Aflex Hose Ltd is known in the industry as the primary innovator and pioneer of PTFE hose technologies. We were established more than 30 years ago and pioneered the concept of PTFE lined flexible hoses for the transfer of process fluids in pharmaceutical and chemical plants. Since then, the company has been committed to a program of continuous development and improvement, resulting in the most technically competent and sophisticated hose range available today.

Our head office and main manufacturing facility is located in Halifax, West Yorkshire and is equipped with state of the art technology. Our structure enables us to provide our customers with engineering, design, manufacturing and warehouse services. As an ISO 9001:2008 company, Aflex Hose continuously enhances its in-house procedures to ensure that only precisely crafted hoses leave our facility.

Our world leading engineering brings cutting edge flexible hose technologies to critical environments. Whether used to satisfy specific requirements for hygienic and chemical resistance in pharmaceutical manufacturing and research facilities, or to satisfy multi purpose use in chemical or food stuffs process operations.

We have a proven record of success with PTFE hose products where a robust, flexible and chemical resistant hose is required.

Trained quality and process control personnel monitor all processes at Aflex Hose, and all products are tested to the highest standards by Government accredited institutions. Our professional sales and marketing team, supported by dedicated engineers and technologists, has helped establish our brand as among the most preferred in the market.

Our reputation for innovative design and build quality is second to none, and has earned the company market leadership of the PTFE lined flexible hose market for Process Fluid Applications worldwide.

LATEST NEWS:

Greater emphasis on safety has meant that chemical transfer hoses have come under close examination. Governing bodies have introduced standards as a guideline for manufacturers to ensure the supply of safe and high quality hoses.

Aggressive chemicals are known to attack hose liners, resulting in hose failure. Any hose failure can be devastating and lead to the release of poisonous, corrosive and flammable materials posing a health and safety risk to operators, the general public and the surrounding environment.

One of the most important steps in ensuring hose safety is to select the correct hose for your application. As the demand for innovative products keeps increasing, Aflex Hose has designed a range of products for the safe and efficient handling of chemicals in the toughest chemical and process applications.

Corroline and Corroflon are manufactured with a PTFE hose liner, the most chemically inert product available on today's market. We have developed a high quality PTFE hose liner that is more resistant to fluid/gas permeation than any other hose product currently available.

All Aflex Hose assemblies are identified with a stainless steel identification tag, ring or ferrule, vibro etched with a unique serial number for complete traceability, and any other relevant information. Having this information gives you full control and peace of mind that if a problem is detected or a hose needs replacing corrective action can be taken straight away.

We offer a range of outer covers from stainless steel and rubber covers to an outer protection coil ensuring our hoses are tough enough to withstand crushing, kinking or collapse adding to the overall performance of the hose. We also have the option to colour code or company brand hoses for application and product identification. Colours may be used to relate equipment or products within the hose or to distinguish between different temperature lines.

Aflex Hose Ltd, a UK based company, was established more than 30 years ago and pioneered the concept of PTFE lined flexible hoses for the transfer of process fluids in pharmaceutical and chemical plants. Since then, the company has been committed to a program of continuous development and improvement, resulting in the most technically competent and sophisticated hose range available today.

Aflex's reputation for innovative design and build quality is second to none, and has earned the company market leadership of the PTFE lined flexible hose market for Process Fluid Applications worldwide.

For more information please contact the Aflex Hose Ltd team on + 44 1422 317 238

Aflex Hose Ltd has worldwide manufacturing and assembly facilities and a global distribution network enabling us to service the market needs of our customers in a reliable and cost effective manner.

We have two manufacturing sites, 29 assembly locations and a worldwide distributor network covering 40 countries. Our worldwide network is committed to making the Aflex Product Range available to you quickly and confidently.

Commitment to our customers worldwide is what our business prides itself on. Wherever you are in the world, you have the reassurance that we have the right product for you.

Click on the map below to visit our contacts page and find details of your nearest distributor.

Aflex Hose Ltd manufactures and supplies PTFE hoses to BS EN ISO 9001: 2008 Quality Management Systems independently assessed and registered by NQA.

Aflex hose carries out all the design and manufacturing operations in house, from raw materials to finished products and was first issued with ISO certification in June 1993. Production facility audits confirm that all certification requirements are met and that quality control procedures are followed.

"Our Certification shows proven consistency of service and product performance worldwide and gives the customer confidence that every hose is of the highest quality" said Tony Logan, Aflex General Manager.

"We are continually striving to exceed our client's expectations who demand and deserve high quality PTFE hose solutions".

Aflex Hose offers a range of patented hose products to satisfy specific requirements from hygienic and chemical resistance in pharmaceutical manufacturing and research facilities, to multi purpose use in chemical or foodstuff process operations.

