NW Clamps and Center Rings

Aluminum Hinged Clamps & Viton® Center Rings

For vacuum seal connections, hinged clamp assemblies are the most commonly used method to ensure a vacuum seal connection. Flanges can be rotated 360° and accept self-centering ring seals prior to clamping. To ensure vacuum seal, apply pressure uniformly around the 15° outer surface of both flanges by finger-tightening the single wing nut until the first metal-to-metal contact is made between the spacing lips of the centring ring and the inner surface of the mating flanges. This compresses the O-ring between the flanges and makes the vacuum seal.

Use centering ring assemblies between two ISO flanges with the same outer diameter.
diameters. To use a centering ring, place the widest portion of the centring ring inside the capture groove on the
flange and the O-ring on the flat polished surface outside the capture groove. For blank flanges, the groove on the flange face is the capture groove, with the O-ring making contact with this flange face just outside the groove.