INTRODUCTION

Corroline hose was designed and developed to provide customers with a universal chemical hose product which combined all the requirements they had requested for chemical plant applications, particularly the need for improved flexibility.

Corroline hose not only supersedes but also improves upon the wide variety of alternative Chemical Hose products currently available.

CONSTRUCTION

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.

Finally, an outer cover of abrasion resistant, black antistatic EPDM rubber is extruded on to the braid, 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.

To download your copy of the Corroline brochure and any other literature you require, please visit our DOWNLOADS PAGE.

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 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, our smoothbore (Bioflex) or convoluted (Corroflon) PTFE hoses can answer all demands.

For industrial applications from motorsport to high pressure steam transfer, our Hyperline PTFE hose product range has been designed to satisfy the most exacting requirements in a wide range of industries.

Wherever the superb temperature resistance, chemical resistance and famous "easy clean" surface properties of PTFE are primary requirements, Aflex Hose have a proven track record of success in finding solutions to Customers problems.

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.

LATEST NEWS:

It doesn't make sense - or does it?

Aflex Hose Products can sometimes cost up to twice the price of other PTFE lined Pharmaceutical or Chemical Hose Products.

However, accelerated life tests and customer’s experience have shown that Aflex Products have at least 3 times the service life of the equivalent competitors products in most applications.

The costs then work out something like this:

Then there are the other considerations, like the health and safety risks if the fluid or gas which leaks is toxic or corrosive. Also, the fact that the carbon footprint to make one hose is less than for 3 hoses.

The final conclusion is clear - Aflex Hose Products help customers to reduce costs, and risks.

Aflex Hose Products

BIOFLEX and PHARMALINE (for Pharmaceutical Hose and Biotech Hose Applications)

CORROLINE and CORROFLON (for Chemical Hose and General Process Fluids Hose Applications)

Recently, an Aflex Hose Sales Engineer visited a renowned biotech company with worldwide locations; however, the location in question was based in the USA.

The customer had purchased a range of Bioflex and Pharmaline PTFE hose products from the Aflex range 6 months earlier. These hoses were to replace silicone hoses previously used in the Plant. The customer estimated, based upon silicone hose usage, that he would have a requirement of 10 hoses per month, but in fact there had been no usage since the initial purchase.

The Aflex Hose Sales Engineer enquired why, thinking that there was a possible issue with the Aflex product. The answer he received with a smile was simply, "Your PTFE hoses are extremely ecologically and financially friendly". Perplexed, our engineer asked for an explanation - "we haven’t ordered any replacement hoses because your Bioflex and Pharmaline hoses have not failed, unlike the silicone hoses we previously used". He then pointed out that more importantly, due to the reduction in the hoses used, his company had reduced their carbon footprint and the need to dispose of used hoses on a regular basis by either incineration or into landfill. Buying PTFE hoses from Aflex Hose meant that the reduced usage also reduced the carbon footprint of the silicone hose producer because he would not need to produce the high volume of silicone hose required to service the pharmaceutical, biotech and chemical industries due to the short usable lifespan of silicone hoses.

Our Aflex Hose Sales Engineer naturally appreciated the points; although he was disappointed order levels were not as high as expected. He was proud that the Aflex PTFE Product range was contributing to the need to protect our environment for both us and future generations.

So, when you add up all the benefits of using the Aflex Hose PTFE product range, including environmental and financial cost savings, downtime, product loss, labour cost and product disposal costs - Aflex Hose puts you the customer in control.

Making quality PTFE hose products to meet your demanding needs doesn’t always mean more business, but for you it does mean lower costs and environmental protection to you the customer, who will then return to Aflex for more hoses in the future.

The Aflex PTFE hose range - engineered with our and your future in mind!

It has recently been claimed by some of our competitors that Aflex’s BIOFLEX product is inferior to the competitor’s product which it is designed to improve upon and replace.

In particular, it has been claimed that BIOFLEX is weaker, and has a shorter service life.

In fact, exactly the opposite is true.

A testing program recently conducted confirmed this. BIOFLEX and CORROFLON samples were run side by side with competitors’ products, including smoothbore FEP, PTFE or PFA lined Rubber hose products, and also smooth flex type products, on a "Rolling U" test rig.

The 1" bore samples were "Rolled" at the minimum bend radius and at the maximum working pressure quoted for the competitor’s product.

Results were as follows:

• BIOFLEX Hose - 500,000 cycles, no failure.
  - No leakage occurred, so test discontinued. No signs of damage, or wear.
• CORROFLON Hose - 147,159 cycles to failure.
  - Hose leakage caused by rupture of the hose liner.
• Competitor’s smoothbore FEP lined Rubber Covered Hose - 9,149 cycles to failure.
  - Hose leakage caused by severe failure of the hose liner, breakage of the helix wire, and damaged rubber and braid.
• Competitor’s convoluted smooth flex type hose - 7,151 cycles to failure.
  - Hose leakage caused by very severe failure of the hose liner and braid components. (One competitor’s design of smooth flex type hose failed after only 64 cycles!).

