From OEM component suppliers to heavy-duty truck manufacturers, there are advantages of using cartridges in transportation applications.

Cartridges are used across many markets including industrial, pneumatic, filtration, semiconductor, life science, automation, and heavy-duty trucking. In all of these markets, manufacturers and end users alike recognize the benefits of a compact sealing design that improves system reliability. Originally developed for thermoplastic materials, specialty cartridges have been manufactured and tested for a variety of materials to bring the sealing technology to a wide array of applications.

Many of Parker's OEM manufacturers that supply to the transportation market have found great success in utilizing their Prestomatic SAE Encapsulated Cartridges in their systems. Let’s take a closer look at how manufacturers can improve system reliability and automate their processes.

Where would an OEM component manufacturer typically use a cartridge?

Basically, any component that uses compressed air on the truck could potentially utilize a cartridge. In-cab controls, air horns, air ride seats, airbags, brake valves and leveling valves are all great examples. A cartridge connection is typically taking the place of a threaded port.

Cartridges are very compact and provide great advantages when working in tight spaces. It is not always easy to get a wrench in tight spaces and pipe fittings are known to leak when not installed properly. A cartridge eliminates this worry with assembly simply by pushing the tubing into the cartridge. The compact design of the one-piece cartridge enables automation of the manufacturing process and improves system reliability. The cartridge becomes an integral part of the overall component, eliminating threaded connections and the possibility of spiral leakage along the mating threads.

This affords the component manufacturer the ability to produce a highly reliable product that allows end users and truck manufacturers to speed up their assembly time. Cartridges also often provide the opportunity to reduce overall weight, which is always of importance to the trucking industry.

How would a truck manufacturer benefit from their OEM component supplier utilizing cartridges in their supplied parts? Haven’t pipe fittings worked fine in the past?

In short, this technological advancement to the industry brings consistent reliability and a number of benefits to the end user truck manufacturer. As mentioned before, ease of assembly ranks high on the list of benefits. In addition, when a cartridge is used in a port, there is no need for the truck manufacturer to buy fittings for the ports. It is a quick and easy push-to-connect assembly that saves time and money in the assembly process. Easy assembly equates to fewer errors and therefore a more leak-free solution. In fact, with the low profile solution that a cartridge offers, more design freedom for future changes and improvements are possible; not to mention the ability to color code the connections to ensure proper plumbing of the system.

Features of Prestomatic SAE Encapsulated Cartridges

Now that we understand the benefits of using a cartridge in place of a threaded port, let’s take a quick look at the actual features of the Prestomatic SAE Encapsulated Cartridges.

• The SAE encapsulated cartridge meets performance requirements of FMVSS 571.106 and SAE J2494-3 and the proposed dimensional standards of SAE J2494-4 in 6061-T6 aluminum.

• The push-in connection is self-centering in the cavity and no thread is needed to insert the fitting into its cavity.

• The seal is pre-assembled, greased and protected.

• The cartridges are protected against contamination from manufacture to installation and the packaging is designed for the automation assembly process.

This article was previously featured on Parker's blog.