Manufacturing according to standard of hydraulic fittings

The world of hydraulic fittings is wide and very varied, as it includes different types of fittings that differ from each other in terms of type, application, dimensions, materials and other aspects.
In particular, in the Gnali Bocia catalog there are different types of hydraulic fittings that allow to meet the needs of customers in order to create systems that comply with the regulations and guarantee the safety of buildings and people who are nearby. The products, made within the company's Brescia factories, are subsequently marketed all over the world and range from applications for domestic to industrial systems, ensuring functionality and efficiency.

The main material for making the hydraulic fittings is brass, which is an alloy of copper and zinc. Why does the choice mainly fall on this material? Brass, generally referred to in the plural as the characteristics are highly variable based on the chemical composition and the alloy used, are widely known alloys in the production and application sector. Despite having a high density (greater than that of steel), they have a number of characteristics that make them suitable for the realization of hydraulic fittings:
- High melting temperature: well above 1000 ° C, it allows fluids to be transported even at high temperatures without incurring problems such as hot corrosion, creep and the presence of partial melts;
- Ductility and malleability: these are important characteristics because they testify to the possibility of suitably forming the material on the basis of the product to be obtained, without risking cracks or other types of damage;
- Corrosion resistance: it is a fundamental characteristic for this type of applications because continuous (or intermittent) contact with water and other fluids can create very corrosive environments that can damage components, compromising their regular operational functioning;
- Machinability to machine tools: it is a technological property that further improves the production possibilities related to the use of this material.
An important role is played by zinc which influences in a decisive way, on the basis of its percentage, the characteristics of the alloy.

As previously discussed in other descriptions, the main process used for the production of hydraulic fittings is forging, that is a process of hot plastic deformation that allows to obtain a morphological modification starting from a bar. Subsequently, cutting operations are carried out on CNC machines and surface finishing that allow to obtain a finished product in accordance with the law, which respects the tolerances and reflects the customer's needs.

In addition to the use of brass described previously, another material of considerable importance for the construction of hydraulic fittings is steel. It is an iron and carbon alloy containing numerous elements that modify the mechanical and performance characteristics of the components that are produced with this material. The development and research on steel have led to the creation of numerous types that make it the most used material in the production field both for its variability of use and for the properties it presents.

There is, however, a main subdivision within:
- Carbon steels: characterized by iron, carbon and different percentages of alloying elements. They generally have a lower cost than stainless steels, as well as corrosion resistance. On the other hand, they are more easily machinable both during the casting phase and with machine tools, guaranteeing a simplified process and tolerances that are easier to respect.

- Stainless steels: they are characterized, in addition to the presence of iron and carbon, by high percentages of chromium and nickel. These elements, which considerably affect the price of the material, allow to increase the resistance to corrosion and make these materials particularly suitable for applications in aggressive environments, such as those in which hydraulic fittings are usually found.

Within these two macro categories there are a number of subgroups concerning:
- Alloy elements present: which strongly influence the obtainable properties;
- Main microstructures: the microstructural condition is a factor that determines both the mechanical properties and the thermal properties;
- Thermal treatments: strictly connected to the microstructures, they allow to vary the range of properties obtainable with the same chemical composition;
- Uses: each steel has specific characteristics that can be fundamental in some cases and deleterious in others.
As for the hydraulic fittings, the fundamental requirements concern resistance to corrosion and erosion, properties that can be easily obtained through the use of stainless steel. Carbon steel, however, has widely acceptable characteristics also in this field and is often used by exploiting the greater ease of processing.
The main processes are, even in the case of steel, plastic deformation operations followed by machining of chip removal on CNC machines. Finally, surface finishing operations are carried out to modify the roughness of the components by reducing the surface friction coefficient, the sliding and the load losses that can occur during operation. Finally, through the integrated quality control system, the properties of the products obtained are evaluated avoiding that any non-conformities can be put into operation and cause problems both to the structures and to the people present in the vicinity.

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