Edmonton Valve & Fitting Blog

You want the performance of stainless steel tubing, but the flexibility of hose. Swagelok has the solution: FX Series metal hose.

Swagelok FX hose is specifically designed for high pressure chemical, compressed gas, cryogenic, hydrogen & fuel cell, marine, oil & gas, power, and pulp & paper applications.

Flexible hose with the strength of steel

Meet Swagelok's FX Series metal hose, a double-braided hose series offering 1/4-inch to 2 inch nominal hose sizes with a temperature range of –325 to 1000°F (–200 to 537°C) and working pressure ranges from vacuum to 6000 psig through vacuum to 1122 psig.

It's all corrosion-resistant metal, from the 316L stainless steel annular convoluted core to the 321 stainless steel double braid layers to the 316 stainless steel end connections, which are welded to the 304 stainless steel collar. It can handle high pressure corrosive environments, high-temperature vacuum environments, and is an excellent choice anywhere permeation is undesirable.

Range of end connection options

You have your choice of end connections: Swagelok Tube Adaptors, Swagelok Tube Fittings, female VCO O-ring Face seals, SAE 37-degree (JIC) female swivels, female pipe threads, male pipe threads and tube butt welds. And, as with many other Swagelok hoses, you can get optional hose covers, hose tags and helium leak testing.

Assembly

There's a second kind of flexibility that comes with our hose: the flexibility to have our certified technicians provide and assemble components to meet your exacting requirements. We can provide high-volume tube bending and swaging, orbital welding, custom hose cutting and end connection selection.

Get the literature or get in touch

Good news: In one step you can get the Swagelok hose and flexible tubing catalogue, Hose Quick Look poster, and six product test reports. The catalogue contains detailed information on Swagelok's FX Series metal hose starting on page 11:

In a hurry or have a question? Please click here to get in touch.

Rentals cost a fraction of the purchase price, and we can train you too

Edmonton Valve has you covered for whatever tools you need for the job, ranging from tube benders and swaging units to straighteners and cone & thread tools (pictured above). Just let us know what your needs are and will help you get the job done. 

You don't need to be wealthy to have a wide range of good tools at your disposal. Just come to Edmonton Valve & Fitting, and we'll rent out what you need to build and maintain a high-quality fluid system. You pay only for the time you use the tool, whether that's a month, a week or only a few hours.

We previously mentioned how you could rent our orbital welding equipment. Here are some of the other popular and useful tools in our rental stock:

Tube benders

We have several varieties of tube benders. There's a handheld model for light work, a benchtop bender for more involved jobs, and an electric bender for the heavy stuff up to 2 inches in diameter. If you aren't sure which is right for you, tell us about your project and we'll help you choose.

Swaging units

You'll also speed up the job by renting one of our hydraulic swaging units to pre-swage Swagelok tube fitting ferrules onto tubing prior to assembly. The final assembly will take less time and less torque. In fact, you can't get by without one when working with any fitting over one-inch in diameter. It's a popular tool on construction jobs because you can get a lot of work done without wearing out your arms.

Straighteners

Our two-plane tube straightener can relieve a lot of frustration if you are unspooling tubing from a coil and you want it to lie flat, such as when you are installing a steam tracing line on a process pipe. The straightener uses a series of ten rollers, five oriented horizontally and five vertically, to do the job. The straightener does have it's limits — you can't use it to take out a 90-degree bend. But if you drop some tubing and put a "wow" in it, this is the tool to get you back on course.

Cone and thread tools

If you've read our posts on high-pressure connections, you know that our heavy-walled tubing and fittings require a threaded tubing end. We're glad to prepare the ends right here in our shop, but sometimes you need to do it in the field because you aren't sure what lengths you'll need until you are at the site. With our cone and thread tools, you'll be ready to go.

Training

If you don't regularly use these tools, you might feel a bit rusty when it comes to best practices. Or maybe you are getting ready to use some of them for the first time. We can train you on all of them. We want your job to go smoothly, and we want you to take good care of our tools

Availability

We keep an eye on demand and try to stock enough of everything, so that we have the tools you need, when you need it. However, the more advance notice you can give us, the better. If we need to, we can even call another Swagelok distributor so we can borrow their tools.

If your job takes you longer than expected, you can hang on to our tools until you finish the job. We'll automatically switch you from the daily rate to the weekly rate if that turns out to save you money. You may even discover that you have enough work to justify buying a tool instead of renting it. If that is the case, we'll be glad to sell it to you.

Send us an email about your equipment rental inquiries and we will get you started!

