Air Compressor Hose Fittings
Air compressor hoses are meant to deliver pressurized air from an air compressor to a pneumatic or air tool such as nail guns, impact wrenches, air grinders and sanders, and paint sprayers. The hoses, on their own, however, cannot connect the tools to the compressor without the hose fittings.
The fittings are installed at the ends of the hoses, whether made of rubber, polyurethane, or polyvinyl chloride; at the air output pipe or tube of the compressor, and at the input aperture of air tools. Those attached to the hose must correspond to those on the compressor and the tools to assure a perfect fit, in terms of type, threads, and size. Without this, pressurized air would only leak out minimizing the strength of the air delivered to the pneumatic tools, not to mention the energy wasted compressing air.
The most common materials used in the manufacture hose fittings are steel, stainless steel, aluminum, brass, plastic, and glass-reinforce polypropylene. They come in as many designs and variations as there are applications. These may depend on the material and size of the hose, the temperature of the area where it will be used, whether it will be used outdoors or indoors, the pressure and temperature of the fluid passing through it, and so on.
Most hoses come equipped with hose fittings which are ready for attachment to your compressor and pneumatic tools. There are a few instances, however, when the supplied fittings do not match those on your equipment rendering it necessary to replace them.
Apart from this, fittings have countless other uses, designed to maximize your use of air hoses, air compressors, and air tools.