Training Tips: Hose and accessories
By Rich Vurva
Convenience, ease-of-use, efficiency and safety are among the trends driving product development in the hose and accessories market. Suppliers of hoses and fittings are concentrating much of their efforts on lightweight, flexible materials that allow users to get into tight spaces and around corners.
“Customers want a product that is reliable, reasonably priced and that they can get fast,” says Kevin Martin, key accounts manager with Hi-Tech Duravent.
He says that suppliers continually analyze markets and conduct research to evaluate the cost benefit ratio of investing in new technologies in order to compete in a specific growing market. “We understand that there is a need for quality, price and speed to market,” he says.
“Distributors/customers want to partner with a supplier that can operate on multiple levels, one that has the engineering and expertise to develop custom products as needed, one that has a reputation for consistently making quality products and one that can deliver products to market quickly. In my opinion, these are the underlying factors that help decide which products we offer and potentially develop,” adds Martin.
Manufacturers work closely with distributors and end-users to fine tune their product offerings, adds David Shumate, product manager for Senco.
“Often times the folks who work with the products the most help bring about changes to our existing offerings. We have a Dealer Support Team and a Jobsite Support Team that gets real-world feedback so that we can continue to develop products that bring the most benefits,” Shumate says.
He points to Senco’s hybrid polymer air hose as an example of a product that was introduced to improve an existing product without sacrificing performance or durability.
“We designed our new hybrid polymer air hose to allow the best qualities of existing air hoses. PVC air hoses have always been durable but lack necessary flexibility, especially in cold weather. Rubber air hoses are very flexible but susceptible to deteriorate when exposed to the elements. The hybrid polymer combines the best of both of these products to deliver a durable, long-lasting air hose that is flexible even in extreme cold,” Shumate says.
The hose is designed to be ultra flexible in temperatures down to -40 F, lays flat and will not kink under pressure, is rated to 300 PSI working pressure and uses reinforced bend restrictors.
In addition to the new hybrid air hose, Senco offers new swivel quick connect couplers and plugs. “These new air fittings will still allow for quick and easy connections for air hoses. They have been improved by allowing the fitting to swivel out of the way, helping end-users to get into tight spaces so they can get the job done without worrying about getting tangled in the hose,” Shumate says.
Timothy O’Neill, a product specialist with Kuriyama of America Inc., explains how new products that manufacturer develop sometimes solve specific problems. For example, the Tigerflex Voltbuster was the first and only lightweight, thermoplastic material handling hose that safely dissipates static charge in extremely high static applications.
The Voltbuster hose solves the problem of industrial hose propagating brush discharge, otherwise known as “hose arcing,” which occurs when the static generated inside the hose overloads the dielectric strength of the hose tube. Such discharges can not only cause workers to get “shocked” when touching the hose, but they may potentially create a fatal dust cloud explosion depending upon the material being transported through the hose.
“While some other thermoplastic hoses may dissipate some level of static, they’re generally light-duty ducting hoses, with much thinner tube walls, resulting in lower dielectric strengths,” O’Neill says. “Voltbuster’s patent pending design provides for the first and only known heavy-duty, abrasion resistant, thermoplastic material handling hose.”
Voltbuster can be used at any facility handling powders, plastics or other granular materials, offering a lightweight alternative to cumbersome metal and industrial rubber hoses. The hose is lightweight and flexible enough to maneuver without worker strain, he adds.
Boosting efficiency was a primary driver behind development of new products from Coilhose Pneumatics. For example, the CEG blowgun was released in 2011 after a complete redesign of the thumb lever blowgun (shown at right).
“Our engineering department took principles and technology from our Typhoon blowgun, and introduced them into a smaller package designed to replace your standard thumb lever blowgun,” says Philip Morris, international sales coordinator. “The CEG is operated in the same fashion as a traditional blowgun; it flows almost twice as much, consumes the same amount of air, is far more ergonomic, and is quieter.”
The blowgun uses the same tips as the standard version, and it doesn’t require any additional space in the user’s tool box, Morris adds.
This article originally appeared in the March/April 2014 issue of Industrial Supply magazine. Copyright 2014, Direct Business Media.
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