My attempt to make a better hose coupler

Leveleer · Dec 23, 2016

One of the things I don't like about high flow compressed air couplings is the force required to engage them. The explosive decompression during disengagement is also a big problem which is at least solved by so called "safety couplers

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bsaint · Dec 23, 2016

Pretty cool. I have a Legris safety coupler I like except its made from plastic. Engagement is easy to me. Maybe you should pick up one of these to compare.

https://www.zoro.com/legris-coupler...D9TuTgpfQC5rT1J-GLFw0hoCWCfw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Zeke · Dec 23, 2016

Little dramatic but it seems to work very well. Maybe you could take that to the market.

Leveleer · Dec 23, 2016

bsaint said:
Pretty cool. I have a Legris safety coupler I like except its made from plastic. Engagement is easy to me. Maybe you should pick up one of these to compare.

https://www.zoro.com/legris-coupler...D9TuTgpfQC5rT1J-GLFw0hoCWCfw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

I have never seen one before. I have used lots of Legris tubing connectors but never a hose connector.
Thanks, I will check them out.

bsaint · Dec 23, 2016

I never saw it either until I worked at this one plant that you couldn't hook up to their air unless you had this coupler and they used this coupler themselves. Insurance thing.

Richard Cranium · Dec 23, 2016

I little over acting there, but what seams like a very good product.
I had never seen nor heard of legris couplers before.

Leveleer · Dec 23, 2016

Richard Cranium said:
I little over acting there, but what seams like a very good product.
I had never seen nor heard of legris couplers before.

Me over act? Do you think I was acting while trying to connect the Milton?
Absolutely not. I measured the connecting force on all of them and the Milton took over 40 pounds at 150 PSI and so did the Prevost.
Mine took 14 pounds.

sgtmac · Dec 23, 2016

I have had air hoses pop off before and deliver a devastating blow to my private parts. The pain was comparable to a trailer hitch shin hit!

Frank please produce your coupler!

gdocktor3 · Dec 23, 2016

But will your's hold up over time is the question. Nice job otherwise.

Thumper68 · Dec 23, 2016

Frank since I am way over here across the bridge I would be willing to do a test for you. PM me if you would like.

6PTsocket · Dec 23, 2016

While we are on the subject. With regular "dangerous" hose couplers, I see three different styles. I believe that some of the females can accept more than one style male. What is the standard for garage work? Can somebody sort them out for me? Thanks.

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Leveleer · Dec 23, 2016

sgtmac said:
I have had air hoses pop off before and deliver a devastating blow to my private parts. The pain was comparable to a trailer hitch shin hit!

Frank please produce your coupler!

Similiar events have happened to me.

Leveleer · Dec 23, 2016

Thumper68 said:
Frank since I am way over here across the bridge I would be willing to do a test for you. PM me if you would like.

My shop is on Park Point.
I'll Pm you.

Leveleer · Dec 23, 2016

gdocktor3 said:
But will your's hold up over time is the question. Nice job otherwise.

I'm sure i could make them last for the length of the warranty.
Thanks

MedicOC · Dec 23, 2016

I've got several customers of mine that would be very, very interested in those. Do you happen to have one you could send me, or sell me?

ToddW · Dec 23, 2016

@6PTSOCKET you want to use Milton V -- Good air flow until you get insane amount of air/needs from the one device connected.

Funny video, and really just inventing problems that don't exist in the real world.

Maybe you don't have a connection that high where it requires you to reach UP and OVER something to connect... I can't recall EVER using a connection point so terribly mounted on the wall/anything, or not on a cord real that you can push together more at waist level near your body with ease.

I haven't been doing this forever, but int he last 18 years I've never run into anyone in the shop who's EVER complained about how hard they are to connect... now for sure people have mentioned the code whipping you, etc, but there's solutions for that too that keep the air in or have a 1' whip type that keeps the air controlled.

Not knocking your idea or fix but I just don't see it being a 'real world' problem with anyone I know who works in shops or owns shops.

Just my 02

James-W · Dec 23, 2016

Leveleer said:
One of the things I don't like about high flow compressed air couplings is the force required to engage them. The explosive decompression during disengagement is also a big problem which is at least solved by so called "safety couplers"
I played around with a few designs of my own and here is a video I made doing a quick and dirty comparison.
FWIW

IT's only a prototype.
Frank

Are you planning on building them and selling them yourself, or are you thinking about selling the idea to another company?

gdocktor3 · Dec 23, 2016

ToddW said:
@6PTSOCKET you want to use Milton V -- Good air flow until you get insane amount of air/needs from the one device connected.

Funny video, and really just inventing problems that don't exist in the real world.

