Page 341 - DESTACO Clamping Technologies

Building safe hydraulic systems

Hydraulic Power Clamps | Safety

Safety means paying attention to the smallest details. “hardware store” fittings are intended only for low
A hastily assembled workholding system can result pressure plumbing. Never use water pipe fittings or
in a hazardous operator environment. Hydraulic copper tubing and brass fittings for hydraulic service.
workholding is not a generic technique where most
anything will work, nor is there one right or best Use proper tools when
answer for all situations. Each application is differ- bending tubing, and
ent and can be approached in many different ways. maintain proper mini-
Because of this versatility, there is no rule-of-thumb mum bend radii for hoses
to follow to guarantee safety. A careful balance of and tubing. If a hose
knowledge, fixture design and common sense are or tube is ever kinked,
key to avoiding injuries. replace it. Don’t risk a
rupture. Fluid escaping
Plan your fixture installation with operator safety in under high pressure is dangerous. The resulting loss in
mind. By nature, most clamping devices have pinch pressure could release the workpiece from the fixture
points. Many times the fixture can be designed to shield and cause serious injury and equipment damage by
the operator from a pinching hazard. Often the place- being ejected from the machine or breaking tooling.
ment of the clamping device in the fixture can minimize
the gap between the clamp and the workpiece, thus Tubing and hoses do
reducing or eliminating the pinch point. Perhaps the flex when pressurized.
clamping control valve or switch can be located such Allow for that movement
that the operator cannot reach the fixture and the con- by supporting the fluid
trol at the same time. Dual palm buttons on electrically- lines away from surfac-
actuated systems serve the same purpose. es which could abrade
the surface and eventu-
Do not require the oper- ally cause damage. Avoid
ator to hold the work- straight lengths of hose and tubing. A bend will
piece in position during allow for this deflection without putting too much stress
the clamping operation. on the line.
Make sure that the work-
piece is self-supporting Even if proper hydraulic
and self-locating so that tubing and fittings are
operator hands are out of specified, be sure to pro-
danger when the hydraulic system is actuated. Often a tect them from abuse.
simple spring plunger is all that is necessary. Components damaged
from abrasion or acci-
The lowest pressure rating dental dropping of a
of any component in the workpiece will no longer
clamping system sets the have the strength and safety of the original design.
maximum pressure rating
for the entire system. Use proper mounting
hardware when install-
Most hydraulic workhold- ing workholding clamps
ing components are rated and other components.
at 5,000 PSI maximum. Always use the largest
However, some components are rated at less than bolt available to fit in
5,000 PSI. The maximum pressure is listed on each the mounting hole. In
product page of this catalog. Never exceed this rating. many cases, the recom-
mended cap screw or thread is specified on the product
Just having a clamp that page of this catalog. Sometimes the mounting
is rated at 5,000 PSI is hardware is included with the component. Always use
not enough. Every hose, supplied hardware.
fitting, valve, adapter and
tube exposed to pressure Safety means
must be rated at or above paying attention to
the maximum hydraulic the smallest details.
system pressure. Most

Dimensions and technical information are subject to change without notice MC-HYD-2