Tubing Buying Tip #1: Check for Ingredient Approvals
Do you know if the plastic tubing or reinforced hose you’re considering needs to be manufactured with association-approved ingredients? These associations may include the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), NSF (National Sanitation Foundation), USP (United States Pharmacopoeia), USDA (United States Department of Agriculture), Canadian Food Inspection Agency, 3-A SSI (a food safety organization), European Union (regulations such as REACH [Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals] and RoHS [Restriction of Hazardous Substances]), UL, or others specific to your industry.
If association-approved ingredients are required, check the tubing specifications from your supplier. If what you’re looking for isn’t listed, contact the supplier and ask if they have further documentation. Suppliers can sometimes obtain additional information from their material providers.
Perhaps you don’t know whether the application calls for association-approved ingredients. In this case, find out from an informed source, such as the end user or product design engineer. Educate yourself about required ingredient approvals to avoid the hassle of buying something that you may need to return or, worse yet, may cause harm.
You can find part one and two of our Top 20 Tubing and Hose Buying Tips here.
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