Intermix and Interchange
Intermix and Interchange of Tube Fittings: Consider the Facts
Customers occasionally bring us failed or damaged tube fitting assemblies and ask us to adapt or provide replacement components. If the fitting is from another manufacturer, we'll ask one important question: are you able to replace the entire connection with a new Swagelok tube fitting? If the answer is no, we'll direct them to seek remedy from the original manufacturer of the fitting.
Intermix and/or interchange of tube fitting components is a dangerous practice. Leak-tight seals that will withstand high pressure, vibration, vacuum, and temperature changes depend on close tolerances and consistent, exacting quality control in conjunction with sound design principles. The critical interaction of precision parts is essential for reliability and safety.
Our Policy
No manufacturer can reliably and uniformly replicate the products of another, making it poor practice to intermix / interchange tube fittings – including, but not limited to ferrules, nuts, and fitting bodies – from various manufacturers. There is no industrywide commercial design standard for tube fittings. Components of other manufacturers may look like Swagelok tube fitting components, but they cannot be manufactured in accordance with Swagelok engineering standards, nor do they benefit from innovations in design and precision manufacturing defined by more than 45 Swagelok tube fitting patents issued since 1989.
We ask you to consider these additional factors when contemplating this critical decision:
- Each manufacturer follows its own standards and processes
- An intermixed / interchanged fitting is essentially a new, untested design
- Intermixing components would eliminate the CRN (Canadian Registration Number)
- Some manufacturers will "guarantee" an intermixed / interchanged tube fitting, but they will claim no effective responsibility or remedy when poor performance occurs
- The Swagelok Limited Lifetime Warranty will become void
Third Party Opinion
Further, independent third party review on the subject of intermix / interchange of tube fittings can be found in the Journal of Engineering Design, Vol. 10, No. 4, authored by Musa Mihseiin and Mike D. Seymour.
”Experimental tests and finite element analysis has shown that the swaging and sealing mechanisms of fittings are different despite seeing geometric similarities. It was evident that no two companies produced components to the same dimensional or metallurgical specification and that pressure testing alone should not be used as the only means of validation.”
Swagelok Tube Fitting Advantage
The unfailing reliability of the Swagelok® tube fitting is the result of our proven design, manufacturing excellence, and superior raw materials. These advantages, along with the care of our dedicated associates, quality culture, and unrivalled experience, all work together to ensure that every Swagelok fitting meets our customers’ highest expectations for safety and dependability. To learn more about the differentiation of the Swagelok tube fittings, watch our four part video series: