Looking back on where it all began

Some products are truly revolutionary, unique, or radical. Other products are evolutionary, changing to fit market needs. The Type C has been a work-horse for Barco for many years, and unfortunately much of the product history has been lost. The Type C has been taken for granted. Is the Type C a revolutionary design or an evolutionary design?

The answer is both! I think that very few people know that the Type C was revolutionary. This unique design was awarded patent number 2,836,439 on May 27, 1958. The patent had only one claim that summarized the sales features we all know; seals and widely spaced bearings both under compression, and a special spherical seal design that allows for movement in all directions without leakage. The early Barco engineers realized that carbon graphite is nearly 5 times stronger under compression then in tension. This allows higher operating pressures, resistance to shock and steam/water hammer. The widely spaced bearings provides rigid support for the syphon pipe and tolerates hose loading better than any other joint on the market. These features are just as relevant today as they were 42 years ago.

1958 was just the beginning. The Type C grew to 8 different sizes and several different styles. Bronze trim for water service, CF and Quick release sleeves provide quick and accurate connections to rolls, CR’s expanded the line for rotating syphon pipes, and special lapping expanded the line into heat transfer oil applications. Also added was single flow CS joints, and BSPT/JIS British and Japanese threads to make the Type C connections adaptable world wide. Today there are over 400 models of Type C’s available!

Continuous improvements have kept the Type C up to date as machine speeds, pressures and temperature have increased. After years of lab and field testing, better materials, gaskets, nickel plating and improved carbon materials have been implemented. Two sizes of the Type C are now available with antimony impregnated seals and bearings.

Not only has the Type C technology been kept current, but complete new families of designs have been launched to use this technology into different fields. The series 300, Super G and GR series rotary joints are off-shoots of the basic Type C.

The versatility of the Type C is impressive. Just a few places to look for these rotary joints are textile plants, rubber and tire plants, paper machines, roofing plants, plastic making machines, fiberglass sheeting, rotary cookers, rendering equipment and steel mills.

The inventor of the Type C is shown on the patent as Mr. F.M. Moore. I wonder if Mr. Moore had any idea of what his invention started, and how far it has come?

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