Additional resources:

• New Training Centre Has Plenty Of Room For Learning
• Small Bore Tubing Has Big Advantages Over Piping
• Which Swagelok Parts Went to Which Job? RoboCrib Keeps Track

The hard case and foam cutouts protect your tools and make them easy to find

To give your tools the protection they need, we suggest using our Instrumentation tool kit. Not only does this kit have all the equipment you need housed in one place, but it keeps your tools safe, both in the travel to and from job sites, and safe from other elements in your surroundings. If you want to learn more, send us a note and we would be happy to get you started. 

When you make an investment, it's smart to protect it. So how best to protect an investment in high-quality Swagelok tools? Buy the tools and the protection at the same time with our Instrumentation Tool Kit.

The hard plastic case from Pelican Products keeps tools safe from dirt and damage. Inside, each tool has its own cutout in the foam liner. You can tell at a glance whether everything has been returned to its proper place, and whether someone has borrowed a tool and not yet returned it. The lockable case is only about four inches thick, slim enough to slip under the seat of a truck.

Take a look inside

The Instrumentation Tool Kit has all you need to assemble the three most popular sizes of Swagelok tube fittings: 1/4 inch, 3/8 inch and 1/2 inch.

You get hand tube benders in three sizes, a deburring tool, a tube cutter, ratchet wrenches in three sizes, pre-swaging tools in three sizes, an inspection gauge, and tee wrenches in three sizes.

While you don't need any specialized tools to install Swagelok tube fittings, our tee wrenches and ratchet wrenches make the job easier and speed up the work. The pre-swaging tools allow you to prepare tubing on the bench and then take the assemblies to the field and put it all together. That can be very helpful if you are working in tight spaces, over your head or down by your feet.

To top off the deal, we include a copy of the Swagelok Tube Fitter's Manual, the go-to reference for fluid system engineers, designers, and technicians. Its 11 chapters cover all you need to know about tube fittings and fitting installation, with a balance of theory and practical examples. The manual also contains tubing specification and ordering information, troubleshooting tips, pressure ratings and more.

Far too many people simply toss their tools into a big box on the back of their truck. The tools rattle around and get lost under other tools. That makes no sense. When you have the right tools for the job, the next logical step is to have the right case for the tools. Get in touch with us today and we can help you get the necessary protection for your tools.

Additional resources:

• Forget Trial and Error; Take Our Tube Bending Course
• Swagelok Tube Fitter's Manual Updated and Revised
• Edmonton Valve's 5 Pillar Approach to Services

Cylinder assemblies take a beating in the field, so give them the attention they deserve

Edmonton Valve’s Cylinder Maintenance program will put your cylinders to the test with a visual inspection, assessment of threads, fittings, etc., and a full detailed report on their overall condition with recommendations for repairs and further testing if required. Contact us if you would like to set-up a discussion for your own cylinder maintenance program. 

Sample cylinder assemblies can face a rough life in the field. Unlike fittings or gauges, you don't just install them and leave them alone while they do their job, possibly for years. Cylinder assemblies go through an endless series of connecting and disconnecting and valves are continuously opening and closing. Valve stems are subject to wear over time as the seals are being exposed to different fluids, range of temperatures, and pressures.

The assembly may rattle around in a truck bed while being transported around the site. There's a lot of potential for sudden damage, such as someone dropping an assembly and breaking a valve handle, or long-term damage such as threads wearing out. Extreme cold weather that we have in Alberta definitely takes its toll too.

If you don't pay close enough attention to the wear and tear, leaks may develop at the connection points. In applications where a coating such as sulfinert is required, repeated use can wear away the coating and give you less accurate readings when the contents are analyzed.

Introducing our cylinder maintenance program

Just as you'd want a trained expert to inspect your car, trust the trained experts at Edmonton Valve & Fitting to inspect your cylinder assemblies. This year we have introduced our Cylinder Maintenance Program as one of our quality assurance services.

We will visually inspect your cylinders and any related assemblies, using a micrometer on the cylinder itself to ensure that the cylinder has not been deformed and is still within tolerance to operate safely under pressure. In our experience, sample cylinders tend to last a long time, but we have seen some instances of thread damage and rust or corrosion.

We'll assess the conditions of threads, needle valves, rupture disc valves, and fittings. When we're done, we'll write up a report for you, with detailed pictures of our findings. We'll make recommendations and, if you like, make repairs and tests.

Sample cylinders and their corresponding components all have a lifespan. This service is a great way to inspect these components to ensure they fall within certain safety parameters and guidelines.

