Camlock fittings and couplings are manufactured in full compliance with a military specification. Dixon Camlock fittings are simple to operate which makes them a very popular choice for many applications involving the transfer of fluids and granular material. These fittings could not be easier to operate; there are two arms on the female half of the connector, and the arms are formed so that the end is in the shape of a cam. When the male side, which has an annular groove machined in it, is inserted into the female, the joint is made by simply closing the cam handles. As the connections are not made under pressure, the closure is easy and can be done by hand.
The Dixon Camlock fittings have a rubber seal that sits in the bottom of the female half. As the cam action goes a little over center, the seal is put under enough pressure to ensure a leak-free joint. To comply with the military spec, the handles must be stainless steel when the coupling body is brass, stainless or polypropylene. The most basic material is aluminum which have either stainless or brass handles.
The working pressure of the fittings is very dependent on the size and the material from which the fitting. As an example, a one inch brass fitting is good for 260 PSI but a three inch coupling drops to 130 PSI. The same coupling, but made from 316L stainless steel has the same rating when the coupling is one inch but is considerably higher for a three inch coupling; 200 PSI.
These pressure ratings are all given at ambient temperatures using standard seals. As the temperature goes up, the pressure rating goes down, in some cases by as much as 40 percent.
The military spec that controls the manufacture of the fittings and couplings focuses on the physical dimensions. This means that in the field, if you are using a male half made by one manufacturer and a female half made by another manufacturer, both halves will still couple together. As is true with many products, there are low cost and high cost derivatives available. As safety and efficiency is of paramount importance in the industry, most companies comply with OSHA and to do so, they use Dixon Camlock fittings which are of the highest quality.
