Simple, efficient, customizable: the future of rotary unions is already available today

One for all, custom-made for everyone: with Johnson-Fluiten's R-RH rotary joints, you can use the same component for a wide range of machinery and at the same time achieve the level of performance that only a customized solution can offer.

This is made possible by the joint's ability to adapt to different processes with a few simple modifications. How does it work and how best to use this property? Luigi Rolfini, the company's Sales Manager Industry, explain it to us.

Applications of rotary joints in industry are many: conveying a fluid to a rotating element, often at high speed, is a common need in manufacturing processes in a wide range of industries, from food to textiles, from chemical/pharmaceutical to converting. How to choose the ideal rotary joint for a machine? Not all manufacturing sectors have the same requirements: the type of fluid used and the temperature it reaches under process operating conditions can vary significantly. However, there is no need to have a different joint for every piece of machinery: there is the possibility of adopting flexible components, suitable for most uses, with features that can be easily modified to make them perfect for specific conditions. What are these components and what benefits do they bring? We asked Luigi Rolfini, Sales Manager Industry at Johnson-Fluiten, a company that has been designing and manufacturing rotary joints for industry for more than two decades.

What features rotary joints must have in order to best perform in different production processes?

Sealing and durability are critical in a rotary joint: process reliability, system safety, and production efficiency cannot go without these features. The joint must convey fluid without leakage, accurately, in the required quantities and at the exact location; while these components are subject to wear and tear, it is also important that they do not require frequent maintenance and that, should the need arise, the systems can resume perfect operation quickly.

These features also feature in our R-RH unions: strong and adaptable, they find application in all industrial segments for cooling and heating, handling high temperatures and working perfectly with different media.

In addition to the versatility that allows them to be used in different machinery, the other feature that makes these rotary joints particularly appreciated by industries is the ability to adapt to a variety of production processes by simply changing the seal: an operation that, thanks to the special kits we provide, can be carried out in no time at all without having to disassemble the joint from the machine and thus minimizing the time of interruption of the production process.

In the B3 configuration, the R-RH rotary joint can operate in temperatures up to 120° and work with water and air.

With a few simple steps, customers can replace the B3 configuration with a wide range of seals:

B4, where, compared with B3, the Viton elastomer is replaced by the Aflas copolymer, which is resistant not only to heat but also to aggressive chemicals, resulting in a “heavy duty” version of the joint that can be used at temperatures up to 180°C and is very popular in the food and textile industries;

C3, where the ring instead of graphite is made of tungsten carbide, offering such wear resistance that it can be used in applications with suspended particles or abrasives and making the joint ideal for applications in the chemical-pharmaceutical industry;

C4, an enhanced version of C3 with Aflas gasket, suitable for applications with temperatures up to 180°C;

T4, in which the tungsten carbide ring of the C4 is replaced by one made of bronze so that it can be used with diathermic oil up to 180°C in a variety of industries-textile, pharmaceutical, converting-where applications are particularly severe.

Mechanical seals for all purposes: but are they the only part of the R-RH joints that can be changed upon customer request?

The mechanical seal is the element that offers the most evident customization opportunity, also because the customer himself can in many cases implement it independently: in fact, our R-RH unions are designed with the “Quick Replacement Design” (QRD) system, which allows for quick replacement of the mechanical seal without having to remove the component from the machine and without special skills being required.

But the seal is not the only “customizable” part, in R-RH rotary joints also components such as; the rotor, body and head can be supplied to the customer in multiple versions.

Rotor, body and head are generally supplied in stainless steel, the version most in demand by the pharmaceutical or food sectors, and are highly valued in applications where stringent hygiene requirements involve cleaning with aggressive detergents (FDA standard) and in areas where there is a risk of explosion (ATEX standard). 

However, stainless steel is not the only option: these parts can be supplied in Hastelloy 22 alloy, a versatile and among the most corrosion-resistant nickel-chromium-molybdenum alloys used in special applications such as wind turbines.

The body of R-RH rotary joints is also available in brass, an alloy highly valued for its ability to remain unaltered for a long time, even in humid and saline environments.

Finally, there is the option of choosing R-RH rotary joints with an aluminum body, a metal that is resistant to corrosion but known above all for its lightness; this allows less energy to be used to move the parts from which it is made, also achieving energy savings.

A “universal” joint with “tailor-made” applications: what advantages does this combination offer?   Companies that manufacture a wide range of machinery can standardize designs and orders by using our R-RH unions in most cases, and at the same time ensure optimal, differentiated performance for each piece of machinery by modifying the seal depending on the production process for which the machinery will be used. This reduces the need to keep many different types of joints in stock and makes it possible to always have the ideal joint available by managing only the various types of seals, with significantly less capital expenditure and occupation of valuable warehouse space.

Also for the customers of these companies, who purchase the machinery to carry out their production activities, the knowledge that they have a joint that perfectly meets their needs is combined with the ability to keep only the seals in stock, instead of the entire joint, and to change them when they wear out in a matter of minutes, without having to disassemble the joint from the machine.

These are not insignificant advantages, making overall production more reliable, the production process more efficient, and supply more competitive

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