Heat exchangers play a vital role in various industries, from power generation to manufacturing and HVAC systems. While the tubes, fins, and overall design of heat exchangers often steal the spotlight, there is a crucial component that quietly ensures their functionality – body flanges. In this blog post, we will delve into the world of body flanges for heat exchangers, exploring their significance, types, materials, and maintenance.

Body flanges are the connectors that hold together the various components of a heat exchanger, forming a sealed unit. Their primary purpose is to:

1. Maintain Integrity: Body flanges keep the heat exchanger’s structure intact, preventing any leaks or disruptions in the flow of fluids.
2. Enable Easy Access: They facilitate the disassembly of the heat exchanger for maintenance, cleaning, and repairs without requiring extensive dismantling.
3. Ensure Safety: Properly designed and installed body flanges enhance the safety of the heat exchanger by minimizing the risk of accidents caused by leaks or pressure imbalances.

1. Weld Neck Flanges: These flanges have a long tapered neck that is butt-welded to the heat exchanger shell, providing excellent structural integrity and reducing stress concentration.
2. Slip-On Flanges: Slip-on flanges are slipped over the heat exchanger’s pipe end and then welded. They are easy to install and suitable for lower-pressure applications.
3. Socket Weld Flanges: Socket weld flanges are connected by inserting the pipe into the socket and then welding the joint. They are ideal for smaller heat exchangers or those operating at moderate pressures.
4. Blind Flanges: Blind flanges are used to close off the end of a pipe or heat exchanger tube. They are often used for inspection purposes or to isolate a section of the heat exchanger.
5. Lap Joint Flanges: Lap joint flanges consist of two parts – a stub end and a backing flange. They are easy to dismantle and are used when frequent disassembly is required.

Heat Exchanger Materials

The choice of material for body flanges is crucial, as it directly impacts the heat exchanger’s performance, durability, and resistance to corrosion. Common materials include:

1. Carbon Steel: Suitable for low to moderate temperatures and pressures, carbon steel flanges offer cost-effective solutions for many applications.
2. Stainless Steel: Stainless steel flanges are corrosion-resistant and ideal for heat exchangers operating in corrosive environments or at elevated temperatures.
3. Alloy Steel: Alloy steel flanges are used for specialized applications where enhanced strength and resistance to high temperatures are required.

Heat Exchanger Maintenance and Inspection

Proper maintenance of body flanges is essential to ensure the continued performance and safety of a heat exchanger. Regular inspection should include:

1. Visual Examination: Inspect for signs of corrosion, cracks, or deformation that could compromise the integrity of the flanges.
2. Tightening Bolts: Ensure that bolts or studs connecting the flanges are properly tightened to maintain a leak-free seal.
3. Gasket Replacement: If gaskets are used between flange faces, check and replace them as needed to prevent leaks.
4. Weld Inspections: If the flanges are welded, examine the welds for cracks, and ensure they meet quality standards.

While body flanges may not be the most glamorous components of a heat exchanger, they are undeniably crucial for its performance and safety. Understanding the different types of flanges, materials of construction, and proper maintenance procedures can help ensure that your heat exchanger operates efficiently and reliably, reducing downtime and maintenance costs in the long run. So, next time you encounter a heat exchanger, remember to appreciate the unsung heroes – the body flanges – that keep it all together.

Piping Supplies has been manufacturing pipe flanges and specialty machined parts for the pipe, valve and fitting industry for over 50 years. We still see things which make us shake our heads. Two situations we have a hard time understanding both come down to quick decision making (or lack of decision making). We believe quick decision making saves money for most companies. Here is why.

The first situation we see is getting the same quote from four to five different distributors. What that tells us is their end user is shopping this item around to many suppliers. If the item(s) being quoted were high dollar amounts or high quantity then we could understand. Most of the time it is one or two pieces. What the end user probably doesn’t understand is the decline in domestic manufacturers in the last 20 years. Even though they are calling many distributors, we may be the only vendor for them all. The end user does not get any cost savings from all their extra work. The customer would be better served by going to a trusted supplier, getting a price, making a quick decision, and purchase. This would free them up to do more profitable tasks.

The second type of buying paralysis is continually going out for “updated” pricing. We see this a lot with the Navy. Since 2020, raw material prices have been volatile. Our suppliers now quote pricing which is valid for one day! Waiting for prices to fall has not been a good strategy post-pandemic and usually has the reverse effect – prices are higher. If contracts were placed when we originally quoted them the Navy would have saved some serious money. Quick decision making saves money once again.

Shopping around for the best price or waiting for better prices is a bad strategy for saving money on small quantity items in our opinion. Instead, we suggest building a good relationship with distributors you can trust. Moving a purchasing task quickly from the to-do pile to the completed pile is far more important. Then you can concentrate your energy on the really big, profitable jobs. That is the way we see it.

Piping Supplies has been in the industrial pipe, valve, and fitting business for over 50 years. This is an industry where a reliable material source and reliable quality of materials has always been important. Our products are going into welded pressure piping systems in power plants, oil refineries, chemical plants and on nuclear navy vessels. A failure due to incorrect material would potentially be catastrophic. That has not always been the case for less critical commercial applications where lower price was at least as important as the metals used. We are now seeing more attention to reliable material sources even in commercial uses. Why the change?

Some of the changes we see from commercial metal users started in 2020 during the pandemic. International supply chains were interrupted leaving many manufacturers scrambling to keep production going. Remember the computer chip shortage that made new car availability slow to a crawl? Many manufacturers began the process of onshoring their supply chains again. That was the beginning of the realization that the material supplied by some foreign countries may not have been what the were supposed to be.

Fast forward three years to 2023 when I am writing this. We now see many more commercial inquiries which ask for material supplied by domestic sources or by Western European countries. No China and no India has become the norm. Other countries have been added to the “don’t trust” list as well. The data is mounting, and being shared, through more and more industries that some countries, including China and India, have other chemical components included in their steel which degrade its performance. Basically, you get what you pay for.

Anyone in business knows you live and die by your reputation. Trust is very hard to get back once it is lost. I am afraid the Chinese and Indian steel industries have a long road to recover form their lack of quality control and consistency. More manufacturers are realizing buying quality parts and materials from reliable material sources actually helps profitability, not hurt it. And, that is a very good thing.

Most business and sales theory says to be successful you must define your company or brand in very narrow terms. A company must be dominant and seen as a thought leader in their niche within a particular industry. Piping Supplies has been a leading manufacturer of forged pipe flanges in the industrial pipe, valve, and fitting, PVF, market for over 50 years. Our company has also become a leader in the US Navy pipe flange world. Piping Supplies machines pipe flanges in just about any metal like carbon steel, stainless steel, Monel, Inconel, aluminum, chrome molly, and copper-nickel just to name a few. How do you know it is time to branch out of your comfort zone into machining beyond pipe flanges?

Piping Supplies machine shop is like many others. We can machine round parts from 3″ outside diameter to 60″ outside diameter and non-round parts up to 18″ X 38″ X 15″ tall. Our combination of conventional lathes and drill presses with CNC, computer numeric controlled, lathes and milling machines gives our machine shop a wide range of capabilities. The problem a lot of job shops have is trying not to be everything to everyone even if you have the ability to make certain parts. We struggle with that problem all of the time. The saying goes, “If you try to sell to everyone, you will end up selling to no one.”

Piping Supplies is constantly investing in training for our machinists, adding new machines, and upgrading the software needed to run these increasingly complex computer controlled machines. This investment has lead to becoming very efficient as expert pipe flange manufacturers. Constant improvement has also lead to extra time available on our very expensive precision machines. Having the experienced machinists, best equipment, and extra time on our machines has led us to look for machining beyond pipe flanges.

Opportunities come from the most unlikely places. One of our partners was at a boat show talking to a sales person about trolling motors. The salesman was telling him how popular these GPS enabled motors were becoming and relating to him about his trouble getting the mounting plates for those motors. The mounting plates were made from 1/2″ thick aluminum, cut to a special size and shape, drilled with mounting holes for the boat and threaded holes to attach the motor, then powder coated to resist the harsh salt water environment in which they will be put in service. Definitely not pipe flanges but something we could make. Many meetings, phone calls and brainstorming sessions later, we got our first order for over 100 different trolling motor mounting plates!

