ContiTech: Swaged Fittings for a Hygienic Flow of Media

Due to these chemical cleaning processes, the safety rules laid down in instruction leaflet T 002 "Hoses – safe usage" produced by BG Chemie (accident prevention and insurance association for the chemical industry) apply in the brewing and beverage industry as well. This means that hose fittings such as hose clamps, clamping straps, cable ties and assembly wire are no longer permitted.

This is for a good reason. The hose nipple can become separated from a hose if the line becomes severely bent at the hose end, thus forming dead space in which the medium can collect. In turn, this results in dirt cavities, in which it may not be possible to adequately rinse and disinfect. Pressed fittings provide a much higher level of hygiene. In the case of good systems such as Pagufix 3000 or the Blaudieck hose fitting system, the pressed sleeve is longer than the hose nipple. This prevents any dead space from resulting should the hose be bent. The best connection is when swaged fittings are coupled with a smooth hose liner that is extruded if possible, especially if it is important that the product be transported free of turbulence. It is, of course, no problem whatsoever to clean and disinfect such hose lines.

The high-quality Pagufix 3000 swaged fitting as well as the Blaudieck fitting system are manufactured using the 1.4301 material in accordance with DIN 11851. However, they can also be supplied in other materials and various special versions, which means they can be optimally adapted to individual operational requirements. For example, if bending is required, the fittings in the 90° or 45° bend have the advantage that the hose does not have to be bent; the bend has already been created in the fitting. This increases the service life of a hose as heavy mechanical stress such as bending can accelerate a hose s aging process. The design with an open weld end allows users to weld on company-specific threaded connections themselves. Naturally, the fittings are produced not only in accordance with the DIN standards valid in Germany. On demand, the ContiTech fittings are also available with thread types that meet the Swedish standard (SMS 1145), the Danish standard (DS 722) and the British standard (BS 4825).

In accordance with instruction leaflet T 002, the fittings must be correctly incorporated into the hose ends. For this reason, this must only be carried out by an internal or external authorized hose service center. External authorized hose service centers are specialized technical dealers or the manufacturers themselves.