Flat Face Plus quick disconnect from ZSi-Foster for demanding environments

ZSi-Foster, Canton, Mich., now offers its Foster Flat Face Plus Quick Disconnects (QD), which have been tested for 1,200 hours of protection from white and red rust, and aew available in nickel-plated steel or 316 stainless steel in multiple thread sizes and connection types.

Foster Flat Face Plus Series

The first ZS-Foster Flat Face Quick Disconnect was launched in 1999, a value-oriented offering under the Breco brand. The new Foster Flat Face Plus is a more durable, robust alternative for demanding environments such as mobile hydraulic equipment, pharmaceutical, medical, and electronic cooling applications.

“We’ve spent a lot of time making sure this product is just what our customers need, and we’ve already received great feedback,” said David Sack, Vice President of Fluid Power Systems at ZSi-Foster. “It’s part of our initiative to offer continuous innovation with new hydraulic and pneumatic products. We work hard to maintain our reputation for excellent quality, and our customers are telling us that they are seeing that quality in our new products.”

Foster Flat Face Plus QD series tests up to 1200 hours against white and red rust

Early feedback from customers indicates that the design is simpler to use than other designs, with it “easy and smooth, requiring minimal force to connect and disconnect. Others said the zinc nickel plating and 316 stainless steel are key innovations.

These materials are critical when hydraulic equipment may sit idle for a night, through a storm, or through a change in seasons. With ordinary quick connects, fluid can seep into the openings and cause rust. Rust will then provide a pathway for contaminants to enter, and contamination is the number one cause of failure and downtime in hydraulic systems.

Adaptors and fittings can also create leak points that lead to fluid contamination. With multiple thread sizes and connection types, the Flat Face Plus eliminates the need for adaptors or fittings. These types include:

NPT and ORB thread types
Nickel-plated steel body sizes from ¼ to 11/2 in. (ISO 06 – 40)
316 stainless steel body sizes from ¼ to 1 in. (ISO 06 – 25)

Additionally, the design allows for safe connection under pressure, and its flat face design reduces leaks and spillage.

Foster Flat Face Plus Series Group

For example, hydraulic line attachments, such as those used in compactors, grapples, and mobile hydraulic hammers can build up residual pressure sitting in the sun or in a heated enclosure. With an ordinary QD, pressure must be bled out of the attachment before connecting it. This wastes time, puts the operator in an unsafe working condition, and creates environmental hazards. The connect-under-pressure plug option gives the ability to connect attachments without having to bleed out pressure beforehand. Operators can safely connect and go.

Agricultural equipment vehicle hydraulic attachments can benefit from the Foster Flat Face couplers as it saves space and time for making attachments.

Connect Under Pressure plugs are available in three different body sizes: ISO 10, 12, and 19.

When an operator is in a hoist lift bucket repairing utility lines, they’re typically using hydraulic power tools. When they change tools, there must be no spillage because it would prevent them from completing their work as well as causing a slippery, unsafe work area. The Flat Face Plus prevents spillage because two flat surfaces meet to connect without any gaps or pockets that would allow a path for fluids to escape.

The Foster Flat Face Plus helps streamline machinery, making for more compact designs. Agricultural and forestry vehicle hydraulic attachments such as land rollers, air seeders, and planters can be a challenge to connect due to limited pockets of space. There’s no room to add adaptors or fittings for a proper connection. The Foster Flat Face Plus’s multiple thread sizes and types offered within a body size prevent the need for conversion fittings that take up space and could create a leak point.