The team of subcontractors from the aluminum supplier, to the person flame cutting the shapes, to the tooling supplier, to the powdering company are all in place. We are now creating the fixtures needed to make these plates quickly and efficiently. Like all new machining projects, there will be a learning curve. Also like all new projects, we will learn new skills and create solutions which can be applied to other jobs in the future. Piping Supplies will make our first set of trolling motor mounting plates in the next two weeks. After that, who knows where our contacts in the world of salt water boating will lead us. That is the magic of trying something new and stepping into the world of machining beyond pipe flanges.

I am going to be up front here. This post is the exact same as our previous post about gramophone finish on flange faces. Since gramophone and phonographic finishes are the same thing, we are re-posting the same content with a different title in an attempt to fool the search engines and capture people who are looking for information about phonographic finishes. So, here is the post explaining about both types of flange face finishes:

There has been a virtual explosion of inquiries coming into our company for pipe flanges with a gramophone finish. Piping Supplies has only seen a handful of request for quotations in the past which call for a gasket face with a gramophone finish. Why all of the interest now and what the heck is a gramophone finish anyway?

Flange facing has several properties, one of which is the surface finish or roughness. The surface finish is specified in terms of RMS, root mean square, or sometimes Ra, roughness averaging, in micrometers. The commercial flange bible, ANSI B16.5, section 6.4.5, says flange faces shall have a roughness of 125 – 250 RMS unless otherwise agreed upon between the manufacturer and user. The finish can be either serrated concentric or serrated spiral in style.

Now think about that last statement about a flange face being a serrated spiral. Do you have or remember vinyl records and a record player? The grooves on a record are a spiral toward the center that the needle rides through recreating sound. The face of any part machined on a lathe creates this same spiral finish. That is why you will sometimes hear a gasket face called a phonographic or, more rare, a gramophone finish. If the tool is fed across the face slower then there are more small or overlapping grooves and a smoother face. If the tool is fed across the face faster then there are less overlapping grooves and a rougher face.

The phonograph and gramophone were developed at similar times in the late 1800’s. The phonograph was first invented by Thomas Edison using turning cylinders to play recordings. Alexander Graham Bell improved on the design and called his the graphophone. Shortly after the name gramophone was coined by Emile Berliner when he introduced the flat disks we know today as a record.

When you see an inquiry for a flange (or valve or flanged fitting) which calls for a phonographic face or gramophone face, call the flange experts at Piping Supplies. We will make your parts in RECORD time.

There has been a virtual explosion of inquiries coming into our company for pipe flanges with a gramophone finish. Piping Supplies has only seen a handful of request for quotations in the past which call for a gasket face with a gramophone finish. Why all of the interest now and what the heck is a gramophone finish anyway?

Flange facing has several properties, one of which is the surface finish or roughness. The surface finish is specified in terms of RMS, root mean square, or sometimes Ra, roughness averaging, in micrometers. The commercial flange bible, ANSI B16.5, section 6.4.5, says flange faces shall have a roughness of 125 – 250 RMS unless otherwise agreed upon between the manufacturer and user. The finish can be either serrated concentric or serrated spiral in style.

Now think about that last statement about a flange face being a serrated spiral. Do you have or remember vinyl records and a record player? The grooves on a record are a spiral toward the center that the needle rides through recreating sound. The face of any part machined on a lathe creates this same spiral finish. That is why you will sometimes hear a gasket face called a phonographic or, more rare, a gramophone finish. If the tool is fed across the face slower then there are more small or overlapping grooves and a smoother face. If the tool is fed across the face faster then there are less overlapping grooves and a rougher face.

The phonograph and gramophone were developed at similar times in the late 1800’s. The phonograph was first invented by Thomas Edison using turning cylinders to play recordings. Alexander Graham Bell improved on the design and called his the graphophone. Shortly after the name gramophone was coined by Emile Berliner when he introduced the flat disks we know today as a record.

When you see an inquiry for a flange (or valve or flanged fitting) which calls for a phonographic face or gramophone face, call the flange experts at Piping Supplies. We will make your parts in RECORD time. (pun intended)

Piping Supplies has seen many changes in the industrial pipe, valve and fitting industry during our 60 years in business. One of the more current trends is the use of Monel 400 flanges for saltwater applications. Piping systems which have traditionally used stainless steel are being converted to Monel 400. Here is why.

Monel 400 is a copper and nickel alloy invented in the early 1900’s. It has been found to have excellent corrosion resistance and can withstand exposure to acids well. Monel 400 does well under pressure and is relatively easy to weld. All of these properties make it a great choice for underwater drilling and for the Navy.

The alloy, Monel 400, is composed of 28 to 34% copper and at least 63% nickel with traces of manganese, silicon, iron, sulfur and carbon. Nickel makes this alloy strong and resistant to corrosion while the copper allows for conductivity and ductility. Our machinists find the machinability of Monel 400 to be only slightly tougher than stainless steel grades.

The Navy has been converting some of their piping systems to Monel 400 in recent years. The volatility of the worldwide nickel market has made this metal harder to obtain. That has driven costs higher increasing the overall price of shipbuilding. Hopefully the the increase in lifetime of these piping systems will offset the higher costs.

Monel 400 is the most recent favored metal for flanges in saltwater applications. The only thing for sure is that newer more exotic materials will be developed in the future. The expert machinists at Piping Supplies will be ready for whatever happens.

Recently our shop has been doing machine work for companies who provide us with the starting material. These companies are using Piping Supplies now because of problems with their current machine shop. We are told these other machine shops have not made delivery times as promised, have not performed the machine work up to their customers’ expectations, and are hard to get answers from. Basically, they are garage and not a professional machine shop.

Piping Supplies has been in business in New Jersey for over 50 years. It is easy to forget over time just how professional we are. This isn’t about blowing our own horn as much as it is about recognizing all we do right. There are several things we take for granted:

1. The machine shop is open Monday through Friday 7 AM till 4 PM throughout the year. That means material deliveries, order pick-ups, quotes and questions are dealt with quickly. With email, we can be reached during nights and weekends too.
2. We ship 98% of our orders correctly and on time. There are a lot of things that go into making this happen. Great material vendors who get us the raw steel we need on time. Employees who show up every day and care about the products they make. Constantly finding ways to improve and machine better and faster.
3. We have a quality assurance program which is approved by the highest level in the Navy for supplying nuclear submarine parts. Not only do we have the program, but we actually use it every day. Shortly we will be approved by the International Organization for Standardization, ISO, for their quality management system 9001:2015. Not bad for a small company.
4. Piping Supplies has been able to transfer a lot of the knowledge gained in the last 50 years as flange experts to the next generation of owners.

Everyone gets caught up in their own industries and businesses. It is easy to see only the problems we have and mistakes we make. It is nice sometimes to be recognized for how good our work really is and how much we do right. Piping Supplies is lucky to have customers who appreciate what we do and let us know it.

In industrial piping systems, bleed rings can be an economical and better solution to orifice flange sets. What is a bleed ring you ask? You may have heard it called a drip rings, vent rings, bleeder rings, or test inserts. Whatever you call it, it is simply a metal ring, usually 1-1/2″ thick, with a 1/2″ NPT or 3/4″ NPT threaded outlet on the outside diameter with a hole going to the center of the ring.

Bleed rings are sandwiched between two flanges with gaskets. The threaded outlet can be attached to testing equipment to monitor what is happening in the pipeline. It can also be used as a drain outlet. Bleed rings can be used to release pressure in a piping system before repairs or replacements are made.

Bleed rings can be made in many materials including carbon steel, stainless steel, copper-nickel, Monel Inconel or any other steel used in piping systems. Because bleed rings are smaller than an orifice flange set, it can be far less expensive especially where exotic materials are required.

Our flange manufacturing experts can make custom bleed rings with multiple outlets which may require a thicker part. We can also make bleed rings with socket welding outlets instead of pipe thread outlets. The versatility of bleed rings along with their cost savings over orifice flanges may be a great solution for your piping system. Besides that, orifice flanges are more difficult and time consuming to make so our machinists like making bleed rings more. And, happy machinists make better parts.

Moving from a paper based system to an electronic data management system in a machine shop is necessary but difficult. Piping Supplies has been manufacturing steel and alloy pipe flanges in our plant in New Jersey for over 50 years. During that time, we have accumulated a lot of prints, industry specifications and basic business documents. All of those are stored as printed paper.

Piping Supplies is constantly improving our systems and processes to remain a top machine shop in the country. We recently made the decision to build a new office closer to the machine shop. This will help communication between the office and shop, reduce the time to quote customers, and improve efficiency. Transforming to a digital office is part of this project.

