The flexible pneumatic hose can be used for complete compressed air piping systems direct from a compressor in a small shop or can be used off a main galvanised ring main in a larger shop.
Airlines
Airlines come in a variety of length and are available with or without fittings. It is always best to buy airlines with the fittings required as the airline fittings are secured in place at the factory meaning there is less chance of leaks. Replacement fittings can be used on existing hose, secured with a jubilee clip, but this may result in leaks.
Hoses are available with no fitting, plain male or female unions or a variety of coupling and adaptors. All PCL air hose has been rigorously tested and have a safe working pressure of 21 bar.
PCL's air hose is a Rubber PVC Alloy (PTE) compound; it looks and feels like rubber but doesn't have the downsides associated with rubber. Some of the key benefits are;
- Excellent abrasion resistance
- Good flexibility and kink resistant
- Resistance to oil and fuels
- Silicone free
All hose assemblies supplied conform to SO 5774:2008 (BS 6066:1981) and exceeds BS EN ISO 2398:1997 (BS 5118:1980). It is always best to use approved components when dealing with compressed air to ensure your safety.
Airline Fittings
Air fittings can be so confusing!!! If you don’t know exactly what you want, just give us a call, sometimes it’s easier to talk it through!!
There are 2 main types of airline fittings that can go on the end of a hose. They are an adaptor and a coupling. People often mistaken call these male and female fittings. This is not correct. An adaptor can be a male or female, as can a coupling. The male / female relates to the thread on the component, not the airline fitting itself.
An adaptor goes into a coupling. It is normal to have an adaptor on the end of an air tool or tyre machine while the coupling sits on the end of the airline.
Depending on the fitting on your air tool or tyre changer, this will dictate if you need a male thread adaptor (thread extends out of the adaptor) or a female adaptor (thread is inside the adaptor). Exactly the same goes for the coupling component.
Air tools
There are a few popular air tools that are used in the tyre shop. Air buffing tools, cut off tools, grinders but most common is the Air impact wrench. Brace yourself, here is the definition of an Impact Wrench;
“In operation, a rotating mass is accelerated by the motor, storing energy, then suddenly connected to the output shaft, creating a high-torque impact, hence the name. The hammer mechanism is designed such that after delivering the impact, the hammer is again allowed to spin freely, and does not stay locked. The process is similar to a conventional hammer, where the user applies a small, constant force to swing the hammer, which generates a very large impact when the hammer strikes an object.).”
We carry a variety of Impact wrenches with varying anvil sizes and max torque ratings. ½” square drive Impact wrenches with standard or heavy duty torque settings right up to a 1” drive commercial air gun.
