Which flange protector should you choose?

When choosing flange protectors for your project there are several things to take into account. Often it is specified in the spec which type you must use to get approved by the customer, and then it is often safest to do exactly that - even if it is not always the best option. Should the flange protector provide optimal protection against impact, mechanical damage and dust, is it a temporary protector and must be as cheap as possible or should you protect the flange during sandblasting and painting?

We stock the most common types and have our own production for our own designed Rapid Soft Cover, veneer protectors and special dimensions self-adhesive flange protectors.

Different materials

Plastic:
Plastic flange protectors have several advantages, including being light in weight and cheap to buy. Very often flange protectors are used and thrown away and then it can be worthwhile to choose plastic to save money. However, they are not optimal, since they do not withstand as much as, for example, plywood and Rapid Soft Cover, and they do not always cover the entire flange surface.

EP304 is one of the most popular, this is pressure class specified and covers the sealing surface and is mounted in the bolt holes of ANSI flanges. It is available in sizes from 1/2" to 12" in both #150 and #300. The smaller sizes will also fit #600 flanges.

The EP305 is another one that you've probably seen before. The yellow plate. EP305 is a protector that is not pressure class specified, i.e. only the flange size matters - not the pressure class. It mounts in the center hole and the ribs on the protector will hold it in place. It protects the entire flange surface and is made of LD-PE plastic, so it does not provide optimal impact protection. However, this is the cheapest option when it comes to flange protectors and it comes in sizes from DN10 (3/8") to DN400 (16")

The EP310 is another full-cover flange protector. This has a gripping edge to attach to the flange with and provides protection for the entire flange, including the sides. EP310 is pressure class specified and comes in sizes that fit both ANSI and CF flanges (SPO Compact), from DN10 to DN300.

Sand blasting Cover is designed in hard plastic and intended to protect the flange during sandblasting. It is durable and can withstand being used again and again. Comes in sizes from DN25 to DN150.

Three:

Waterproof plywood is required by many companies to be used on the projects. We have our own production of our veneer protectors and stock to order. Since we

if we make them ourselves, we can produce them for all the available flange sizes and we also mount them on gaskets in 2mm rubber for optimal impact and dust protection.

All protectors are engraved with size and pressure class to easily see where they fit and what they protect. The advantage of flange protectors in waterproof plywood is that they provide extremely good protection against both shock and dust. The disadvantage is that the larger sizes are heavy to work with, and they also require that they be bolted down.

Composite:

Rapid Soft Cover is what we at Reál Marine AS have invented and is coming to both ANSI and SPO-compact flanges. Several have copied the design, but we have the original! The flange protector that gives you the best of both worlds, optimal protection against shock and dust in addition to being very light in weight. Rapid Soft Cover consists of a sandwich solution with 4mm PE plastic on the outside and 5mm cellular rubber towards the flange. All flange protectors are supplied with 4 or 8 plugs, depending on size. The plugs are inserted into the bolt holes and the name comes from the fact that a protector is fitted within seconds. Since we have our own production of these, we make them in all sizes, for special flanges, e.g. square flanges.

We also see that more and more people are writing Rapid Soft Cover into their requirement specifications when it comes to protecting flanges, and that is because they are easier to work with than plywood.

Rubber:

I have heard several people are reluctant to use self-adhesive rubber because it does not fit well enough, or fits too well and that glue remains on the flange. There is one type that fits well and does not leave glue behind, it is the rubber from Distixx .

Surface finishers swear by it when masking, and we see that more and

several people use it as "normal" flange protectors as it is easy to fit, provides good protection and saves a lot of space in the warehouse. We stock all standard sizes, and on our cutting table we can cut out all dimensions, donuts and special shapes.