The Office is the Heart of the Business

It isn’t until you begin to look at how you are doing a process that you realize how much actually goes on. This is true of the office functions in a manufacturing business. The office is responsible for quoting all machining jobs including the organization of print and specifications to make customer parts. It is also responsible for all order processing functions. Order processing leads to purchasing, invoicing, paying bills and all the accounting functions that keep a business running. Then there is all of the business functions which are necessary in any company. It is a daunting task to move from a mostly paper system to a digital system.

Security Issues to Consider

A lot of our questions center around what to keep as paper back-up and what to throw away once in digital form. We are a Navy contractor and are bound by the requirements of DFARS and NOFORN. The security, both internal and external, is critical. We take this responsibility very seriously and want to make sure our new digital systems meet these requirements also. Keeping paper back-ups of prints and specifications makes sense – at least for now.

Changing the way we Think

Creating a electronic data management system in a machine shop is almost more of a mind set as it is an objective. We have been doing some things the same way for so long it seems sacred. We use three different color copies for customer order processing. I am sure this is a throwback to the time when orders were typed on a typewriter onto triplicate color forms. Is this still needed? No. Will it be hard to get used to? Absolutely. There are many more examples of this type of mindset which everyone will have to overcome.

Backing up your data is crucial

Another thing to consider is backing up all of this digital data. There are cloud based services, external hard drives and redundant systems which can be used to make sure your information is not lost. Once we decide on a method of backing up our data, it is a matter of periodic checks to insure the backups are correct and complete.

This is a big project for our 50+ year old manufacturing company. We have implemented many other innovations in that time. This will be no different. Like so many things we do as machinists, you find a way to make it work.

We will explain what it means when metal material must be certified to EN10204. EN10204 is a British Standard that specifies the different types of inspection documents supplied to the purchaser, in accordance with the requirements of the order, for the delivery of all metallic products. These products can include plates, sheets, bars, tubes, castings, and, yes, forgings for flanges. As an expert manufacturer of pipe flanges, Piping Supplies can provide complete traceability of all items in compliance with this standard.

Mill Test Report (MTR), is issued by a manufacturer to certify the chemical and mechanical features of a product and its compliance to the material specifications. Typically, mill test reports conform to the EN 10204 standard. Certification of steel made in Europe is generally to EN 10204. The actual certificate will depend on the type of steel but will either be 3.1 or 3.2. A 3.1 or 3.2. This means the actual heat lot sold will have been tested and a Mill Test Report (MTR) will accompany the shipment.

A mill test report to EN 10204 generally includes the following information:

• Manufacturer name
• Product name and dimensions
• Quantity covered by the certificate (example: tons, with heat numbers)
• Heat numbers and batch number (physically shown on the product as well)
• Final test result
• Dimensional measurements, to check compliance with allowed tolerances (example, for steel pipes: diameter, wall thickness, length, straightness)
• Material grade and applicable specification, including results of chemical and mechanical tests
• Results of additional tests, like hydrostatic, ultrasounds (UT), hardness, impact test, magnetic particles, metal graphic result etc.

EN 10204 2.1 Certification

EN 10204 2.1 certification is the lowest level of certification to EN 10204.In this the manufacturer, or mill, simply declares that he has produced the steel plates to the purchasers specification or order requirements. No evidence in the form of test results is included in the certificate. Likewise it is acceptable for the person in charge of manufacture to issue the certificate.

EN 10204 3.1 Certification

3.1 is a certificate issued by the mill which declares that the plates are in compliance with the specification and includes the test results.

Test results are validated by the mill’s in–house test department which has to be independent of the manufacturing department.

EN 10204 3.2 Certification

EN 10204 3.2 Certification is more rigorous and the certificate is prepared jointly by the mill’s inspection department and an independent 3rd party inspectors such as SGS,BV,ASBS.The certificate states that the plates are compliant with the relevant specification and the mill test certificate is included.

Summary of EN 10204 inspection documents

We hope this clears up any confusion when you see EN10204 required on a list of materials. With any other questions about material test reports, please contact us at Piping Supplies Inc.

Customer supplied material makes sense in so many ways. This is particularly true in the crazy steel industry of 2022. Piping Supplies has been machining pipe flanges and custom made parts for the pipe, valve and fitting, PVF, industry for over 50 years. We have seen our share of market ups-and-downs. Nothing compares to the steel pricing we are seeing today.

All raw material from forgings to plate to bar stock are at all time high prices. And, the prices change daily. For the past year and a half it is common to get a price quote on material which state the price of the material is only good for ONE DAY. How do you price items out in this environment? Piping supplies is the expert when it comes to making pipe flanges so we understand the increased problems for our friends building things with the products we machine. That is why customer supplied material to us, the machine shop, makes more sense than ever.

Piping Supplies is a small machine shop by most international standards. Being small has it’s advantages like speed, adaptability and implementing the latest machining techniques. Buying raw material at bulk rates is not our strong point. Most of our customers buy much higher volume of raw steel than we do. Therefor, they get better pricing. Why not buy the material you need machined yourself at a lower price and have Piping Supplies machine parts to your specifications? This makes sense and saves you money.

Traceability of Material

Most of our customers consider traceability of all the material on a job just as important as having the parts made correctly. Traceability of metal parts is through heat numbers. Heat numbers are assigned by the company who made the raw metal and is transferred to all items made from it. Piping Supplies assures heat number traceability through our Quality Assurance Program. Raw material is received and checked for heat number-to-MTR matching. The heat number is then put on all shop orders and parts travel folders while the steel is processed through the shop. Finally, the heat number is permanently marked on the finished pieces with all other required identification. A way to insure a subcontractor, like Piping Supplies, is using the correct material is to purchase it yourself and have Piping Supplies provide just the machining.

Raw metal prices have been very volatile. Our cost to machine items have not changed much. The factors which go into machining a product are relatively stable. Our mortgage has not changed. Electricity and other utility costs are pretty stable. Machine shop employee pay rates have always been high so that has not changed. A lot of times, we make the same amount of money per hour in the machine shop with the only variable being the raw material cost. By providing customer supplied material you have better control over the cost of the products you buy. Also, you can be sure the contractor doing the work is not marking up the raw material as well as charging for their services.

Supplying raw material to Piping Supplies for machining will be more work for you. But, the benefits listed above far outweigh the costs. Consider customer supplied material for your next project. Worst case scenario is it is too much trouble and we go back to providing the steel and machining quoted together.

You get a job to quote and one of the requirements stated is for all material to be DFARS compliant. You ask yourself; what is DFARS? Piping Supplies Inc has been machining parts for the US Navy for over 50 years. Here is what we know.

FARS is one of the millions of US government anacronyms which stands for Federal Acquisition Regulation. DFARS is the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement. The defense supplement was added to meet the higher-level guidelines needed for our national defense. DFARS is a document with broad scope. It addresses everything from the source of materials you can use to the ways you can communicate data, like prints, for a contract.

The purpose of DFARS is to protect the US supply chain from relying on critical foreign sourced materials. There are two main points to remember when DFARS compliance is required: where does the material come from and what type of material is it. Specialty metals are restricted but not all metals are considered specialty metals. DFARS defines specialty metals as:

• Steel with certain maximum alloy content
• Metal containing more than 0.25 percent of any of the following elements: aluminum, chromium, cobalt, columbium, molybdenum, nickel, titanium, tungsten, or vanadium
• Metal alloys consisting of nickel, iron-nickel
• Cobalt base alloys containing a total of other alloying metals (except iron) of more than 10 percent
• Titanium and titanium alloys.
• Zirconium and zirconium base alloys.

In addition, the Department of Defense prohibits the purchase of certain magnets and tungsten from North Korea, China, Russia, and Iran through an amendment to DFARS.

There are exceptions to the DFARS Specialty Metals rule, including:

• As required in the interest of national security.
• When specialty metals are not available in sufficient quantities, in the necessary form, or cannot be acquired when they are needed.
• When the acquisition supports U.S. combat or contingency operations.
• When necessary to complete an agreement with a foreign government.
• When used in small purchases.
• When used in off-the-shelf commercial items.
• When used in some electrical components.

Otherwise, non-compliant metal is permitted if it makes up no more than two percent of the final product.

DFAR material must be purchased from a “Qualifying country”. This means a country with a reciprocal defense procurement memorandum of understanding or international agreement with the United States in which both countries agree to remove barriers to purchases of supplies produced in the other country or services performed by sources of the other country, and the memorandum or agreement complies, where applicable, with the requirements of section 36 of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2776) and with 10 U.S.C. 2457. Whew! The following are qualifying countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Now this is a lot to take in and we have not gotten into the restrictions on how you can exchange information about a DFAR compliant contract. That is the topic for another day.

