieties. You'll find 20 different series of hose in our catalogue.

That list includes three types of metal hose, nine types of PTFE hose, three types of nylon hose, plus rubber hose and polyethylene hose. To figure out which is the right hose for the job, remember the acronym S.T.A.M.P.E.D. The letters stand for the Size of diameter, the Temperature range of the fluid media and the environment, whether the Application is static or dynamic, how compatible the Material is with the fluid, Size, Temperature, Material, Pressure, End connection, and Delivery. Once you've determined those details, selection becomes much simpler.

By the way, the difference between hose and flexible tubing is that hose has some type of reinforcement around the core to help resist pressure, kinking, and crushing. Each type of core has plusses and minuses. Metal cores, for example, work well under a wide range of temperatures. But they can suffer from flex fatigue if they are used in a setting where the hose needs to move around. PTFE cores, on the other hand, are flexible, but they are subject to outgassing, meaning they aren't always the ideal choice for small-molecule gasses such as helium and hydrogen. Cores also can be either smooth or convoluted like the bendy part of a flexible drinking straw.

Something small and shiny

	You can download our MPC catalogue to see some of the possibilities here

There are a lot of different ways to design process analyzer, sample-handling, and fluid distribution systems. If you've had different people design those systems at different times, there’s a good chance that a plant might have mismatched elements from one station to another. It slows everyone down when they have to figure out the system before they can even use it. You can clear up the confusion with Swagelok’s Modular Platform Component system. You’ll find it easy to configure, assemble and maintain, all the while shrinking the footprints of your systems.

Swagelok's MPC system starts with a standardized substrate channel. A variety of drop-in components provide the main flow path from one surface-mount component to the next. Locator pins on the components fit into corresponding holes in the channel. Putting them together is, literally, a snap. Channels come in a variety of lengths that can handle up to 14 surface mount positions.

On top of the substrate layer comes the manifold layer. The same system of locator pins allows you to create the flow path between up to six parallel substrates. Next come the various Swagelok surface-mount components that make up the fluid distribution system. Standard O-rings form leak-tight seals between each surface-mount and substrate flow component, and between the substrate and manifold flow components.

This layered design makes it easy to customize each system for a specific application while speeding up installation and maintenance.  Surface-mount components are easy to service from the top of the assembly without disturbing any other components. You won’t have to disassemble half of the system to get to the part you want.

Your fluid system crew will appreciate Swagelok products a lot more than a Chia Pet or a fruitcake. Look for our next post to show you a couple of other gift options.