Maybe you don't have a connection that high where it requires you to reach UP and OVER something to connect... I can't recall EVER using a connection point so terribly mounted on the wall/anything, or not on a cord real that you can push together more at waist level near your body with ease.

I haven't been doing this forever, but int he last 18 years I've never run into anyone in the shop who's EVER complained about how hard they are to connect... now for sure people have mentioned the code whipping you, etc, but there's solutions for that too that keep the air in or have a 1' whip type that keeps the air controlled.

Not knocking your idea or fix but I just don't see it being a 'real world' problem with anyone I know who works in shops or owns shops.

Just my 02

I've had problems more than once switching out air tools on the end of my air hose. I'm not going to run out multiple hoses for each tool and I'm not going to shut the air supply off at compressor every time I need to change it either. Example would be using a grinder, drill, saw, etc and then switching to blow gun. The only time I've had a fitting go into a coupler as easily as seen in that video was when the supply/compresor was valved/shut off.

Leveleer · Dec 23, 2016

MedicOC said:
I've got several customers of mine that would be very, very interested in those. Do you happen to have one you could send me, or sell me?

Thanks for your interest but It's still a long way from production, besides, I've already revised the design 3 times since I made the video.

Leveleer · Dec 23, 2016

ToddW said:
@6PTSOCKET you want to use Milton V -- Good air flow until you get insane amount of air/needs from the one device connected.

Funny video, and really just inventing problems that don't exist in the real world.

Maybe you don't have a connection that high where it requires you to reach UP and OVER something to connect... I can't recall EVER using a connection point so terribly mounted on the wall/anything, or not on a cord real that you can push together more at waist level near your body with ease.

I haven't been doing this forever, but int he last 18 years I've never run into anyone in the shop who's EVER complained about how hard they are to connect... now for sure people have mentioned the code whipping you, etc, but there's solutions for that too that keep the air in or have a 1' whip type that keeps the air controlled.

Not knocking your idea or fix but I just don't see it being a 'real world' problem with anyone I know who works in shops or owns shops.

Just my 02

I would hate to think that I am inventing solutions to problems that don't exist. I certainly have better things to do.
I ran a large production shop for over 30 years with many many air hoses and quick disconnects and no one ever complained about the couplings either.

The first time I noticed this problem was when I bought my first Milton V high flow coupler. I have used quite a few of them including similar types and they all give me problems connecting at high pressures.
I started looking into this because of the problem "I was having".

OccupantRJ · Dec 23, 2016

ToddW said:
@6PTSOCKET you want to use Milton V -- Good air flow until you get insane amount of air/needs from the one device connected.

Funny video, and really just inventing problems that don't exist in the real world.

Maybe you don't have a connection that high where it requires you to reach UP and OVER something to connect... I can't recall EVER using a connection point so terribly mounted on the wall/anything, or not on a cord real that you can push together more at waist level near your body with ease.

I haven't been doing this forever, but int he last 18 years I've never run into anyone in the shop who's EVER complained about how hard they are to connect... now for sure people have mentioned the code whipping you, etc, but there's solutions for that too that keep the air in or have a 1' whip type that keeps the air controlled.

Not knocking your idea or fix but I just don't see it being a 'real world' problem with anyone I know who works in shops or owns shops.

Just my 02

I do. Hardly any of the women in our factory can connect an air coupling, or safely disconnect them for that matter.

Leveleer · Dec 23, 2016

James-W said:
Are you planning on building them and selling them yourself, or are you thinking about selling the idea to another company?

I would love to go out and get a bunch of multi spindle screw machines, swiss screw machines , transfer machines, robots, vision systems, and design some assembly machines in order to make them right here in the good old USA.

Kenwc · Dec 23, 2016

Leveleer

Speaking as someone who sometimes has low hand strength...put me down for some if you ever produce them.

ToddW · Dec 23, 2016

OccupantRJ said:
I do. Hardly any of the women in our factory can connect an air coupling, or safely disconnect them for that matter.

What type are you using? There are obviously some VERY badly designed ones out there I'm not denying that! But... there are also some really easy to use ones as well.

For those with no hand strength or injury have you seen the ones you put the male end into and then push down 90* to 'lock' into place? When done lift up and slide out, no pushing or pulling needed. I have a couple of these but don't recall brand / model to provide more info. I'll check and see but I don't recall finding any on when I tried to find them before.

carbon · Dec 23, 2016

So, the green button on the Prevost means it's a Prevost "high flow interchange." Is the male Milton V plug *exactly* the same and exactly compatible? I say that because I use the green Prevost safety coupler with the matching Prevost plug at 100psi and do not have to press very hard for engagement. Perhaps the effort is very, very slightly harder than yours at 122psi with your nice coupler, but…

And do people run their air tools at 122psi? I see 90-100psi as the max on the die grinders I use.

carbon · Dec 23, 2016

Here's a vid of the Legris in action. Sadly, no engagement, just disengagement.