These remarkable results have not been exaggerated in any way, yet they very strongly refute the claims made against BIOFLEX by Aflex’s competitors.

In fact, they confirm the claims made all along by Aflex, that BIOFLEX and CORROFLON are the best designed, toughest and most reliable PTFE lined hose products available today.

These results also raise grave doubts about the reliability and potential service life of competitors’ products, in particular the smooth flex product, in critical applications.

Today the need to control your supply chain is paramount. Throughout the world, manufacturing companies are increasingly reliant on outside sources for their components, and when this supply chain breaks down it is you, the customer, who suffers.

This is not acceptable to Aflex and its customer base within the Pharmaceutical, Biotech, Chemical and Food Industries. Long delivery times mean lost revenue and unnecessary downtime.

The answer to this is to be self sufficient - in control of your own destiny.

Aflex has always extruded and braided its own product range, including our Bioflex and Corroflon hose ranges, and the family of Pharmaline, Pharmalex and Hyperline hoses.

We are proud to announce significant investments in new CNC machining capabilities, and with the introduction of our own Electropolishing Plant this gives us control, allowing us to service your requirements within your required time frame. Again Aflex has raised the bar in the world of PTFE hose supply by listening to our customers needs.

By allowing us to supply the correct product, on time, at the right price!

Location - Interphex Philadelphia, April 2008. Aflex Hose again took its world leading PTFE product range to one of the world’s premier Pharmaceutical and Chemical exhibitions. The Aflex range was led by our flagship product Bioflex a true smoothbore flexible PTFE hose along with our sister products Corroflon, Pharmaline and Pharmalex and were joined by the world launch of Relink our reusable self assembled end fitting range, which is designed to compliment our range of PTFE hoses. Relink - a reusable coupling of the future available today!

At the exhibition, the Relink fitting was partnered to our Pharmalex range of hoses - a PTFE liner with clear outer silicone cover, the hose itself carries FDA certification for all materials, USP Class VI for assembled hose and Atex approval, add to this full certification including CE Marking and 3.1 Traceability and you have a natural successor to the shortfalls of silicone.

Interphex 2008 broke all records for Aflex with a record number of visitors attending our stand. Our experienced engineers held meetings with many of the world’s leading Pharmaceutical and Chemical companies and again showed our extensive PTFE hose range can answer any process or engineering issues and problems that were asked of it.

The Aflex stand was visited by engineers from Amgen, Pfizer, GSK, Novartis, Wyeth, BMS and many others, some with questions, others simply to see the PTFE hose range that is proving to the world that engineering excellence and quality are still available in today’s world of cheaper and inferior alternatives - quality will always prevail.

A member of what is considered to be the World’s Number One Pharmaceutical company made the following statement: "never had we considered that a hose could take into account the rigors of todays processes, answer all the certification and safety issues and show a cost saving of over 50% based on 12-month usage", Today this company would not consider any other hoses.

One question that is always asked surrounds hose management and testing. There are passive RFID systems on the market, there are barcode systems, all based around existing technology, all requiring extreme close proximity reading. A joint venture between a renowned computer design house and the Aflex technology team allowed Aflex to launch FLOWTAG in Philadelphia. FLOWTAG is an active RFID system, readable from 100 mtrs (300 ft) and with Atex approval.

Aflex prides itself on listening to its customer base, considering its issues and designing products to answer its requirements. All products carry a 24-MONTH MANUFACTURERS WARRANTY and have the full support and back up of the Aflex distribution and assembly units based around the world.

AFLEX HOSE, THE BIRTHPLACE OF THE KING OF HOSES.

These designs of end fittings are used in applications where the end fitting material is not compatible with the fluid passing through the hose, so all internal 'wetted' parts must be protected by a chemically compatible plastic.

The difference between PFA Encapsulated hose end fittings and 'Integral PTFE Lined' hose end fittings is clearly defined:

The severely reduced bore size of the PFA Encapsulated fitting design reduces the fluid flow rates through hose assemblies by up to 75%.

Integral PTFE lined fittings have no bore size reduction, so full-bore flow through the hose assembly is maintained.

This means that the time taken to fill or empty vessels through the assemblies can be considerably reduced by choosing a BIOFLEX or CORROFLON assembly with integral PTFE lined fittings.

The internal design of the PFA Encapsulated fitting also creates a significant entrapment zone behind the inserted end fitting tail.

This makes it difficult during cleaning through to ensure the hose assembly has been cleaned out 100%.

Also, in pharma and food applications the entrapment zone which is created by the PFA Encapsulated fitting design can trap products to provide a bacterial breeding area in some applications.

These problems are completely eliminated by the choice of BIOFLEX or CORROFLON hose assemblies with integral PTFE lined end fittings.

AFLEX HOSE PRODUCTS - BETTER BY DESIGN