What makes PicoClear™ Technology better?

Have you ever seen a tip clog?

Traditional fittings utilize frusto-conical compression to hold tubing lengths together. Though effective, attention to technique is required to make a clean, secure connection without creating shards of fused silica that wind their way downstream to create a clog in your emitter.

Here's how traditional fittings work:

Traditional frusto-conical fitting

Above
Tubing is secured using frusto-conical compression: a singular plane of contact is made around the circumference of the tube when the 30° tapered ferrule tip is compressed against the 45° interior taper of the body. This compression, intensified when the fittings are tightened further, can create fractures in the fused-silica tubing.

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In addition to conical force, twisting motion pushes the tubing ends toward each other. Because no radial slippage occurs tubing ends are ground together; upon grinding, imperfections or jagged ends in cleaved tubing can produce thousands of fused-silica particulates. The end result is tip clogging and failure.

Compression can cause contaminants in varied ways

When clogs occur from fused-silica particulates, determining the exact clog location can be frustrating and time-consuming. Determining the cause requires examining every tee, union, cross, and valve-fitting from the HPLC pump down to the emitter. Using the PicoClear union will not only help to elimate clogs caused by fused-silica particulates. Using a PicoClear union with an IntegraFrit to create a metal-free inline filter will help to troubleshoot connections upstream. Visual inspection of the PicoClear union/filter will help to identify the source of particulate generation quickly and without disassembling your setup.

So, why is PicoClear™ better?

The absence of mechanical twisting eliminates fused silca grinding and compression, and reduces the subsequent likelihood of contamination. Through visual inspection, PicoClear Technology eliminates any question that a connection is leak-free and uncontaminated.

• What is PicoClear™?
• How does PicoClear™ work?
• PicoClear™ applications
• PicoClear™ pricing