What are the different Stainless Steel connection types?

There are as many ways to build a brewery as there are brewers. Each facility starts with different ideas and connection methods and they all have advantages and disadvantages. With most of these connections, they require a hard piece and a soft piece, the fitting and the gasket. Seals are much more effective when there is an elastic part to bend with the stainless steel remaining rigid. 

Here's a helpful guide for determining which type of sanitary connection you have:

Dixon Sanitary - Sanitary Fittings Identification

Weld

• Also referred to as a butt weld
• Uses TIG welding to connect two pieces of stainless steel
• A high degree of sanitation when properly installed
• A low degree of maintenance when properly installed
• Intended for permanent fixtures such as piping
• A higher cost for the connection itself

Tri-Clamp

• Originally developed by Alfa-Laval using the product name "Tri-Clover"
• This needs two Tri-Clamp ends (ferrules), a clamp, and a gasket to seal
• Designed for Sanitary tubing
• Easy to put in place and seal
• Doesn't leak before coming loose
• Very common with North American Food & Beverage facilities

Bevel Seat

• Follows ACME standards
• Threaded connection, will need a special wrench to open and close
• Will leak before coming loose, good warning sign!
• This needs one male end, one female end, a gasket, and a nut to seal
• A North American thread type, can be fairly common in the United States & Canada

DIN

• Originally developed in Germany, short for the Deutsche Industrial Norme
• Common types for Food and Beverage are Type 11850 (Metric) and 11851 (Imperial)
• Threaded connection, will need a special wrench to open and close
• Will leak before coming loose, good warning sign!
• This needs one male end, one female end, a gasket, and a nut to seal
• Very common in Europe and China
• When installing German brewing equipment, the connection types can be Metric DIN, when running piping in North America, the Imperial DIN should be used for better access to materials

SMS

• Originally developed in Sweden, short for the Swedish Milk Standard
• Typically less common than DIN
• This needs one male end, one female end, a gasket, and a nut to seal
• Threaded connection, will need a special wrench to open and close
• Will leak before coming loose, good warning sign!
• Very common in Europe and China

Cam & Groove

• Also called a "Camlock" fitting
• Mostly used for hosing connections for many industries
• This needs one male end and one female end
• Easy to use with no tools to connect 
• Good for quick changing hoses with low maintenance
• More common with home brewing than professional brewing 

NPT Thread

• North American technical standard, short for "National Pipe Thread"
• More common in pipe (non-sanitary) applications than tube (sanitary)
• Requires one male end and one female end
• The material type will require different sealing aids
• The fluid type and working pressure will require different sealing aids
• Can be permanent or temporary, requires a wrench 

Garden Hose Thread

• Typically used for water applications such as wash down hoses
• Thread pitch is a little different from NPT with 11.5 threads per inch
• Nominal inner diameter is usually 3/8", 1/2", or 3/4"
• Requires a male end, a female end, and a gasket
• Quick-release options are available

Hose Barb

• Can be used in many liquid and gas applications
• Allows for an easy push-connection of an elastic hose that is more difficult to remove
• Great for connecting a stainless steel part to a flexible part, such as transfer hoses
• Intended to be permanent, but can also be temporary as a connection
• Requires a male barb end, a female hose end, and typically an external clamp
• Pressure ratings are typically lower on this connection type as the hose and barb will dictate the maximum working pressure

Push To Connect

• Can be used for many hydraulic and pneumatic applications
• More used in the process side of a facility to supply air or hydraulic fluid to equipment
• Requires a female port end and a male hose end
• Sizing is very important, even when switching from Imperial to Metric, improper sizing can cause hoses to pop from the connection
• Easy to install, easy to disconnect