When you think of pipe flanges (and I know you all do) you think about power plants, oil refineries, and chemical processing. True, heavy industries use pipe flanges in welded piping systems. Yet, pipe flanges are more than industrial. What may not be clear is the other applications which use pipe flanges. Piping Supplies has made flanges for many uses as a leading pipe flange manufacturer.

A current customer of Piping Supplies, Acme Lingo Flagpole, makes extra-large flag poles called the “Big John” capable of withstanding winds of 130 miles per hour. Custom weld neck flanges machined by Piping Supplies are used to support their flagpoles.

Piping Supplies makes pipe flanges used for roller coasters. Sections of the roller coaster are fabricated, shipped to the site, then bolted together. This makes fabrication is a much more efficient and better quality method of construction than building/welding everything in place.

Pipe flanges are used on massive road signs for the same reason as on roller coasters. You can’t fabricate and transport large signs in one piece. Flanges which bolt together are an easy solution.

Ski lifts are another unique use of pipe flanges. Support poles for ski lifts can be air lifted into remote parts of mountains and bolted to bases using pipe flanges.

Ah, the never-ending use for custom made pipe flanges. Piping Supplies, as pipe flange experts, are luck to have made custom parts for many fun and unique projects around the world.

Naval vessels operate in brutal conditions. And that is during peace time. During combat, it is infinitely worse. Piping systems aboard Navy ships are particularly vulnerable to leaks when in bad weather or under attack. The Navy takes strong measures to minimize pipe system problems even before those piping systems are installed. Pipe flanges play a critical role in performing test on Navy valves.

Valves are a major focus

Valves in Naval piping systems are a common source of failure. Before being installed, valves and all connections, including pipe flanges, are tested thoroughly. Tests include hydrostatic pressure testing and shock testing. Hydrostatic pressure testing requires capping off one side of the valve with a compatible blind flange. Then, attaching another flange with an outlet to the other side of the valve. The outlet is then pressurized to a set amount and the valve checked for leaks.

Shock testing is more interesting. Valves are held in place and, for lack of a more technical term, “wacked” with a large force (like a big hammer). The valve is then tested to see if it functions as designed. We consulted for a Navy testing lab who was simulating the pressure a valve was to undergo while hanging from the connecting pipes. Flanges connected weights to the end of the Navy valves simulating the weight of the connecting pipes. Then the whole assembly was shaken and tested. Piping Supplies, being experts in Navy flanges, offered to witness the test … but we were told it was “top secret”.

At Piping Supplies, Inc, we have been manufacturing pipe flanges for the Navy and commercial piping industry for over 50 years. In that time, we have been honored to be part of testing which helps keep power plants, oil refineries, chemical plants and Navy ships safe. We look forward to continuing that tradition.

There are machine shops in the industrial PVF industry who make thousands of a single item inexpensively. Then there are small manufacturers like Piping Supplies Inc who make custom pipe flanges and other parts for the PVF industry and the Navy as the customer orders them. We are basically a job shop who specializes in pipe flanges. The good part of being a smaller job shop is the ability to make small quantities of special, weird, odd, and sometimes strange parts that you can not find “off the shelf”. We can also make these hard-to-find flanges and specialty machined items fast.

Some examples of hard-to-find items include standard dimension items made from unique steels and alloys. Aluminum, Monel 400, titanium, Alloy 20, Hastelloy, Copper-nickel and many other metals all fall under this category. See a more complete list of metal we machine here.

Sometimes a customer wants a commercial flange with a slight change. Examples of this are weld necks with a radius on the face side bore, flanges with threaded bolt holes, reducing socket weld flanges and many more.

Then there are the totally custom items. We just made flanges for the Navy in 304 stainless steel that we affectionately call “eyeballs”. See this video of our CNC milling machine creating the unique shape.

Whatever the need, Piping Supplies is here to help our customers with their more demanding requirements. Special items are where our 50 years of machining experience in the industrial pipe, valve and fitting sector really shows its value. The way we see it; everyone in the world can make a 2” 150# ANSI B16.5 Slip-On, Weld Neck or Blind. Not everyone can do what we do every day.

Anyone who does business with the US Navy knows, nothing is the same as it is in commercial (power plant, refinery, chemical plant, etc.) applications. The military has a MIL spec for everything, and pipe flanges are no different. Piping Supplies Inc has been making Navy flanges for over 50 years. We have learned a few things along the way and would like to pass them on to you. Hopefully the following information will help clear things up a little.

Navy flanges are specialized

In 1952 the Navy released the document MIL-F-20670: Military Specifications Flanges, Pipe, Carbon Steel, 150 P.S.I., W.S.P (for naval shipboard use). This MIL spec outlined the dimensions, tolerances, material, and all other pertinent information about pipe flanges use on Navy ships going forward. There were four different styles of flanges: Type A and Type C slip-ons and Type B and Type D welding necks. These flanges had different outside diameters, thicknesses, drilling and tighter tolerances than their commercial ANSI B16.5 counterparts.

Around that same time, in 1958, the Navy released MIL-F-20042 which was the military specification for flanges, pipe, bronze (silver brazing). This MIL spec covered socket weld flanges in 150# class, which had the same bolting pattern as MIL-F-20670, but added 50#, 250# and 400# classes. MIL-F-20042 is important because many future Navy flange prints are based on that drawing.

Basic designed applied to specific uses

As time went on, Navy shipbuilders produced prints for shipboard flanges to meet specific needs. Some were specifically for copper-nickel material, some for stainless steel and others for different applications. Some of these include 810-4715319, DF361771 (aka 803-7619364), DF314115 (aka 810-7525226) and D252943 just to name a few. All of these are based off MIL-F-20042.

Customization for your needs

What really complicates things is when a customer wants to use a MIL specs dimension but make the part from a different type of steel or alloy. We do this all the time but may have to take exception to some testing or other properties specific to the specification’s original material, etc. which does not apply in this case.

We are also able to take MIL spec dimensions and modify it to make a different style flange like a lap joint flange or a blind flange. That is the beautiful part about working with us as the manufacturer who is machining the part. You can tell us exactly what would work best for your application, and we can make it for you.

If you would like more information about Mil spec comparisons, we have documents which we use internally that we would be happy to share. Feel free to contact one of our flange experts with any questions about Navy slip-ons. socket welds, weld neck, or blinds. We hoped this helped.

Steel prices have been rising steadily from 2019 through 2021. Everyone in the steel manufacturing, steel fabrication, shipbuilding and pipe, valve and fitting distribution industries know this. As a manufacturer of steel and alloy pipe flanges for over 50 years, Piping Supplies has seen their share of these raw material price increases. Some price increases can be absorbed but at some point, costs must be passed to our customers.

To keep our prices low and our customers happy Piping Supplies constantly evaluates and improves our production processes. We invest in new machinery every year to take advantage of the latest manufacturing efficiencies. New equipment will only take you so far. The most effective way to keep costs low is by being able to produce the first piece in a production run as fast as possible. The time to produce our first piece in a production run is now an average of 1 hour down from 3 hours a year ago. This was achieved by better organization, streamlining of the programming process on our CNC machines, tooling standardization and better item run-time documentation. Because of this, we can make smaller quantities cheaper and faster while reducing the overall costs of longer production runs.

Even expert flange manufacturers like us would not have been able to see dramatic results like these without a collaborative effort. Every department participated including accounting, sales, purchasing and, of course, shop production. We at Piping Supplies are proud of the flanges we make for the Navy, oil refineries, power generation, chemical plants, and tank fabricators around the country. Making great precise flanges would not be possible without a great team who always have the customers best interest in mind to make it all happen.