From the low profile convoluted Corroflon hose to the smoothbore Bioflex family, the Aflex product range including the world leading brand names Corroline, Pharmaline, Pharmalex and Hyperline are fully certified to industry standards and carry a 24-month warranty.

Aflex Hose can confidently offer hoses to answer all application needs with full certification from the worlds governing bodies.

Aflex Hose Ltd, a UK based company, was established more than 30 years ago and pioneered the concept of PTFE lined flexible hoses for the transfer of process fluids in pharmaceutical and chemical plants. Since then, the company has been committed to a program of continuous development and improvement, resulting in the most technically competent and sophisticated hose range available today.

Aflex's reputation for innovative design and build quality is second to none, and has earned the company market leadership of the PTFE lined flexible hose market for Process Fluid Applications worldwide.

Aflex Hose, born from our experience of the Biotech and Pharmaceutical World, today announces its entry into the chemical and general process industry. A world demanding the same exceptional performance that the pharmaceutical customer requires, a world of certification, engineering safety and cost effectiveness.

Today chemical process industries have no alternative but to use a myriad of products to cover all eventualities and processes. This creates the scenario of a different hose for each product or application increasing store inventories and decreasing company cost effectiveness.

After extensive discussions with engineers and meticulous research an industry wish list was composed:

Smoothbore Kink Resistant Chemical Resistant Vacuum Resistant Temperature Resistant Flexible Hygienic Self cleaning Permeation Resistant Antistatic Alternative outside covers Certified to your industry Standard Lined / Unlined fittings Cost Effective Product Identification

Impossible criteria to achieve some might say but Aflex Hose have taken it upon themselves to design and develop a flexible hose that provides customers with a universal hose product. Something the competition has not managed to achieve.

Aflex Hose Ltd is pleased to introduce a revolutionary new hose product,

Corroline

Corroline is built around a patented PTFE hose liner design, which is smooth bore inside but convoluted outside to generate excellent flexibility combined with 'hoop strength'.

A stainless helical wire and stainless steel wire braid reinforcement add to the kink resistance, crush resistance and the resistance of the hose to both pressure and vacuum.

This reinforced PTFE construction is therefore strong enough to withstand full vacuum and kinking without the need for either internal convolutions or the need to bond the liner to an outer cover, making it an ideal hose liner design, and a significant improvement upon standard products currently available.

The PTFE liner is then further reinforced with an outer braid, either a Stainless Steel wire braid (SS Grade) or a Polypropylene braid (PB Grade) to provide two braided hose grades.

The most popular grade (RC Grade) includes an outer cover of abrasion resistant, black antistatic EPDM rubber which is extruded on to a SS braided liner, with a super-smooth surface finish to aid external cleaning. A yellow, 'CORROLINE' stripe is printed on to the cover. Other texts and coloured stripes are also available to special order.

Aflex Hose believe 'it not only supersedes, but improves upon the wide variety of alternative hose products currently available' and has conducted tests against competitors products to support its statement.

ROLLING 'U' TEST

The Rolling 'U' test is one of many tests carried out at Aflex Hose to prove hose suitability in application. The Rolling 'U' Test is designed to determine the flex life capabililites of hose products. Corroline has proved to have at least 100 times the flex life to failure when tested alongside the best of the competitors' PTFE lined hose products.

Aflex Hose Ltd, a UK based company, was established more than 30 years ago and pioneered the concept of PTFE lined flexible hoses for the transfer of process fluids in pharmaceutical and chemical plants. Since then, the company has been committed to a program of continuous development and improvement, resulting in the most technically competent and sophisticated hose range available today.

Aflex's reputation for innovative design and build quality is second to none, and has earned the company market leadership of the PTFE lined flexible hose market for Process Fluid Applications worldwide.

For more information please contact the Aflex Hose Ltd team on +44 1422 317 238

Aflex Hose continue to update and add to their certification portfolio for all of its range of world class PTFE hose products.

Aflex Hose have had independent tests carried out on their natural and antistatic (AS grade) hose products, which indicate compliance with the following new specification requirements:

USP Class VI at 121°C (250°F) (additional to previous USP VI approvals)

Tested: - Natural and Antistatic PTFE hose liners

Tests: - To USP Class VI and ISO 10993-5,6,10 and 11 at 121ºC (250ºF)

Results : - A 'No Reaction' classification (fully approved)

SAEJ 1737 (Automotive Fuel Hose Permeation)

Tested: - Samples of Smoothbore, Hyperline FX and Autoflon Hose

Tests: - Fuel Types IE85, IE10, CM15, BE20, Indolene

Results: - Daily permeation rates all within specification limits

BPSA Leachables and Extractables

Tested: - Samples of Bioflex Natural and Antistatic PTFE tube liners

Tests: - Identification and quantification of extractable substances using DI water and ethanol absolute under accelerated condition, in accordance with BPSA and FDA recommendations.

