Camlock couplings are considered essential for making quick and safe connections and disconnections of your hoses and pipes. There are many uses and applications for these fittings if they are chosen correctly.
In a fluid system where the hoses and pipes need frequent connecting and disconnecting, quick-acting couplings play a vital role in enhancing the productivity of these systems. These camlock fittings are precisely engineered for compatibility with most industrial applications. The standard camlock couplings are the best options for these industries.
Understanding the Cam and Groove Fittings:
Camlock couplings or cam and groove fittings facilitate extremely quick connections and disconnections in industrial systems. Due to a female coupler with cams on the handles and a grooved male connector, they are called cam and groove couplings. These two parts are tightly connected to make a leak-proof seal. They have arms that are closed to make the tight connections and safety pins prevent the arms from any accidental disconnection during operations.
With such a simple and inexpensive design, these fittings can be used for most applications, including: storage, pumping, manufacturing, construction, agriculture and transportation of fluids. They bring more efficiency to assembly workstations due to their sturdy materials including stainless steel, brass, and aluminum. A reliable cam and groove fittings supplier can offer you the best type of camlock couplings compatible with your application.
Major Considerations for Buying Cam and Groove Fittings:
Before selecting a camlock fitting, you need to ascertain your requirements with respect to the required performance of these fittings in your fluid lines. Typically, it depends on the medium of fluid to be used and its temperature and pressure. The key parameters to be considered also include corrosivity, viscosity, and density of the liquids. If you are using aggressive chemicals, it is advisable to invest in stainless steel camlock couplings. Other important factors are:
Know About the Method of Casting:
The strength, durability, and reliability of the camlock couplings largely depend on the method of casting used for their manufacturing. Two main casting methods are specified for this industry. They are:
Permanent Gravity Casting:
The high-quality aluminum fittings are made using this method. It involves molten metal that is poured into permanent molds under gravity pressure to ensure finer grain structure. It also results in uniform dimensions.
Investment Casting:
A cam and groove fittings supplier uses the investment casting method for manufacturing high-grade stainless-steel couplings. In this method, liquid wax is poured into a metal die cavity. It results in a cluster of wax molds which are then immersed into ceramic slurry and coated with ceramic sand. The cluster is then heated until the wax melts leaving a perfect cavity into which the molten stainless steel is poured.
Know About the Sizing:
As per the dimension of a pipe, tube, or hose, you should select the right sizing in camlock fittings. You should always invest in fittings manufactured as per the mil-specs to ensure that they couple with all manufacturers camlocks.
Know About the Specifications:
As mentioned above, when you choose the fittings made as per mil-specs, they ensure compatibility with the couplings made by other companies. They are the approved federal standard specifications. They include pressure ratings, materials, dimensions, and casting methods used for a manufacturing and fitting. You should only purchase camlock fittings that comply with MIL-C-27487.
To make the right selection, you should also check the gasket material, working pressure limits, working temperature and chemical resistance charts to ensure that your couplings work correctly and safely.
If you are looking for Cam Lock Quick Disconnect Fittings, the author of this article suggests Proflow Dynamics.