Click on picture above for a closer look (723px x 682px)

Dry Link sanitary couplings are the only true sanitary, drip-free couplings available today because of their simple butterfly design. The smooth mirror-polished bore has no voids, dead spaces, crevices, or fillers that could trap bacteria. Easily drainable and sanitized using steam or other methods such as CIP, SIP, etc, our sanitary couplings are routinely specified in pharmaceutical, biotech, semiconductor, food, and cosmetic industries where ultra cleanliness is required.

Sanitary couplings are usually specified with wetted internal components polished to 20 RA micro-inch mirror finish, although we also offer unpolished internals at economy prices. Wide choice of sizes, body & seal materials, end connections and with full material test certifications (MTR), FDA & USP certifications are available. Other options such as extra fine inside polish, electro-polish, and outside polish to matte finish.

Beware! There are many so called “sanitary” dry-disconnect (dry-break) couplings on the market today. But most of them are based on poppet valve or ball valve designs. By nature, these couplings are not sanitary because they can trap liquid and allow bacteria to germinate. A poppet valve will always contain a dead volume of liquid, no matter what, and a ball valve design allows a dead space around the ball and the body. In the ball valve design, some manufacturers have attempted to eliminate the dead space by inserting plastic shims (PTFE fillers) around the ball. The problem with fillers is that you cannot be 100% sure if you have completely filled in the dead space. It would be impossible to determine the exact thickness required for the filler because of variations in the cast body and ball dimensions. If you assemble the body using a slightly thicker filler, the coupling will jam and make it impossible to turn the handle. If the filler is slightly thinner, then certainly there would be a small void around the ball – enough for the liquid to seep into the void and create a dead volume for bacteria to germinate.