Having a complete pipe flange description is crucial to getting the products you want correctly and on-time. As a flange manufacturer for over 50 years, we have seen many requests for quotation that were incomplete. Our favorite is, “I need a flange”. We strive to make what our customers need and to do that we need some specific information. Here is what we need to know:

1. The nominal pipe size the flange will be used with. ANSI B16.5 covers flanges dimensions for pipe from 1/2″ through 24″. B16.47 covers flange dimensions for pipe over 24″
2. The pressure class or the flange. This can be 125# light weight, 150#, 300#, 400#, 600#, 900#, 1500# or 2500#. Navy flanges have different pressure classes which can be 150#, 200#, 250# or 700#.
3. The gasket face is usually the next flange attribute we need to know. The most common are raised face, RF, and flat face, FF. Many other gasket facings are available such as ring type joint, RTJ, large and small male and female facing, large and small tongue and groove as well as others.
4. Next we need to know what style of flange will be used in your application. These include: weld necks – WN, slip-on – SO, socket welds – SW, blinds – BL, threaded – THD and lap joint – LJ.
5. Two styles of flanges, weld necks and socket welds, are machined to fit specific wall thicknesses of the nominal pipe we were told about in step 1. If you want to order weld necks or socket welds you will have to tell us what wall pipe they will be used with. Common wall thicknesses are standard – STD, extra heavy – XH, double extra heavy – XXH, schedule 10 – S/10, schedule 40 – S/40, schedule 80 – S/80 and schedule 160 – S/160. A complete pipe size guide can be downloaded here: https://pipingsuppliesinc.com/download-inquiry/.
6. One of the most important pieces of information is what dimensional specs the flanges are to be manufactured. This is sometimes omitted for commercial flanges and assumed to be ANSI B16.5. Navy specs include 810-4715319, MIL-F-20670 and DF361771. There are many other commercial and Navy flange specifications as well as international specifications like JIS and DIN.
7. Last, but certainly not least, is the metal you want the flanges made out of. A105 forged carbon steel may be the most common but there are also all of the stainless steels, aluminum, chrome molly grades, copper-nickel grades, and specialty metals like Monel, Inconel, Zirconium (yes, this is a real thing), and many others.
8. Not part of the description, but something that affects the price greatly, is the quantity needed for each flange item. This is usually noted before the actual flange description.

A typical flange description will have all of these elements and will look like:

120 – 2″ 600# RF SW S/80 B16.5 A182-F11

Yes, there is a lot more to flanges than most people think or want to know about. As flange manufacturing experts, we at Piping Supplies Inc want to make sure you get the correct items on time every time. To do that we need a complete pipe flange descriptions with all of the information above. If you have questions about flanges or any specifications, we would be happy to help. You can contact us at: https://pipingsuppliesinc.com/contact/.

As a flange manufacturer for over 50 years, we discuss Navy and commercial ANSI flange drilling all the time at Piping Supplies. We know when it comes to pipe flanges, it is all about the drilling. Other physical aspects of a pipe flange need to match the application, sure, but the main purpose of a flange is to connect two parts of a piping system together. The bolting pattern at the gasket surface accomplishes that.

Elements of a flange bolt pattern

Navy and commercial ANSI flanges bolt patterns are made up of three elements: the bolt hole size, the number of bolt holes and the bolt circle.

Bolt hole size

The bolt hole size is larger than the bolt which connects the flange to another part of the piping system. For ANSI flanges, the bolt hole size is 1/8″ larger than the bolt or stud. So, a flange having a 5/8″ bolt will have a 3/4″ bolt hole. Navy flanges generally have bolt hole sizes 1/16″ larger than the bolts used. A Navy flange using 5/8″ bolts will have an 11/16″ bolt hole.

Number of bolt hole

The number of bolt holes and the size of the bolts determine how much pressure the flanged union can hold at a given temperature. Pressure and temperature ratings of flanges are found in flange specifications like ANSI B16.5 and others. Generally, higher pressure class flanges will have more bolt holes and/or larger bolt hole diameters. A 2″ Class 150# flange has 4 holes and a 2″ Class 300# flange has 8 bolt holes. Both will attach to a 2″ pipe but will not bolt to the same outlet.

Bolt circle

The bolt circle is the distance from the center of one bolt hole to the center of the bolt hole directly across from it. This also changes between each pressure class which is another reason the 2″ 150# and 2″ 300# flange from the example above will not bolt up to the same outlet. ANSI flanges all have even number of holes, so measurements are easier. It is more challenging to measure bolt circles on some Navy flanges with an odd number of bolt holes like three, five and seven.

As flange manufacturing experts, we at Piping Supplies Inc try to make getting the flange you need easier. We have created two documents you can download. One will help you identify a flange or flanged outlet based on the drilling. The other gives you all the Navy and commercial drill patterns. Both are good resources.

Customers often contact Piping Supplies with requests for quotes that simply say “I want 2 – 1″ 150# flanges”. Or, customers will send a picture of a flange and are told, “We want another one of these”. As much as our sales people appreciate the inquiry, that’s not really enough information to provide an accurate quote. One of the most common difficulties our customers have is understanding the difference between commercial flanges and Navy flanges.

Piping Supplies has manufactured both commercial flanges and Navy flanges for over 50 years so it is easy for us to know the differences. There are four main features to look at to make sure you are ordering the correct flanges:

Identifying your flange

For the same pipe size flange look for:

1. The outside diameter of the flange body
2. The number of bolt holes
3. Bolt hole diameter
4. The distance between the centers of opposing bolt holes called the bolt circle or pitch circle

The outside diameter of Navy flanges are usually smaller than their commercial, ANSI B16.5, flange counterpart. This was originally to save weight on Navy ships.

The number of bolt holes and bolt hole diameter are related. Navy flanges use smaller bolts and sometimes need more of them to hold the same connection pressure.

The bolt holes are also smaller on Navy flanges than on Commercial flanges. The Navy specifications like MIL-F-20670 and MIL-PRF-20042 have bolt holes that are 1/16″ larger than the bolts to be used, with tighter tolerance on the bolt circle. ANSI B16.5 commercial flanges have bolt holes that are 1/8″ larger than the bolts to be used.

Because the outside diameter of the flange body is smaller and the bolt holes are usually smaller on Navy flanges, the bolt circle, sometimes called the pitch circle, is different between the two dimensional specs. This is yet another way to tell the difference between commercial and Navy flanges.

To help you identify the flange you have use this chart.

If you need more help with either commercial B16.5 flanges or any of the many Navy specifications, please contact any of our pipe flange experts directly. Thank you.

Although it may not be immediately clear from the layman’s perspective, every aspect of industrial construction has been thoroughly thought out. Every joist, truss, beam, pipe, connector and support meets a very specific need. Each component has a job to do and pipe flanges are part of that engineering toolbox. A flange makes it possible to safely and securely connect pipes to each other as well as various surfaces. The bolts and gaskets that complete the package also help ensure integrity of the system. In fact, it would be impossible to design flanges without accounting for the seal that a gasket provides as well as the locking properties of a bolt. Readers who have a need for pipe flanges as part of an upcoming project are encouraged to continue reading and discover the various design types and their best applications.

Pipe flanges can be threaded, socket weld, slip-on, lap joint, weld neck, blind or another form of custom connection.  Different applications will call for different designs. A male-female threaded connection is often the simplest to design and work with. A socket weld flange is often called for in low-temperature settings when small pipes are in use. A slip-on, weld neck and lap joint flanges also requires welding but different types to suit the traits of the flange itself. The blind flange, which essentially terminates the flow of liquids and gas through the network of pipes, can show the stopping power of a flange, gasket and bolts when used correctly. Design doesn’t end with the types mentioned above. The face of the flange will also vary and serve different purposes. Flanges can have a flat, raised or ring joint faces. Tongue and groove as well as male and female faces will aid in alignment and gasket seal.

A firm that has proven its capability in creating pipe flanges will ask clients about the dimensions they need for the project. Since pipe diameter is going to vary between applications in a commercial setting, flange diameter, bolt circle diameter, thickness and bore size will also vary between jobs. Those maintaining pressurized systems will also have safety considerations in mind so pipe flanges with the correct size and specifications will help create peace of mind. A larger bolt bore is great if you want to ram home beefy connectors; just be sure that the rest of the flange is up to the task and is large enough to handle the stresses. A machinist who is accustomed to the task of making high-pressure pipe flanges out of steel, alloy, copper-nickel and/or aluminum will be able to help clients narrow down the needs for the job at hand.

The world today looks vastly different compared to how things were when we opened our doors in 1965. Granted, a lot can change in five-plus decades but Piping Supplies, Inc. is still here and still proud to be a leading flange manufacturer. Spearheading the changes within our shop have been multiple generations of leadership. These individuals include both family and long-time employees who worked their way up the ladder. Changes in management will typically bring new objectives and this is often a welcome change. In this article, we’d like to deviate from our typical talk about pipe making supplies and weld neck flanges to cover visions for the future from leaders of tomorrow.

