Danish
ORFS-fitting – The leak free industrial O-ring fitting
In 1980, a new industrial fitting was developed, which has made it much easier to handle liquids and gas in the industry. The O-ring face seal (ORFS) fitting was introduced to eliminate leakage, most commonly seen in high pressure hydraulic systems with multiple mechanical bursts. The ORFS fitting is named after its design function namely an o-ring that provides a more reliable seal than a traditional metal-to-metal pipe fitting.
Why choose a O-ring fitting?
In the 40 years that the ORFS fitting has existed, it has managed to build up a good reputation in the industry due to a number of benefits you get using ORFS fittings.
- Reliable connection seal
- "Zero clearance" - which makes it easy to mount and dismount fitting without having to cut or bend the pipe.
- Resistant to distortion
- Resistant to vibrations
- "Flat face" and elastomer gasket which can be used again and again.
There is a large selection of different ORFS fittings on the market, all of which are more reliable than metal-to-metal fittings. Parker has spent several years making their Seal-Lok ORFS fittings even better by eliminating potential problems and expanding the capacity of the fitting.
Trap-Seal solves problems with o-ring
The technology behind Trap-Seal tries to solve the problems that can arise when using standard ORFS fittings.
- O-ring falls out. It happens that an o-ring falls out of the fitting. This can happen either when it is in stock or when it is to be mounted. Sometimes you may discover that the o-ring has fallen out, but this is not always the case - only when it has started to leak.
- O-ring pops out of groove. When mounting, o-rings can sometimes pop out of the groove and become squised askew.
Trap-Seal technology has solved these two problems by creating a trapezoidal design that holds the o-ring in place and ensures maximum safety for leak-free connections.
As ORFS fittings are developed for high-pressure systems, there is also often a great chance that the system will be exposed to a harsh environment where corrosion can occur. It is therefore important to be aware of the corrosion resistance of the ORFS fitting when choosing the fitting. Parker offers standard plating in steel with ToughShield for the Seal-Lok series. Tests have shown that ToughShield provides up to 1000 hours of corrosion resistance, which is 10 times more than the requirement of the SAE standard. This surpasses all others on the market.
ORFS fittings tackle new markets and applications
Parker has developed different versions of their ORFS fitting so to adapt to different industries and their issues that others playing in the market have not managed to solve yet. Below are examples of different versions:
Seal-Lok for the CNG (compressed natural gas) market - using an elastomeric seal specially designed for the natural gas market, this ORFS fitting improves ozone resistance and supports a wider temperature range (-40° to 300° F)
Seal-Lok Xtreme - This ORFS fitting has a patented metal seal that expands the temperature and chemical capacity of the fitting. Seal-Lok Xtreme can withstand temperatures from -328° up to 1200° F.
Parker offers many different designs within ORFS fittings, but only the Seal-Lok design has managed to reach the next level within reliable and leak-free fittings. ORFS fittings are also available for hydraulic hoses.
