Click the down arrow opposite to learn more about pneumatic fittings.
What Are Pneumatic Fittings Used for?
Pneumatic fittings provide the essential link between components in a pneumatic system. Air fittings feature tighter seals and have lower pressure requirements than for example hydraulic fittings and are typically offered in various connector types. In addition to connecting pneumatic components and stopping the flow of unused ports, pneumatic fittings are also used to control air flow pressure and directional flow.
How to decide which type of pneumatic fitting to use?
When deciding on a fitting, there are some things to take into consideration. First, we must consider the tube used, whether it is some kind of plastic, which is the most common type, or for some reason the application uses a metal tube. Perhaps we will use some sort of fluid that we need to take into consideration when choosing the material of the tube. We also need to consider the size of the tube, the bigger the flow we need, the bigger the tube will be. Other consideration may be:
• The pressure used in the application
• Operating temperature range and whether the environment will affect the fitting
• Fitting material
• Thread type of the components
What are the different thread types used on pneumatic fittings?
When it comes to threads, there are some standards used in pneumatics, depending upon in which half of the world you are located.
For Europe and Asia we have for instance the metric threads, also called ISO M. We also have the two types of BSP threads, the parallel and the taper. These are often called ISO G and ISO R and possibly other names. In Europe, the BSPP and the metric are the most commonly used, while in Asia the BSPT is the most common one.
In North America there are two main standards used in pneumatics, either the NPTF or the UNF.
A fitting from one standard does not fit a hole from another standard (with few exceptions) so it is important to know what standard the customer is looking for.
The different sizes shown on the screen are either in millimetres if metric, or in inches if it is another standard.