It’s safe to say that today’s teenagers will eventually become the CEOs and managers of yet-to-be-established brands. These teens are the members of “Gen Z” born between the late 1990s and 2012. A recent CNBC article shows what these young adults are up against as they graduate from college and attempt to start a career. Even those with an MBA degree are struggling to find employment that relates to their education. This pain will eventually pass, but there is no shortage of societal issues that will shape the thoughts and beliefs of Gen Z. From climate concerns and renewable power sources to racial equality and general health and well-being (thanks to the coronavirus pandemic), we expect business to take a sharp turn toward ethics. We believe this is critical for the health of the planet and for the people running companies across the globe.

As a flange manufacturer, we’ve had the privilege of bringing on some highly-talented machinists who have made weld neck flanges that went on to be used in core infrastructure projects. Getting to know these men and women has also been an enjoyable part of running our shop. Each and every one of these workers held different values and we’ve seen how someone’s thoughts and beliefs can alter the direction of a company as they rise in rank. This is a good thing! No executive-level decisions should be made in an echo chamber. Differences in opinions don’t create tension; they should be used to craft innovative approaches.

Our expertise as a flange manufacturer is making things like weld neck flanges and other flanges for highly-specialized projects – and we’re proud of that. We also recognize that a lot of the issues facing the next generation of business owners are highly controversial. No matter where your opinion falls on these topics, we simply encourage that today’s leaders nurture the up-and-coming generation. Recognize their natural talents and take them under your wing and one day, you’ll also have family members and dedicated employees running the business you built from scratch 55 years ago.

When the pounds per square inch (PSI) rise, you need a dependable pipe system that’s up to the job. A leak in a home’s water pipes, while inconvenient, can’t compare to what’s happening inside a high-pressure system. The force with which liquid, gas or steam is carried through high-pressure pipes raises the stakes and means all parts must be machined to exacting measurements. This goes for welding, too, as flawless connections improve integrity and durability.

For the very best in industrial, pipe flanges and other pipe making supplies, Piping Supplies Inc. wants to brief readers on the future of welded pipe fittings. Piping Supplies Inc., a flange manufacturer that helps clients of all sizes meet unique project needs, knows that there’s always a new form of innovation on the horizon. This could include threaded connectors, gaskets, adaptors, bushings and other male-female connections. Thus, the performance and practicality of welded pipe fittings has become a hot topic – especially when considering high-pressure system needs.

Overall, a high-pressure system will need to operate flawlessly with a PSI that could rocket toward 60,000.
Many industries across vastly different sectors require high-pressure piping systems, from oil rigs and gas refineries to food and dairy applications and industrial waterjet cutting. There are many components that are expected to perform as part of these systems, including line filters, check valves, needle valves, safety heads and more.

What is of interest to Piping Supplies, Inc. are the pipe flanges they are so well-known for. Welded pipe flanges can mean a weld neck flange, which is great for transferring stress. A weld neck flange will require the welding of an attached pipe to the neck of the flange, which will in turn move stress location away from the hub. A socket weld flange is commonly seen on smaller pipes within high-pressure lines. The pipe would be inserted into the flange and then welded together. The exterior weld means there are no obstructions within the high-pressure line. Buttweld fittings are another component that’s typically seen in steel systems. Tees, elbows and reducers are all part of the buttweld family of fittings and all can be welded to pipes to help change flow or otherwise redirect the system. The ease of use is what continues to make these products so popular.

The U.S. Navy counts Piping Supplies, Inc. as one of its providers of pipe flanges. The demands this branch of our nation’s military puts these products up against goes to show what flanges made of carbon steel, stainless steel, copper-nickel and aluminum can withstand. We would expect welded pipe fittings to remain an industry norm for many years to come but are always open to discussing project needs with new clients. Contact us at 609-561-9323 to learn more.

Shopping around and consulting with experts has its benefits. Customers will learn a thing or two about production and if they are really lucky, a flange manufacturer will reveal the finer points of the process. This is the exact scenario we often encounter here at Piping Supplies, Inc. and letting people in on industry norms should be the rule – not the exception.

This topic comes up a lot when discussing tolerances. A customer will come to us with a request for a blind flange or slip on flange. This is what we do daily and it’s what we’ve been doing as a local machine shop since 1960. The discrepancies arise when we review the tolerance block and determine that what’s called for simply doesn’t make practical sense.

We’ll use a real-world example to show the significance of counting on a flange manufacturer to get the job done. That job called for two commercial ANSI B16.5 flanges. The first was a commercial product and the second was drawn by a client’s engineer. The issue is that the tolerance block for the second flange simply didn’t line up with the commercial flange’s specs. It might not sound like much to the layman, but a 6.75” bolt circle on the engineer’s scale drawing differed from the commercial specs and we caught it. The commercial specifications indicated directions for drilling eight 1.125 holes on a 6.750 bolt circle +/- 0.060. Tolerances are a critical part of the machine work we do and a smaller tolerance — which is important in some applications — may be overkill in others. A flange with tolerances of /- .003” is one where we are almost literally splitting hairs. On the other hand, a part that calls for /-.030” means we’re working with almost 10 times that in forgiveness.

The above findings are a hallmark of our quality assurance program and it’s one more reason why customers come to us time and again for jobs of all sizes. When a flange manufacturer spends the time making parts that don’t fit correctly or don’t perform as intended, we believe that it can most likely be traced back to the design process. Size can be a critical component and tight-fitting flanges could mean the difference between efficient operation or sub-par performance. As you might except, machining parts to tolerances that are as slim as a piece of paper brings with it steep financial costs. The alternative, which yields a part that performs just as well at a fraction of the price, is something every expert flange manufacturer should present to customers.

A uniform set of rules can even out results across the board. Meeting these goals can provide consumers with additional confidence while streamlining processes for workers. On the other hand, it takes time and resources to achieve International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001 certification. The standardization benefits can translate to a time-consuming and costly process. Piping Supplies Inc., a flange manufacturer and pipe making supplies provider, is conscious of both sides of this issue.

In short, ISO 9001 family of regulations is the “international standard for a quality management system” and certification does not depend on company size, industry products. According to The Standards Stores, a provider of management system toolkits, the roll-out of an effective Quality Management System that adheres to ISO 9001 standards will ensure “appropriate and effective” operations. It’s important not to over-complicate things and this example of how ISO 9001 can be applied to baking cookies shows us the significance of internal and external issues, parties involved, scope and quality management.

Manufacturing is a process rooted in exact measurements and tasks carried out hundreds of times to render identical results. When creating pipe flanges, our machinists are expected to take custom dimensions and machine a unique part. Now that we’ve explained the basics of ISO 9001, it’s easy to see how the expectations are applicable. A flange manufacturer who is producing pipe flanges for customers will need to consider some of the following when taking on the order: efficiency and productivity, waste reduction, consistent results and how these plans could be provided to smaller and larger firms. Customers expect pipe flanges to perform as intended once installed; our efforts to properly thread and bore every flange exactly the same is what ISO 9001 is all about.

To play devil’s advocate here, does a flange manufacturer really need to be ISO 9001-certified? Our pipe making supplies have been tried and tested and our reputation for one-off orders and meeting exacting demands speaks for itself. It takes time to learn, implement and adhere to these standardizations – and that’s time taken away from the actual manufacturing work that we do. If the pipe flanges we’re currently producing are pleasing customers every single time, should our small machine shop be concerned with such subjective goals? Even if ISO 9001 is a globally-accepted form of standardization, Piping Supplies Inc. is often more concerned with our local customers around the corner. In fact, it’s these clients that have helped us solidify such a positive reputation over our 50 years of operation. These are all important decision we must make internally and since it can affect the outcome of our projects, it’s one we take very seriously.

Some people shy away from technical details and how-to tutorials. It’s far easier, in their opinion, to leave the specialized work to the specialists. At the other end of the spectrum are people who want to see how the sausage is made, to use a certain expression. The question that a flange manufacturer must ask themselves is about sharing internal information, the benefits of doing so and possible risks. Do customers care about the maximum outside diameter of ANSI B16.5 pipe flanges? Or, do they place greater priority on the fact that we’ve been a contributing member to New Jersey’s economy since the late 1960s? As such, our longevity is plenty of evidence to prove our capability. The amount of internal information to share with the public can be a balancing act for companies offering pipe making supplies, but we continuously try offer as much relevant context as possible.

Nuts and bolts (and other fine details): The work we do must meet exacting standards. The pride of any flange manufacturer are pipe flanges that are used to complete important projects. Piping Supplies Inc. works hard to fulfill government contracts and produce products made from copper alloys. These offer corrosion resistance and are perfect for maritime applications. That’s one reason why the U.S. Navy requests them from us. Anyone in our industry will place plenty of value in this information, but we want to encourage many different industries to consult us for work.

