Making sure your fluids make it safely from one place to another is crucial in hydraulics. Losing the fluids can lead to a malfunctioning machine and losing money. There are safety problems that a leak can create too, such as tripping hazards. Unfortunately, leaks can happen, and they often appear at the weakest point in any hydraulic system: where two pipes join together. This is why people have invented many ways to screw together pipes and hoses that are leak-proof. One of the most popular ways is the ORB fitting.
What It Is
ORB stands for O-ring Boss, and it is a way to create a seal between to fluid-bearing pipes so that it doesn’t leak. The system requires that a male-threaded pipe is screwed into a female-threaded pipe, and then a nut is tightened over an o-ring in a chamfered area (a depressed spot where the two pipes meet) in the female-threaded pipe. The male pipe has the o-ring and the female pipe has the chamfer and a machined edge. These types of pipes are popular in hydraulics, vacuum pumps, and compressed air systems.
This is similar to the National Pipe Thread system, where a male-threaded pipe is screwed into a female-threaded pipe, but no o-ring is involved in the NPT systems. Instead, pipe seal tape or pipe seal paste is sometimes used to ensure a seal. JIC 37 degree pipes have a similar threading but work differently.
Know Before You Replace
If you have an ORB seal, the pipes may not fit well with pipes meant for the National Pipe Thread or JIC pipes, so you will want to check what type of piping you have before you get a replacement.
They come in a range of fitting sizes, thread sizes, and dash sizes. This is another thing that will have to match exactly in order to ensure a perfect fit.
Benefits
ORB fittings have a couple of advantages and benefits.
- They are tightened before they are sealed so that you can be sure of the fit before locking them into place.
- ORB systems can be turned in any orientation so it can work in many set-ups.
- The pipes are mechanically held in place so it stays still while you screw the o-ring in.
- SAE ORB fittings can be used over and over in different applications.
- They provide an excellent seal against leaks. In fact, the National Fire Protection Association recommends it for preventing drips even in medium to high pressure applications.
How Custom Hose Can Help
We are a small, local company that is dedicated to providing local businesses with the hydraulic hoses that they need. There are a few ways we do this.
- We sell a variety of parts at our walk-in store in Bloomington, including O-ring kits.
- Our technicians can fabricate non-standard hose fittings of any size, so you can have them made to fit your exact needs. We can do this both at the store and at your business.
- Anything we fabricate is brazed with high-quality silver and precision machined so that our parts last.
- We can provide many metrics and thread types.
- Our fabricating abilities extend to our mobile service, which can replace or fix 1/8 in ID to 2 in ID 5,000 PSI hoses, fittings, and quick couplers at your place of business.
- Our fleet of vans can come out to fix or replace malfunctioning fittings 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
ORB fittings show up everywhere in industries using hydraulic hose, and Custom Hose has a lot of experience in providing and maintaining them. We look forward to providing you with our expertise. Contact us if you are in the Twin City area and need an ORB any time.