All you have to do is decide how often you'd like us to perform an inspection (every three years or so is typical). One of our associates can visit your site to begin the conversation of a suitable starting point. This service is tailored to each specific customer and what results they are looking to achieve. We are excited about this new program and teaming up even more with our customers to provide a safe and efficient work environment. 

Request more information on this service here. 

Additional resources:

• Cylinders Are a Must For Grab Sample Systems
• Sample Cylinder Assemblies Offer Flexibility
• Edmonton Valve's 5 Pillar Approach to Services

We'll rent or sell the machines, and we'll teach you how to use them

Swagelok's Welding System M200 is available for rental purposes or for purchase. And if you're not sure how to use the machine, we can help you out with a training session to get you comfortable with the system. Just contact us and we will gladly help you out with your needs. 

There are times when you want to connect two pieces of tubing permanently rather than with a removable fitting. You could manually weld them together, but you'll get even better results with an orbital welder. That's because the computer-controlled machine precisely guides the welding electrode in a circle around the joint. The machine doesn't get tired either, so the last weld of the day will be just as good as the first.

The process is also known as Gas Tungsten Arc Welding, or GTAW. Lightweight, portable equipment makes it easy to do the work right at the job site.

Edmonton Valve & Fitting has a welder waiting for you, and we'll teach you how to use it.

Touch-screen ease

The Swagelok Welding System M200 power supply offers an easy-to-use touch-screen for trouble-free data entry and uncomplicated viewing of information. The screen layouts are simple to follow. You can program variables such as weld current and electrode speed, then track each weld. The Windows-based system monitors the welding, captures and compiles data in real time, and electronically transfers it from the welder to a computer. That makes documentation easy too.

Watch and learn

Just because a machine is automatic doesn’t mean it automatically does the job correctly. The quality of the work still depends on the skill of the operator. Even the fanciest orbital welding machine can't tell you if you need ordinary stainless steel tubing or more specialized material.

We offer a four-hour training course to get you up to speed.

The course is a mix of lecture and hands-on practice. We'll explain all the parts — the power supply, the fixture block, the welding head and more. We'll show you what a good smooth weld looks like (flat, not concave or convex). You'll learn how the machine reacts to different inputs. The level of the arc current, for example, controls weld penetrations. Travel speed affects both the width and the penetration of the weld.

Then you'll get a chance to hook up the power supply yourself, prepare some tubing for welding, and put the machine through its paces.

We don't rush you, because we know that proper setup is the key to good welding.

Rent or buy

You have two options: renting or buying the equipment.

If you're renting and have some experience operating an orbital welder, we may still ask a few questions such as when you last used a welder, and whether you've rented from us in the past. We'll also probably want to know what size of material you are welding, as that determines which of several heads to use. Then we might ask about wall thickness, which could determine which electrode is best.

As with any rental agreement, you assume responsibility for any damage, but we want to reduce the chances of you having any problems. If we aren't sure about your level of expertise, we'll insist that you take the training class.

Usually we can have a welder ready for you with only a couple of weeks notice. If you want to buy, it may take a little longer. But that extra time means you have more flexibility on scheduling the training class.

We'll be glad to tell you more. Send us a note through our website or call us at 780-437-0640

Additional resources:

• New Classes Offer Hands-On Training for IPT Fittings 
• Your Checklist for Tubing Quality
• Nice Looking Threads, but What Size Are They?

Stop by our booth #1076 to talk about hose, Grab Sample Modules and watch burst demonstrations

We are looking forward to heading south to Calgary for the 2018 Global Petroleum Show from June 12th - 14th. Not only are we teaming up with our friends at Calgary Valve & Fitting but with many Swagelok associates from across North America. Make sure you register to come to the show before May 31st for Early bird pricing - see you there!

Once again, Edmonton Valve & Fitting will join forces with other Swagelok affiliates for the big Global Petroleum Show in Calgary from June 12 through 14. We'll be in our usual spot: booth 1076, right inside the doors of Hall A. We'll have 16 people manning the booth in shifts, so you will find a knowledgeable fluid system expert any time from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the first two days, and until 4 p.m. on the third day.

If you haven't been to the GPS in the past, you've been missing the leading exhibition and conference for oil and gas professionals. More than 50,000 trade professionals attend GPS, while more than 100 industry leading experts share their knowledge and understanding across the event’s expansive line-up of conference sessions.

The Swagelok advantage

At our booth we'll have Swagelok hose products on display, along with grab sample panels.