Small clients welcome: Piping Supplies Inc. is happy to help customers who have unique requests for one-off pipe flanges. Just because we count the U.S. Navy as a large client doesn’t mean we can’t crank out products for your small job. In these instances, we’ll encourage people to contact us directly to discuss the specifics of their project. This limits the amount of technical information we share and gives the customer the opportunity to lay the ground rules for the new task at hand.

Practical machining: Working with carbon steel, stainless steel, copper-nickel, Inconel, Hastelloy and aluminum takes vast technical knowledge. As a flange manufacturer, we’ve amassed a great deal of skill creating pipe flanges that will thread up, slip on, weld to and generally connect your piping systems. We’re confident that required bolt hole patterns and other dimensions will meet ANSI, American National Standard Institute, (note for Webimax only: ASTM and ASME make the specs for the different types of metal/steel and not the dimensional specs for the items we make) as well as American Society of Mechanical Engineers standards. At the same time, we have to be cognizant of not overloading customers with information. Let us take care of the heavy lifting and we’ll happily explain our process.

Any company that’s been around as long as us, which is five decades and counting, can attest to monumental changes in business practices over the years. The number of locally-owned machine shops may have decreased compared to the 1960s and 70s, but those that still exist are carrying on a proud tradition. This includes providing goods and services to neighbors who choose to work with the entrepreneurs who are supporting the local community. As a flange manufacturer, we’ve proudly worked with local customers for years and when someone approaches us for a limited run of pipe flanges, we relish the opportunity.

The question that arises in this digital-first shopping environment is how companies make initial contact with potential customers. Do salespeople continue to make outreach and offer our pipe making supplies, or can we rely on the Internet to organically increase our presence? It’s a fair question and one that many companies are asking themselves in an era when online shopping is king.

Consider the following: The average Internet user who is on the hunt for a specific product – be it pipe flanges or new shoes – will turn to online shopping at least once a month. According to consumer education news outlet BrizFeel, 92 percent of the 30,000 people they surveyed said they shop online at least one a year. These folks do so because they value the online shopping experience, price and supporting a certain brand. To capitalize on these trends, even companies that make pipe flanges need to double down on their online presence. Per the study, just 27 percent of respondents would return to a website they previously visited if “had trouble accessing it, while 73 percent of consumers said they will visit another website.” That’s letting a sale walk out the digital door — and that’s no good for a flange manufacturer.

What’s telling, according to the survey, is that there are favorable feelings toward online shopping, but in-person options remain quite viable. The final percentages for the 30,000 people consulted were 57 percent in favor of online shopping compared to 31 percent who would rather make a deal in-person. This is where the future of a salesperson comes into play. The sheer scale of customizations that a customer can make when ordering pipe making supplies and pipe flanges makes in-person communications very effective. Shoppers can voice their questions and comments to an actual person, who can then relay that information to the manufacturing departments in charge of naval, industrial or energy products sector flange designs.

Working with a small-scale flange manufacturer is truly the best of both worlds. Our customers are encouraged to visit our website and learn more about our products and equipment. We then ask visitors to contact us directly so we can best understand their specific needs, quickly quote them and because we’re a nimble firm that can make pipe flanges to meet the specific needs of for their job small projects. Our goal is to fulfill that one-off order and help get an important project closer to completion.

Once a pipe dream and then a novelty, additive manufacturing (AM) has come a long way in the world of custom machined products. Building up layers of plastic or metal to create a part or tool is an innovative way of doing things – but it’s practicality has yet to be determined.

Piping Supplies Inc., a turn-key solution for pipe flanges and specialty machined parts when you need a small and responsive firm, is more than happy to consider AM as a future offering. At present, this sector of engineering and manufacturing is still proving its worth. As a flange manufacturer, it’s our job to stay on top of the latest technology and AM certainly falls into that category. The question remains: is it still too early to start using this untested technology for our products?

The public has largely been introduced to AM via 3D printers that produce small plastic components. Even if the final product is a small toy or knick-knack, it still represents a powerful design process. Plans produced with computer-aided-design (CAD) software can then be fed to a 3D printer to make individual objects. The layer-upon-layer construction of individual parts is unique to AM. With a focus on the design aspect and an eye for reducing waste, it’s a modernized revolution to the factory assembly lines seen a century ago.

Piping Supplies Inc., which specializes in steel and alloy pipe flanges, is also cognizant of the simplicity in the design and revision process. Updating CAD files to tweak a product is the perfect job for the tech-savvy workforce of tomorrow. What’s more, the tools required to produce objects made through AM are becoming more budget-friendly. This allows a flange manufacturer considering this avenue to begin marketing smaller runs of products – be it pipe flanges or other pipe making supplies. According to PTC.com, an industrial advisory firm, “nothing beats additive manufacturing for speed and economy” when making low-quantity products. Moreover, on-demand printing of objects “removes the need for warehouse space, personnel, and piles of obsolete parts.” Piping Supplies Inc. is proud to help clients who come to us with requests for custom and specialty-machined flanges. Knowing that overall roundness and bolt holes of these unique orders match exact specifications is why people choose us.

Times have changed. The machinist making small adjustments to a lathe when carving a part out of solid metal helped shape the future. Time will tell if that future is rampant with 3D printers churning out objects made through AM. For now, Piping Supplies Inc. will continue to consider this technology as a possible option when clients come to us with one-off projects for custom machined parts.

Cupronickel, or copper-nickel, is a copper alloy composed of nickel. The two main copper-nickel alloy grades that are used in marine service are copper base alloys with 10% or 30% nickel, referred to as 90-10 and 70-30 copper-nickel, respectively. The alloys have small iron and manganese additions that are significant in that they add a combination of corrosion resistance and resistance to flowing seawater. Individually, copper and nickel both have characteristics that make them desirable for a variety of applications. Copper is ductile, non-reactive, and highly conductive, whereas nickel is notably corrosive resistant. Due to the similar atomic structures of both metals, the elements blend extremely well and the mechanical properties of 90-10 copper-nickel and 70-30 copper-nickel are useful for everything from machinery to flanges and other connective methods for piping within the Navy’s saltwater systems.

A seawater environment makes metals susceptible to a range of corrosion, however, as 90-10 and 70-30 copper-nickel were designed for naval condensers and piping, they have a notable corrosion resistance. A large reason for copper-nickel’s corrosion resistance stems from the alloy’s ability to form a complex surface film in response to the presence of seawater. The surface film protects the metal below, and gives the alloy a corrosion rate in seawater that is between 0.025 and 0.0025 mm/yr. Copper-nickels also have great resistance to seawater flow velocity as long as the flow rates are kept bellow recommended design velocity to reduce the risk of erosion corrosion. Copper-nickels are resistant to crevice corrosion, stress corrosion cracking, chloride pitting, and ammonia stress corrosion cracking, making the metal useful for machinery, piping, flanges, and other pieces in a seawater environment.

Copper-nickel is also useful for Naval saltwater systems for its resistance against biofouling, as the adhesion of sea life on marine structures can have a profoundly negative effect on performance and is costly to clean. In the case of saltwater systems, biofouling can block the inside of piping and condensers and effect connecting pieces such as flanges. Like copper-nickel’s resistance to several types of corrosion, its resistance to biofouling is linked to the protective films that form on its surfaces. Organisms that do manage to attach themselves to copper-nickel, even in quiet conditions that promote sea life colonization, can only attach themselves loosely and can be easily removed.

While both 90-10 and 70-30 copper-nickel are used for suitable for marine application, the 90-10 variant is more widespread due to its high level of performance at a lower cost than 70-30 copper-nickel. 70-30 copper-nickel is used in a variety of Naval saltwater systems, despite its cost, because it has slightly improved strength when compared to 90-10. This means that it is suitable for more demanding applications. For example, 70-30 copper-nickel’s corrosion resistance is improved in high-velocity and polluted seawater, both of which are experienced by Naval vessels out in the field.

The PVF industry, like many others, have their own “language”. To sound knowledgeable, you need to know some of the basic lingo that is used for describing Pipes, Valves and Fittings (PVF … see what I mean!)

