If you work in aerospace, energy production, automotive manufacturing, or environmental systems, you are working in a hot industry – literally. Whether it is prolonged exposure to high heat, molten metals, or flames, you know how hot your environment can get and how important it is to protect it.

Enter fire sleeves – the cure for the hostile high heat environment. Industrial grade fire sleeves are necessary to protect and elongate the lifespan of industrial hoses, wires, cables, pipes, and tubes. But fire sleeves do more than just create a barrier for what’s inside. In fact, their benefits go way beyond surface level. In addition, fire sleeves offer:

• Increased Safety in the Manufacturing Environment – it helps protects employees from dangerous burns
• Better Organization – sensitive material such as electrical wires and cables can be bundled together in a fire sleeve, protecting them from high heat environments
• Energy Efficiency – the fire sleeve insulates the enclosed material against energy transfer, saving resources and maximizing effective production So, what makes fire sleeves so innovative?

The secret is in the high-grade silicone rubber that coats a knitted or braided fiberglass yarn. Because of their design, they are resistant to hydraulic fluids, fuels, and lubricating oils. They can protect hoses from molten splashes up to 2200° F and withstand an amazing 500° F of constant exposed temperature.

In fact, there are two types of fire sleeves available. The first is a standard industrial grade version, which uses knitted fiberglass yarn over a flexible substrate. This flexible substrate makes the industrial fire sleeve ideal for the additional freedom and flexibility needed for individual manufacturing environments. They can withstand constant high heat and the occasional flame that may occur while providing optimal thermal insulation. Different lengths and thicknesses are also available, which makes fire sleeves even more desirable.

The second type of fire sleeve is used in the aerospace industry where high heats are ubiquitous. The fire sleeves used here are braided fiberglass, which enables hose assemblies to pass AS1055D testing under stated flow and pressure conditions. This is the SAE Aerospace Standard that was established to provide uniform requirements for fire testing of flexible hose assemblies to be used in aircraft or aerospace vehicle fluid systems. Fire sleeves are the critical component here for enabling production.

No matter the length or thickness needed, if you are working in a high heat environment and need extreme temperature insulation, FlexFit Hose can answer your questions and provide a quote for custom fire sleeve hose assemblies – contact us today.

The post Innovation in Hose Assemblies for High Heat Environments appeared first on FlexFitHose.