Tubing & Hose Buying Tips
#7: Clarity
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.
 Do you need to see the flow of product through the tubing or hose to check for consistency, progression, or to note measurements? Perhaps the nature of the application makes it undesirable to see what’s inside, so an opaque color is called for.
Do not assume that because one style of a particular hose material is crystal clear that all hose of that material is the same. The hose’s construction, whether it’s reinforced with wire, braid, or spirals, can greatly affect its clarity. Several tubing products are available in clear styles – PVC, polyurethane, and some fluoropolymers are examples. But when they’re in the form of reinforced hose, their clarity can be compromised.
Many tubing materials can be tinted or colored to varying degrees of clarity. Clear or color-tinted transparent tubing allows light to pass through so that objects within or behind can be easily seen. Some tubing materials (silicone, polypropylene, latex) offer translucency and allow light to pass through but not detailed images.
Other tubing, such as that made from Viton®, is available only in solid colors. Materials like polyethylene and nylon are readily available in colors and are often desired to identify transfer lines, conceal fluids within, or coordinate with equipment.
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#6: Taste & Odor Transfer Issues
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