Not only does knowing how to talk about pipes, valves and fittings get you street cred when talking to others in our industry, it helps you get the right items for your customers. Here is a a list of some of the abbreviations you may come across:

Industry Associations

• CS – Carbon Steel
• SS – Stainless steel. Sometimes called CRES
• A105 – Common type of carbon steel used in flanges
• A182-F304(/L), -F316(/L) – Common types of stainless steels
• A182-F11, -F22 – Common types of chrome-molly steels
• CuNi, 70/30, 90/10 – Copper Nickel grades
• 5086, 6061 – Common grades of aluminium

Pipe Terms (also used with valves and flange descriptions)

• SCH 10, 40, 80, 160 – Refers to the wall thickness of a pipe called “schedule”
• STD – Standard wall thickness pipe
• XH – Extra Heavy wall thickness pipe
• XXH – Double Extra Heavy wall thickness pipe

These are just a few of the more common terms used in the industrial piping industry. It’s really hard to know everything and we are learning all of the time. We put a lot of our reference material on a page for you to use. If we can help you decipher some crazy description, contact us any time and we will do our best to help.

We have been very fortunate. In the middle of the Coronavirus pandemic thing, we are doing very well and just hired a new CNC machinist in the shop. I find it amazing how much a new hire teaches us. After reviewing the manuals, we began teaching Brandon about our primary product line; pipe flanges. It’s amazing just how much there is to know about this “simple” product.

First, there is all of the industry specific terminology. The nominal pipe size that each item will be used for is easy enough but try to explain to someone why a 2″ pipe is not 2″ on any dimension?!? Then there is the pressure “class” which determines the flange dimensions but has no other relationship to what actual pressure the flange connection will hold. I don’t even want to talk about Navy flanges. The Navy, who when they come in for an audit of our QA system, wants every part of your operation to be uniform, has prints that are all over the board and then they deviate or modify those prints even more when ordering to meet their needs. Try explaining that logic to a new person anywhere in your operation!

Second is the machining terminology that we casually throw around in the shop. From cutting tool geometry and grade like “oh, I used the CNMG 643 15 degree corner in the 25B grade to form the hubs on the duplex stainless parts for Charlie”. What did he just say and who is Charlie? And it gets weirder from there.

Brandon is a good hire and I am sure he will be talking just like us soon and not even be thinking about it. He listens well, takes notes and asks the right questions. All important things.

I’m sure Brandon isn’t the only one who needs more information about pipe flanges. Here is a great link for the basics. https://www.theprocesspiping.com/introduction-to-flanges/

Any detailed questions … call us. Maybe we can help. Enjoy. Joe

We are on a first name basis

I had an “Ah Ha” moment the other day. We start each work day with a short meeting about what orders are in process, what needs to be done for the day and how everyone contributes to making that happen. It is a good thing and my partner, Howard, started it. My “Ah Ha” was about how we discussed our business.

We talk about orders, not by company name or (worse) order number, but by the name of the person we work with at that company. Example: “Are we getting ready to ship Charlie’s order?”, “We are pulling the material to machine for VJ’s order.”, “The steel from Jamie should be here today.” That’s how we know our customers and vendors … as people. And I think it is so cool!

We talk about how to market our company and what our strengths and weaknesses are. One of our strengths is the personal relationship we have with our customers and vendors. There is no better way to know it is true than to listen in to our morning meetings. Yet, this is something no one will ever know. To my knowledge, none of our customers or vendors know how we talk about them, how much they mean to us, or how much we know and care about them as people. And that’s OK. We don’t do these things because we want any kind of marketing value out of it. It’s just the way it is. That’s what makes it cool.

Joe Walker

It’s Not Easy Being Small and Fast

Piping Supplies Inc is a very small fish in a huge industrial ocean. For over 50 years, that is how it’s been. Instead of seeing our small size as a disability, we see it as an asset.

We can not purchase in large volume at low prices. We can not afford huge marketing budgets. We don’t have cutting edge equipment.

What we have easily makes up for all of that. We know all of our customers and vendors by name. We know our industry intimately. And, we can make parts, even special items, in small quantities so fast that it makes our competition wondering how we do it.

The problem we have is working with large organizations … like the Navy for example. Big organizations move sooooo sloooooow. It’s frustrating. We make decisions quickly and act quickly. Sometimes it’s hard remembering that other companies have many levels of decision making and lots of CYA (cover your ass) involved. Bad for them and bad for us when we are trying to complete a project like updating our website and internet presence.

Joe Walker – Owner

How to Create an ANSI B16.5 Reducing Weld Neck Flange

ANSI B16.5 allows for reducing flanges. Reducing weld necks are an elegant solution to a common problem. Something has a particular flanged outlet but you want a smaller size pipe attached to it. The problem is that, for most commercial flanges whose dimensions are described by ANSI B16.5, reducing weld necks are not addressed. Section 3.3 of B16.5 mentions reducing flanges and refers to Table 7 which explains about reducing threaded flanges but not weld necks. That doesn’t mean that you can’t make them. Here is how it works:

Specify the larger size flange that you want to bolt to and the pressure class. Specify the smaller pipe size and wall thickness (schedule pipe) that you want to come out of that outlet. Specify the face type that the larger outlet has (raised face, flat face, ring-type joint RTJ, etc). Specify what metal do you want. Example: 4” X 2” 150# RF Reducing WN Sch-40 B16.5 A105.

Now let’s look at the following tables from ANSI B16.5 to see what flange you would get. The outside diameter of the flange, O, the body thickness, Tr, raised face dimension, R (specified on Table 4 for all flanges), and bolt pattern will all be for a 4” 150# flange. 
O = 9.000” 
Tr = .88” + .062” for the raised face height = .940” 
R = 6.190” 
Drilling = 8 – .750” holes on a 7.500” Bolt Circle 
 
Next we incorporate the 2” reducing hub to the 4” body. The hub diameter, X, the beginning diameter of the chamfer, Ah, and the bore size for a 2” schedule 40 pipe, B, are all taken from the 2” 150# line of the table: 
X = 3.060” 
Ah = 2.380” 
B = 2.067” 
 
The only dimension left to determine is the length through the hub, also called the over-all length or AOL. This is important because some engineer probably wants to make this assembly part of a larger system of a certain length. To do this we need to do a little math (oh, no!). We are going to figure out the height of the hub only for a 2” 150# weld neck and add it to the body thickness of the 4” flange. In our example the 2” weld neck has a length through hub of 2.440” and a body thickness of .690” which, when subtracted (hey, I warned you there was going to be math involved) gives us a hub height of 1.750”. Now let’s add that to the body thickness of the 4” 150# flange, Tr, from above of .940” to get the reducing hub length, Y, of 2.690”. That is a good bit shorter than the 3.000” of a standard 4” 150# weld neck. 
Check out the shop print for our finished reducing flange. We hope that this helps you understand reducing weld necks a little better. Reducing slip-on and reducing threaded flanges are much simpler … but that is a topic for another time. 

A Machinist Fairy Tale

A long, long, time ago there lived a designer of mechanical things who thought up this amazing new type of horse shoe. He brought his idea to the blacksmith who threw up his hammer and exclaimed,  “I have great skills, but that can’t be made!”. So began the historic struggle between engineers and machinists. 

That struggle continues today but I don’t understand why. Yes, there are times as a machinist that I get prints with incomplete information or RFQ’S that are imposible to quote because the purchasing person doesn’t know the answers but, for the most part, I have always gotten along with engineers. 

I admit, I am prejudice. Even though I have never been a practicing design engineer, I do have my degree in that discipline. But that aside, I find that working directly with the engineers on a project is really efficient and usually turns out well for me and the machine shop. I get direct answers to direct questions, usually very quickly. I  get the important information that I need to make parts right. And, I get their humor! 

If I had a wish (after all, this is a fairy tale) it would be that engineers work with machinists, fabricators, and installers closer to the beginning of a project. Even more amazing things would be made! 

Is Hiring a SEO Company Worth it?

We are venturing into the weird world of internet SEO (search engine optimization). This is a bunch of hocus pocus that is supposed to, magically, make our company’s website found by the perfect people we can help with our machine shop and the products we make. So far, our experience has not been great. We spent a lot of money (for us) making a new website that is supposed to be easier for search engines to read and find. Seven months later, it is just OK and there are several aspects of the website that don’t work … like our blog posts.

This post is my attempt to fix the blog post issue myself. So, if I can fix the website myself, what else can I do myself? Basic SEO infrastructure on my website?

I am confident we chose a reputable company to re-design our website and do the SEO work. I just need to start seeing results faster. For more on my thoughts about being a small agile company, see my next blog post.

Joe Walker – Owner PSI