Many industries require the use of pipes and tubing in a flow system and therefore the ability to connect pipes and tubes without leakage is important. Read More…
Leading Manufacturers
Tube Bending Technology
Apple Valley, CA | 760-948-4220As tube fabrication experts, we can solve your fabrication problems with ease! We take our product quality seriously, as we started our company sourcing tube products for the Apollo project.
Sharpe Products
New Berlin, WI | 800-879-4418Founded in 1990, Sharpe Products is an ISO 9001:2015 certified company specializing in industrial and commercial pipe and tube bending, laser cutting, end-forming or other custom fabrication services. In addition, we offer a robust line of architectural handrail fittings and accessories such as brackets, connectors, disks, end-caps, flanges, newel caps and spheres.
Chicago Metal Rolled Products
Chicago, IL | 800-798-4504Chicago Metal Rolled Products is a tube fabricator specializing in tube bending, pipe bending, beams, channels, rolling, and we offer tube assemblies and pipe coils. Our sheet metal pipe fabrication includes welding and lockseaming. We provide the best in service, quality, delivery and value.
Unity Tube, Inc.
East Palestine, OH | 800-496-1364Unity Tube provides custom bending, coiling and fabrication services. From single piece prototypes to high volume production, we can do it all. Besides manufacturing helically wound finned tubing with a range of fit-to-tube attachment methods, we also offer precise tube forming and have the capabilities to design, cut, drill, flare, deburr, paint, finish and weld a quality product for you.
AWC Industries
Chicago, IL | 773-745-0116AWC Industries is your one stop source for metal fabrication and finishing. Specializing in tube fabrication and finishing as well as sheet metal and wire processes, our experienced engineers provide the quality craftsmanship you deserve using state of the art CNC machining. AWC we believe that outstanding customer service has and will always be the key to our continuing success.
American Metal Products
Portland, OR | 800-503-5060AMPCO provides quality custom tube and pipe bending services with seamless and wrinkle-free bends, as well as multiple bends and compound tooling. Our machines and technicians can handle tube diameters from 5/8” to 8” so call us today if you need one or 1,000 parts, and we’ll go to work for you.
Tube Flaring - STAM, Inc.Flaring creates a funnel shape at the end of the tube, which is designed to exactly match the dimensions of what the tube is being fitted against in order to create a tight seal. During the installation of the tube, the flare is matched exactly with a threaded fitting. The inside of the tube's flare fits against the cone-shaped end of the fitting.A flare nut then screws the fitting together and brings the flare flush against the joining component. This creates a tight seal between the two pieces and eliminates the need for a gasket between the tube and fitting.
Flaring is a similar process to tube swaging in that a seal is created between two previously unattached tubes and tube components. After joining, liquids and gases are then able to pass through the tube system securely. For tubes that are subject to more wear and tear and are used in rougher environments, double lap flaring can be implemented to make the tube end stronger and give the inner surface of the flare a slightly thicker diameter.
A common flaring tool is used to make both single and double flares, and the most used angle for both is 45°. A die block with holes in it is used for the process. The holes allow different diameters of tubing to be handled correctly. A clamp then locks the ends of the tube into the holes, and makes a clean cut at the end in order for the most precise flaring.
A yoke with a cone-shaped compressor is attached to the die block and fits over the top of the clamped tube end. A t-shaped handle is used to move the compressor screw into the tube under great pressure, forcing a single flare at the end of the tube. The size of the flare depends on how far the end of the tube extends beyond the clamp of the die block.
To create a double lap flare, the process is the same; however the tube is turned slightly by adapters to create the double lap. The process of flaring can be time consuming as the resulting flare has to be big enough to fit snugly against the fitting, but small enough to fit the flare nut threads accurately.