How do I select the right coupling?

(video spoken in Dutch)

Safety

When disconnecting a compressed air quick coupling, the energy stored in the hose can cause it to whip dangerously, potentially damaging goods or injuring people. Serious and even fatal accidents have occurred. For this reason, health and safety regulations require that hoses must be safely disconnected from the compressed air quick coupling — by venting them first and only then removing them from the coupling.

Never underestimate what compressed air can do, both for you and against you!

Health and safety legislation requires the use of safety quick couplings for compressed air. If you do not have these installed, they must be included in your Risk Inventory & Evaluation (RI&E) and your Action Plan (PVA).

In the event of an accident, the employer is deemed negligent and is legally liable — and may not be insured for consequential damages. You cannot hide behind an uninformed health and safety officer who fails to point out the unsafe compressed air quick couplings. In the event of an accident, you are personally responsible.

Safe venting and noise control

Health and safety legislation also sets requirements for noise and the venting of air flow. To keep the sound pressure level below the required 80 dB(A), the air may only be released indirectly and must not create a hazardous air jet. The safe quick couplings from Stäubli, Prevost and Lüdecke comply with these requirements.

Use hardened plugs

A great deal of money is lost due to leaking quick couplings and the replacement costs that follow. However, the real culprit often goes unnoticed: the plug. In normal daily use, a plug is frequently dropped on the floor, and if it is made of a soft material such as brass or non-hardened steel, it will become damaged.

A damaged plug will destroy the seal inside your quick coupling — and that is how leakage begins. We tend to replace the leaking quick coupling, but never the damaged plug, because after all, “the plug isn’t leaking”.

Conclusion: Pay a little more for hardened steel plugs and prevent expensive leakage and frequent replacements. All plugs from Stäubli and Prevost are hardened and will not be damaged under normal use. This is one of the reasons why we can offer warranty on our quick couplings.