3 Reasons Training is Vital

3 Reasons Tube Fitting Installation Training is Vital

April 2019

Whether it be hydraulics to operate equipment or a gas/steam involved process, fluid systems are often the backbone of any industrial operation. Ensuring fluids are contained and not leaking within the fluid system is critical to a safe and efficient plant. Improper assembly, poor safety practices, and untrained associates can lead to dangerous operating situations. Below are three reasons why tube fitting installation training is vital in a manufacturing facility.

The first step in building a safe and reliable fluid system is the selection of the correct components: connections, tubing, valves, hoses, and other fluid conveyance products. However, without the proper training on product selection, installation, and operations, plants are putting employee safety and system integrity at risk. So, what does tube fitting installation training teach?

1. Tube fitting installation training educates attendees on various thread connection types and standards commonly seen in industrial facilities. According to the Swagelok ® Thread and End Connection Identification Guide, there are approximately 25 unique thread designs, all with varying thread pitches, threads per inch, and sealing surfaces. Without knowing how these threads work together, operators can open themselves up to safety hazards and costly leaks. Mismatched threads are not designed to work together to create a leak-tight seal. Correct fitting identification ensures that your system is operating safely and efficiently. Click here to request a copy of the Swagelok® Thread and End Connection Identification Guide.

  2. Proper tube fitting installation eliminates the occurrence of under and over-tightened fittings. It is common to think that proper installation is “tighten until it gets hard to turn a wrench” or “tighten until it won’t go any further.” In our classes, we perform a preliminary fitting pull-up test to get a baseline showing that both practices often result in improperly pulled up fittings.

• Under-tightened fittings increase the likelihood of safety related issues such as, tube blowout and leaks which pose a threat to workers and plant efficiency/costs.
• Over-tightened fittings can damage the body of the fitting; this is commonly observed when the nut is difficult or impossible to thread onto the body. Over-tightened fittings also reduce the total number of remakes achievable for the fitting due to over-swaging the ferrules.
• Both under and over-tightening of fittings prevent the ferrules from working as they are designed to, which could lead to a blowout.

3. Installation training provides a solid understanding of proper safety measures to ensure a safe working environment. Take, for example, how to properly bleed a system of built up pressure. At first glance, this is a straightforward, simple principle. However, without proper training, this basic task poses the risk of putting workers in danger. Loosening the nut to bleed system pressure is dangerous because if the pressure shears off the threads, the tubing will blowout.

A Swagelok® Tube Fitting Installation training class prepares your team to operate in the safest environments while providing the plant with lower operating costs by reducing leaks. Swagelok Georgia | Jacksonville stands behind Swagelok tube fittings and believes every fluid system is capable of 0% leakage. Our goal is to enter this journey with you and, in turn, educate and provide solutions that are in the best interest of your facility.