Tubing & Hose Buying Tips
#5: Compatible Ingredients
It can be challenging to make sure you’ve covered all the bases during the tubing and hose selection process. Have you considered all the elements involved with the application? Temperatures, chemicals, pressures, flexibility needs? In Tubing & Hose Buying Tips we’ll address common selection factors, one at a time, in each issue of extrusions.
 What will travel through the tubing or reinforced hose used in your application? The ingredients of the substance, be it a liquid, gas, powder, or granular material, must be compatible with the tubing or hose you’re going to use.
An adverse reaction between tubing and the material flowing within it could be disastrous. You don’t want a situation where, for instance, an acidic fluid eats its way through the wall of the tubing. Several tubing materials (PVC, fluoropolymers, Viton®) offer a high degree of chemical resistance and can be used in a wide variety of applications. Others are better suited for simple air transfer or water drains.
The ingredients of the tubing or hose can also have an effect on the materials flowing within. Sometimes the chemical compounds used in their manufacture can leach out or react with substances. Certain tubing materials like polyurethane are less likely to leach ingredients.
When you’re unsure about ingredients being well suited, consult chemical compatibility charts, ask colleagues, and question suppliers to be sure the tubing/hose and the material it will carry will work well together.
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#4: Flexibility & Kink Resistance
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