Results: - Trace quantities of chemicals extracted have so far been considered 'not significant' by pharma customers who have studied the results. No free carbon was extracted during the test.

ALL TEST REPORT DOCUMENTS AVAILABLE (IN CONFIDENCE) TO ESTABLISHED AFLEX HOSE CUSTOMERS - Apply to Tony Logan at

By Rod Anderson, Managing Director of Aflex Hose Ltd. (Original article published at www.pharmaceuticalonline.com)

PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) was discovered in 1938 and became commercially available in 1950. PTFE-lined flexible hose products were first introduced in 1955, mainly for military applications in the United States. It was soon realized, however, that two of the primary properties of this remarkable plastic made it particularly ideal for use in pharmaceutical and chemical plants as a lining material for components containing process fluids - the excellent chemical resistance and ease of cleaning are quite simply in a different league than those of the other materials that previously had been used.

Many pipes, vessels, pumps, valves, and other process fluid components have consequently been lined with PTFE and other fluoroplastics ever since, and various designs of PTFE-lined hoses have been developed to provide a flexible conduit for connecting between components.

Basically, PTFE-lined hose constructions include an inner PTFE liner tube with outer reinforcement and protection layers, including stainless steel wire or textile braids, steel helix wires, and rubber layers and covers in various combinations.

The hose constructions are designed to provide a hose that is able to flex sufficiently in the application without excessive stress being applied and without the risk of damage, kinking, or interference with the function of the hose.

This is where a problem arose, because hoses made up with smoothbore PTFE liner tubes in bore sizes above 3/4 inch (20 mm) were found to be hard to flex and prone to kinking.

This problem was partially solved by making the PTFE, FEP, or PFA liner thin-wall, then bonding it externally to an EPDM or white silicone rubber hose carcass. This was done in order to prevent the possibility of the liner tube kinking inside the hose construction. Such products are widely available today, but have significant disadvantages. First, the adhesive layer outside the thin wall liner is a chemically reactive, non-FDA approved material, which has been known to leak into the hose bore and contaminate process fluids in certain types of applications. Second, when the hose is flexed, the liner at the inside of the bend ripples severely, creating entrapment zones. Third, the hose is stiff, and hose bore sizes above 1-inch bore require excessive force to flex the hose, making it difficult to install on site.

Another widely available hose designed to overcome the problem includes a PTFE tube liner, which is helically convoluted, or 'concertina-ed'. This provides a hose liner design with excellent flexibility and kink resistance, but introduces the significant drawback that the internal convolutions are entrapment zones for the fluids passing through, and turbulent flow is induced by the internal convolutions, which severely reduces fluid flow rates.

In spite of the disadvantages, these PTFE, FEP, and other derivative fluoroplastic-lined hose products are available and in use in pharma, biotech, and chemical plants worldwide with varying degrees of customer satisfaction.

During the last few years, an alternative design of PTFE liner has become available for use in hose constructions that combines a substantially smooth bore (slight ripples) with an excellent level of flexibility. While the bore of the PTFE liner is effectively smooth, the outside surface is heavily convoluted to provide 'hoop strength', so the liner is self-strengthened and does not need to be bonded with an adhesive to the outside braid or rubber layers.

When flexed, the bore does not exhibit severe rippling. The ripples already present become a little deeper, but not severe.

The hose liner is externally reinforced with a stainless steel wire braid and an optional EPDM or silicone rubber cover, without any adhesive layers, to complete the hose construction.

Such hoses can be made into assemblies that are available with 'integral PTFE-lined' end fittings attached, in which the thick-wall PTFE liner is passed through the bore of the end fittings then flared out to form the sealing face. This protects the end fitting material from contact with the process fluid and ensures clean, restriction-free flow of the process fluid through the end fitting.

Finally, pharmaceutical, biotech, and chemical plant engineers are able to obtain what they have always wanted - a genuinely flexible, genuinely smoothbore, fully PTFE-lined hose product, eliminating all the disadvantages of previous designs.

These products are available under the trade names Bioflex, Pharmaline, and Pharmalex, and are available from Aflex Hose Ltd (UK), Aflex Hose USA LLC, or any of the Aflex Hose distributors worldwide.

Rod Anderson was one of the founders of Aflex Hose in 1973 and has been managing director of Aflex Hose Ltd for the past 15 years His primary achievement has been to develop worldwide market leadership in the PTFE-lined hose products that Aflex offers to pharmaceutical, biotech, and chemical plants for process fluids transfer applications.