We're also excited to talk to you about MEP services, where we concentrate on three areas in a plant. The first is rotating equipment such as pumps and compressors. We have the specialized fittings that make working on those systems easier, such as Thermowell Tees to reduce the number of welds and up-sizing of pipe.

The second area is energy management and utilities. The third area is conversion from traditional piping to small bore tubing (2-inches and smaller).

Throughout the show we try to have some senior representatives in the booth, so you can have a serious conversation and expect to come away with some solid information. If we can't answer your question on the spot, we'll get your contact information and get back to you as soon as we can.

So excited we could 'burst'

We will also have our burst chamber on-hand that we use in our Swagelok Total Support training classes. Our Swagelok booth staff will be running demos and you can test your skills with pulling up a tube fitting and see what pressure the tubing bursts. We suggest you compete with your peers and see who has the higher burst pressure!

So stop by, say hello, and gather some free information and expertise.We look forward to seeing you in June.

For more on this topic, see:

• Seal Support Simplified: Call Edmonton Valve & Fitting
• Anatomy of a Swagelok Hose: What's Going on Inside and Out
• A Customer View on Edmonton's Tube Fitting & Installation Training

Free up labour while easily tracking where parts are being used

Fred Wedgewood, one of our mobile inventory truck drivers in the Edmonton area, shows off a Swagelok elbow in his Kenworth truck. If you want more information on our Inventory Management System and how we can partner this service with your business, contact us!

Can you think of a few places you'd rather deploy your labour force than on managing your parts inventory? At the same time, maybe you aren't ready to go all in on a high-tech product like the Robocrib system?

Not to worry. Edmonton Valve & Fitting has you covered with our Inventory Management System.

Simple tools

Our Inventory Management System requires only a smart phone and a handheld scanner to get you started. All you need to do is scan the barcode on the bin each time you take a part. Whenever you want, you can generate reports detailing how many of each component you are using, and where they are being used.

We'll drive our mobile inventory truck to your site on a regular basis and fill all the bins with the components you need. It's a dual-axle Kenworth truck, so you don't have to worry about us bringing enough to replenish your supply.

When the restocking order has been processed, our drivers are able to generate a priced packing slip on the spot and electronically send the information back to Edmonton Valve. This system reduces errors, saves time, and leaves the customer knowing exactly what they have received.

We can track what you are using and make sure you get timely refills.

Good for secure sites

Our inventory management system is a good option for locations where you don't have customers or contractors walking through the site, and you can operate it on the honor system.

In a fab shop, for instance, you don't have to wait for workers to tell you afterward what parts they have used. Just call up the ID number of the job, and you have an instant bill of materials.

This system is not product dependent. As long as the part has a bar code, you can track it.

We'll be glad to tell you more. Send us a note through our website or call us at 780-437-0640.

For more on this topic, see:

• Mobile Warehouse Brings Swagelok Parts to Far-Flung Locales
• Edmonton Valve Merchandisers Don't Just Deliver Product
• Are Your Fluid Systems Skating on Thin Ice?

You get Swagelok quality made locally by specially trained hose experts

All that's missing from our hose cell is your customized hose being pressured tested, and we test every hose before it leaves our building to make sure it meets the standard. Get in touch with us today and we can help get that custom hose started. 

Custom made in Edmonton

One great thing about having our own hose department right here in Edmonton is that we can quickly turn out all sorts of custom jobs. (You might hear us calling it our hose cell; it means the same thing.)

Whether you need a hose that's precisely 93 inches or 100 feet, we can make it for you. If you'd like a Swagelok fitting on one end and an NPT fitting on the other, we have everything in stock to put it together. There's no waiting for a factory to send us special parts.

More than half of our customers also ask us to tag each hose. We have a stainless steel tag that will hold four lines at 20 characters per line. That's plenty of room for a wide variety of information such as the date the hose was tested, its pressure rating, its part number or anything else you want to list. And if you don't want stainless tags, we have matte tags too.

We can also add a cover, such as stainless overbraid for a teflon hose.

Whatever you order, you get a one-piece solution that's ready to install. In some cases we can get it to you the same day you order it.

Local & trusted expertise

It takes special training to build hose properly. Our experts are trained by Swagelok, so you know you can trust them. They've been taught how to safely build and test each hose, making sure it meets your needs and our tight tolerances.

We have one person dedicated entirely to building hose, and six others who can step in as demand requires. They've been pretty busy lately, but they would be glad to fill your order as well. Tell us what you need by calling 780-437-0640 or sending us a note through our website.

