The Problem: An OEM customer that recently began manufacturing fuel cells and fuel cell test stations needed help increasing the reliability of a new test station. The challenge was to ensure leak-tight connections in tubing up to 4-inch diameter. Hydrogen leaks can be extremely dangerous in an engine compartment that generates electrical sparks.

The Swagelok Solution: The local authorized Swagelok sales and service representative provided a simple answer: the Swagelok® M100 orbital welder, series 10 weld head and collets, series 40 weld head and collets, bench top tube bender, and a lot of weld fittings. The Swagelok representative demonstrated the welder and provided training.

The Benefit: The Swagelok solution ensured leak-tight connections, especially in the 2- to 4-inch tubing size. System performance was increased by approximately 25 %. The orbital welder also has increased labor productivity by about 15 % over the previous hand welding technique.