Camlock couplings were developed prior to the First World War by the military. The original use was to speed up and enhance the safety of fuel transfer. As the coupling was designed and first put into use by the military, it eventually resulted in a very strict specification which laid out all the vital parameters.
Today, polypropylene Camlock fittings are manufactured by many different companies in many different countries, and until this day, they are still universal in their design, material and dimensions. This standardization allows a tank to be loaded with chemicals in the US, taken to a port, loaded on a container ship and offloaded somewhere else in the world. The company receiving the goods can couple to the same coupling half that was used to fill the tanker and drain it.
These fittings are made from a number of materials today. They all serve a purpose and they are all used for particular reasons in particular industries. The common material is aluminum; it is light weight, durable and cost effective. Aluminum Camlock fittings are often used in the transfer of non-aggressive liquids and bulk materials.
As well as aluminum, these couplings also are produced in brass, stainless steel and polypropylene. When the original design and specifications were written back in the early 1900s, polypropylene was not yet developed and as a result the specs did not take the material into account. Although polypropylene Camlock fittings are physically identical to the spec, they were never a part of the spec with regards to temperature and pressure; so technically, the poly version cannot genuinely be classified as the military spec.
This is of no consequence in industry as the material qualities and specifications are well known to engineers and designers who use it for its qualities, which are quite numerous.
Polypropylene has a high melting point which makes it ideal in many processing industries. It is also easy to mold and machine. It is used extensively in the food processing industries where a great deal of pipe is used to transfer processed product. As the material does not contain BPA which is common in other forms of plastics, it is safe when it comes into contact with food.
As many industrial applications require constant cleaning, using polypropylene Camlock fittings make the assembly and disassembly of pipe runs very simple.
