W E Couplings, the UK-based manufacturer of a wide range of industrial fittings, believes it now has the capacity to establish a world's first.
It has acquired the ability to crimp large bore hose assemblies up to 24", and it is understood that the Lancashire business is one of the first companies in the world to be able to do this.
‘’Small pumps are well catered for (up to 8”) but the larger ones require much bigger hoses, generally after 8” (10” upwards) the hoses have built-in ends which makes them more expensive, and have longer lead times and usually heavier,'' said Peter Hart, the company's managing director.
‘’We know three of these machines have been made, but we believe this is the first that has been fitted with a full set of dies that enables a faster hose assembly manufacture time up to 24” bore. We have taken orders worldwide for both water and oil hoses, and think many in the pumps industry worldwide will be interested in this new development.
''To our knowledge we believe we have the largest swaging capacity in the world, with internal swaging to 12" (300mm) bore and external swaging to 24" (600mm). We currently have seven external swaging machines and five internal machines. We have direct access to various hose manufacturers and carry extensive stocks to facilitate a speedy turnaround service. We have also developed a highly specialised 'Layflat' swage, to which we have had exceptional results.''