Iron-Iceberg · Dec 23, 2016

I'll take 20 of them to start. My nephew can't hook up a Milton V with out shutting the air off and he has about KOed himself unhooking one. I keep telling him to go to the gym but this migh be quicker.

Olafur · Dec 24, 2016

Very interesting, plenty of applications. 1/2" or even bigger air hoses are not very easy to plug in @150 psi.

gearhead1 · Dec 24, 2016

I had cheapo connectors years ago. Then I got into some that leaked. So then I bought Milton and they lasted far less time than the cheap is and were harder to connect.

I worked at a factory that used a type that had two collars or two moving rings. One locked the mating fitting the other turned the air off and on. The way it was designed was that you had to slide the air collar back, releasing the air, before you could connect the mating fitting on the end of the air hose you're trying to hook up. For removal, you had to relieve the air with the first collar before you could slide the other collar to release it. No issue with females hooking up hoses.

I couldn't find the exact ones, but found some that appear to work the same way.

http://quick.coupler-mf.com/Article/PRODUCT/61.html

http://www.directindustry.com/prod/staeubli-connectors/product-7527-1755198.html

http://www.hzmingfeng.com/encpmore.asp?id=408

Qualitytools · Dec 24, 2016

Frank, I like your connector and would buy it! Great idea, thanks for sharing

bob15 · Dec 24, 2016

OP, first good luck in your endeavor in making them. Interesting concept.

That being said, I will play devils advocate (or a potential skeptical consumer) and ask you: why would I want to buy your or any quick disconnect similar to yours and not just a ball valve with an auto air-bleed port that I could install before the disconnect which will drain the hose (something very similar to a waste port valve)? Just turn the valve 90° and the air line pressure is gone. I see quick disconnects fail/leak more than ball valves (which are easily rebuild-able) which makes me skeptical.

A valve like this:

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200478517_200478517

or

http://valve-automation.dynaquip.com/viewitems/brass-bronze-ball-valves/ss-2-piece-safety-exhaust-valve-vmh-exhaust-series?

or this Apollo valve:

http://cdn.conbraco.com/apollovalves/products/77-100-SV/TS_77-100-SV.pdf

Hilltopmasonry · Dec 24, 2016

OccupantRJ said:
I do. Hardly any of the women in our factory can connect an air coupling, or safely disconnect them for that matter.

I tried to show my wife how to how to connect a hose to my compressor so she could air up a tire and she couldn't do it

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gerryw · Dec 24, 2016

Great job, keep at it, I'd buy one!

Gerry

bsaint · Dec 24, 2016

carbon said:
Here's a vid of the Legris in action. Sadly, no engagement, just disengagement.

I would've kept them but I switch to milton p. Now theres a coupler you need some ooomph to connect. I had one mis seat and blew off and dented a fender lol.

dnschmidt · Dec 24, 2016

Step one: Get a patent
Step two: Call Dixon Industries. These guys make great couplers and are good people making things here in America.

bsaint · Dec 25, 2016

Looks like this company Foster has a similar product. Check that out. I would love this in a 3/8 truflate size.

Leveleer · Dec 25, 2016

I appreciate all the positive comments and criticisms.
I should point out that the prototype in the video uses a non standard plug that I designed. I have designed several couplings that are compatible with the industrial interchange standard including the high flow version. They all work well but I decided to see how good I could make one and this required that I not compromise the design by making it compatible.

ovrrdrive · Dec 25, 2016

carbon said:
And do people run their air tools at 122psi? I see 90-100psi as the max on the die grinders I use.

125psi at the compressor regulator gets me 90psi at the back of my plasma cutter when the torch is activated. So yes, some people do run over 120psi in their lines.

carbon · Dec 26, 2016

ovrrdrive said:
125psi at the compressor regulator gets me 90psi at the back of my plasma cutter when the torch is activated. So yes, some people do run over 120psi in their lines.

So, to my point, to test plugging in force at the plasma cutter at the end of the line you should have the test line at 90psi, not 122psi. Unless you're plugging stuff in at the compressor and not at the tool. Not sure why you'd do that.

I get that your plug would help you at the 125psi compressor vs the Prevost, but do people switch hoses at the compressor much?

Hammer1963 · Dec 26, 2016

Impressive!

My attempt to make a better hose coupler

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