What’s new with LC fittings?

It has been a while since my last post about LC fittings, “Finding the Right Fitting for HPLC or UHPLC”.

Our newer products that use the EXP technology are the EXP2 reusable fittings and EXP2 TI-LOK All-in-One fittings. We have been selling these for a while, but they certainly deserve some attention here as a blog post, because the advantages can make a big difference. Both of these provide zero-dead-volume connections to any 10-32 LC port (10-32 is the type of thread used for all common HPLC and UPLC fittings and columns.) Both of them also provide a way to create a finger-tight seal that is suitable at higher pressures.

The EXP2 fittings include a nut driver that allows for sealing up to 20,000+ psi without the use of a wrench. After you have the tubing fully inserted into the connection, with the EXP2 nut and EXP ferrule in place, you would attach the EXP2 nut driver to the nut to tighten it. If you will be using this for UHPLC, you would also be using stainless steel tubing under this scenario. 

The EXP2 TI-LOK All-In-One offers another approach to make things easier for the analyst. The one piece design means that the ferrules stays with the tightening nut and cannot be lost or misplaced. It can be tightened up to 18,000+ psi by hand (with no wrenches).  You can use this with either PEEK or stainless steel tubing, as long as you take care not to over-tighten with the PEEK tubing. The fitting is reusable, but eventually when the ferrule shows signs of wear, you would replace the entire fitting, as it is made to be disposable as a one-piece unit.  

Thank you for reading this blog post.