Additional resources:

• What Goes into a Swagelok Hose, and How to Treat Them Well
• Always Looking to Innovate with Our Customer's in Focus
• 7 Facts Edmonton Valve Knows about Hose!

In a hurry or have a question? Please click here to get in touch - we respond fast! Or call 780-437-0640

Stop at our booth on April 25 and 26 to check out Swagelok products and ask all the questions

For years Edmonton Valve has been a proud sponsor of the International Society of Automaton (ISA) Edmonton section. Come by and see us at booth #1032 to check out some of Swagelok's new offerings. 

One of North America’s largest automation events returns to Edmonton on April 25th and 26th: the ISA Automation Expo & Conference. Edmonton Valve & Fitting will be among the exhibitors at Edmonton Expo Centre. You can find us at our usual hangout booth 1032, to the far right of the first row as you enter the exhibit hall.

Lots of Swagelok to see

At our booth #1032 you can take a close look at several products, including our grab sample panels, variety of Swagelok hoses, and 60 Series Ball Valves. We even got our Custom Solutions department to make up an unique piece so make sure you stop by to see what it is!

And some of your favourite Swagelok account managers will be on-hand to ask your fluid system questions to - it's a great opportunity to get that one-on-one time. 

About AEC

The International Society of Automation Edmonton Section launched the expo back in 1980. For many years it was known as the ISA Exhibit & Conference. Aside from chance to see more than 175 exhibitors, the conference is an opportunity to network and collaborate with thousands of automation, instrumentation and control systems professionals from a diverse range of global industries including: petroleum, mining, power, water & wastewater, forestry, agriculture and more. Then there's the conference portion, featuring internationally renowned speakers and local experts.

We hope to see you there, doors open both days at 10am! And if you need more information, contact us!

For more on this topic, see:

• Edmonton Valve's Fresh Take on Giving Back to the Community: 
• Hose Flexibility: Edmonton Valve's Team Handles the Job In-House
• Your Checklist for Tubing Quality

This computerized vending machine tracks inventory and issues real-time reports

Edmonton Valve not only can help you get your inventory back on track with the RoboCrib system but we can vouch for it as we use the system ourselves with our Custom Solutions department to assist with inventory on our different projects. 

If your company has different budgets for different jobs on site, or you are a contractor running several jobs at once, it can be a chore to keep track of which parts are going where. Several of our customers have solved that problem with a parts vending machine called RoboCrib. It tracks inventory, issues real-time reports and frees up staff to do other jobs.

We can set up RoboCrib in a variety of sizes so you can store anywhere from 500 to 2,000 parts. The bins also are easy to reconfigure, so one machine can dispense parts as small as a single tube fitting, as large as a sample cylinder, or even bigger. The footprint of the largest of its models measures slightly more than five feet by five feet.

Tracking software

When someone needs a part, all they have to do is login on RoboCrib's touch screen with their username and password. You can set up RoboCrib so that different people have different authorizations as to which parts they can take, by part number, by job number or by purchase order.

RoboCrib brings the right part to the front and automatically opens the vending door, all in less than 10 seconds. You don't need to pay one of your own people to stand there handing out safety glasses or tube fittings, and jotting down all the relevant information.

You can set other limits too, such as how many items can be taken out per day, week or month. You can limit access by dollar amount, departmental budget, or time restrictions by shift. RoboCrib can send instant alerts to management when a job is using an abnormal number of components.

In all there are 150 different reports pre-designed and built into the system. If a contractor needs to bill a customer, there's no need to wait for a worker to turn in a ticket. All the information is stored in RoboCrib.

You don't even have to fill up the bins when inventory runs low. We'll come to your site with fresh inventory as often as once a week if needed with our mobile inventory services. 

Locker assignments

The company that makes RoboCrib also makes the AutoLocker for items such as laptops, iPads, power tools, gauges or any asset that needs to be tracked. Like the RoboCrib, the AutoLocker has a touchscreen for entering usernames and passwords. It's a modular system, so you don't have to get more lockers than you need. The locker modules are available in 12 different sizes for even further customization. You can even get a version with a power-charging option, so your workers will always have a fresh charged in the tool they need.

Probably the best endorsement of these systems is the fact that once they are set up, our customers stick with it. One has been using RoboCrib since 2006.

We’ll be happy to give you all the details. A quick call to 780-437-0640 is all it takes to get started, or you can send us a note through our website.

For more on this topic, see:

• Need Extra Protection for Hose? We Have You 'Covered'
• Insulated Tubing Gives You Temperature Control
• Are Your Fluid Systems Skating on Thin Ice?