Have you ever used a piece of equipment with a pp fitting? Sometimes they are also called quick disconnect connectors or couplings. If you have used them at some point you know how convenient, effective and noteworthy they are for many applications. If you have never used this piece of equipment, it is definitely worth learning more about them because they are easy to implement and versatile. Most fitting come in three shapes straight, tee or 90° elbow, but they are not limited to these shapes. The purpose of this type of fitting is to be able to disconnect two parts without disrupting the pressure of the contents in the tube or pipe and reconnect them just as easily.

Besides easy on and easy off what makes quick disconnect couplings so beneficial and helpful to so many industries? First of all, safety, no machines are needed to disconnect the tube or hose from the fitting everything can be done and controlled by hand. Having full control over the connecting and disconnecting insures no slip of a button and less man power is needed. Another safety feature is the fitting holds all pressure and does not let gas or liquid escape the hose or tube when it is disconnected. Therefore, when removing no bleeding, purging air or recharging is necessary. The disconnection can be done easily and promptly.

So where can these fittings be found and how much do they cost? The answer for both of these questions varies vastly. To find one of these products you can look near or far, as far as kilometers underwater used in drilling operations or high in orbit around earth, for docking spacecraft. Also, you are able to find them as close as walking into a garage and finding a pp fitting on the air hose attached to the air compressor. Cost can also vary considerably, all depending on the size, application and material. As you can imagine, underwater drilling will employ a larger fitting than a small air hose used in a mechanics garage. Additionally, materials may change because of corrosive materials present or extreme temperatures.

The pp fittings are used as high as space and as deep down as drilling wells these fittings are used across a plethora of industries. A few of these industries are water transport, chemical industries and pluming in addition to the examples already presented. Where have you found pp fittings useful? Limiting the examples to only a few industries does not begin to show the helpfulness and versatility of these components that can make the task at hand so much easier. Share your fitting stories with us and what application it was used for.