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Just What is a Stainless Steel Toggle Clamp?

Just What is a Stainless Steel Toggle Clamp?

Toggle Clamps are a tool that is used to securely locate components or parts in position, in a production, packaging or distribution process. The main and most important feature of a Toggle Clamp is that that they lock in position securely can be quickly activated and deactivated by an operator.

This makes them very useful on production lines where components need to be held securely and then removed quickly in a repetitive manner.

Stainless Steel Toggle Clamps perform the exact same process, the only difference being that they are made from Stainless Steel.

Why would you need a Stainless Steel Toggle Clamp?

Stainless Steel Toggle Clamps are most often used when one or more of these areas need special attention: –

  1. Aesthetics
  2. Corrosion Resistance
  3. Hygiene
  4. Life Cycle Costs

As you can imagine, aesthetics come into play when the clamp is going to be on display. So, when they have to look good, Stainless Steel is a good choice, it being one of the most aesthetically pleasing of metals.

Corrosion resistance is another good reason to pick Stainless Steel, it being famous for its ability to resist corrosion. So if the Toggle Clamp is to be used in wet or marine environments, Stainless Steel really has to be used, corrosion will very quickly affecting the operation of a normal Mild Steel Clamp.

Whilst all know that Stainless Steel has amazing anti-corrosion properties it is perhaps less well understood that Stainless Steel is also one of the most hygienic industrial materials known.

This makes its use critical in the production, packaging and delivery of food, beverages and pharmaceutical products, all of which require the highest standards of hygiene.

When it comes to the life-cycle benefit, this basically comes from its anticorrosive qualities, as if a Stainless Steel Toggle Clamp doesn’t rust it must last longer.

How does Stainless Steel Achieve these high standards?

The key to Stainless Steel’s fantastic abilities to avoid corrosion, provide increased hygiene and its great longevity all come down to one characteristic. This is known as The Passive Layer.

A Passive Layer is formed on the surface of Stainless Steel once there is more than 11% of Chromium in the alloy. Once this threshold is achieved a thin Chromium Oxide coating develops when the Chromium reacts with the Oxygen in the surrounding environment. This layer is inactive or inert and doesn’t react with other chemical elements it comes in contact with.

Because it doesn’t react to chemicals it is easy to clean, and because it doesn’t corrode there are no holes or scratches where dirt can accumulate. And because the material is inert is doesn’t impart flavour or colour to food, beverages or pharmaceutical products.

How do you go about Specifying Stainless Steel Toggle Clamps?

The process of specifying these clamps is similar to specifying any Toggle Clamp.

However, one thing that must be taken into account is that they are likely to be less broad than Mild Steel clamps and are slightly less strong.

The second consideration in specifying any Toggle Clamp, regardless of its’ construction, is the action that you require. The space that you have in which to position the Toggle Clamp and the components will dictate the action. If there is no space limitation above the clamp a Vertical Stainless Steel Toggle Clamp could be used. But if there is a lack of space a horizontal clamp is better.

Push Stainless Steel Toggle Clamps are needed when you have to keep two components apart, whereas if you need to hold two components together, a Pull Clamp is needed.

You also have to decide whether safety features like secondary locks are needed.

If you would like more advice on selecting Toggle Clamps, please see https://www.sandfieldengineering.com/toggle-clamps/

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