New Orleans-based metal fastening specialist Production Fastening Systems (PFS) is pleased to announce that the company has been was awarded a US Patent (#9,732,884) for its innovative Tube Separation Assembly (T-SEP™) system.
Since its inception in 2000, PFS’ T-SEP™ Assembly has continued to evolve, while keeping one goal: preventing crevice corrosion by efficiently fastening, aligning, separating, and elevating pneumatic tubing in one assembly.
PFS’s pneumatic tube separation assembly is designed to maintain a separation within pneumatic tube delivery systems while significantly reducing the opportunity for crevice corrosion.
Traditionally, parallel runs of pneumatic tubing have been separated through the use of ‘saddles’ or ‘notching’; a method that is effective in terms of tube separation, but allows corrosive elements to gather at the points of separation or beneath the tube.
Furthermore, the saddle / notch method creates many difficulties in the installation process.
Without a snap-in-place aspect, other locking systems require multiple persons / hands to hold the tubing in place until the top retainer is ready to be fastened.
The T-SEP™ Assembly’s unique design allows harmful offshore elements (salt water, salt spray, chlorides, etc.) to escape the tubing before corrosion can develop.
Through diligent research and utilisation of evolving technology, PFS stands by the T-SEP™ assembly as the most efficient method of pneumatic tube separation.
The latest version of the T-SEP™ Assembly is the non-metallic version which is designed to maintain a 3/16in separation within pneumatic tube delivery systems while still significantly reducing the opportunity for crevice corrosion by avoiding metal-to-metal contact with the tubing.
Every surface that makes contact with the tubing is both non-metallic and utilises a round-on-round geometry to limit surface contact and maximise the opportunity to inspect the contact points.
This also allows for effective application of fresh water cleansing from time to time. The other elements of the assembly that do not make contact with the tubing (flat bar and mounting hardware) are manufactured out of stainless-steel grade 316.
Founded in 1987, PFS has become a well-established stud welding distributor that has now been serving the offshore, shipbuilding, and steel fabrication industries for 30 years.
In addition to the superior quality stud welding equipment and materials we distribute arc stud and capacitor discharge stud welders, tube separation assemblies, weld studs, cable hangers and more.
PFS is a leader in new technologies within our industry. Over the years, we have introduced several new and revolutionary products: pneumatic tube supports (PFS SLP-type); pneumatic channel brackets (PTCB); grating fasteners; and the PFS slotted cable hanger, our best-selling product, which has enjoyed a ‘zero rejection’ reputation since 1991.
Today, these metal fastening products are specified and used by the offshore fabrication, shipbuilding, and steel fabrication industries all over the world.
For more information about the T-SEP™ Assembly and the Non-Metallic Tube Spacers, please contact Production Fastening Systems using the enquiries form on this page.