Flanges come in different shapes and sizes, made from various materials. Standards exist to ensure mating flanges match, with ASME and ANSI regulating in the US and DIN in Germany. Flange dimensions are important for proper connection, and manufacturers follow specific guidelines to ensure consistency. Knowing which type of flange is needed for replacement can make the search easier, as different flange styles are unlikely to replace each other.
Commonly found in industrial environments, flanges come in various shapes and sizes and can be constructed from various types of material, such as steel, brass or aluminum. The type of material the flanges are made from, however, bears no relation to the size of the flanges. Industry standards exist to ensure that mating flanges match, although different countries use their own sets of standards. In the United States, for example, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) or the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) regulate flange standards. When it comes to German flange manufacturing standards, on the other hand, the governing body is the German Institute for Standardization or Deutsches Institut für Normung (DIN).
In essence, the designation as a DIN flange means that a flange has been constructed according to the guidelines of the German Institute for Standardization. In other words, the set of standards that a manufacturer follows when building a flange determines whether it is a DIN flange, an ASME flange, or an ANSI flange. For a particular project, it is important to maintain consistency in the type of flanges used, as a DIN flange may not exactly match an ASME or ANSI flange.
The dimensions of flanges often require more attention than the materials used in their construction and these dimensions are determined by ASME, ANSI or DIN flange standards. The reason for this is that flanges belonging to a particular system are designed to exactly match other flanges of the same size in the same system. Two identical flanges that are or will inevitably be connected are known as mating flanges. Only when the dimensions match perfectly will the mating flanges connect properly.
In the United States, the governing bodies that provide guidelines used in flange construction, ASME and ANSI, provide a set of standards that all American flange manufacturers can follow. Similarly, the German Standardization Institute provides the same service to its flange manufacturers. This ensures that any brand of flange will match the same dimensions as another manufacturer, as swapping out flanges often involves locating other flanges that will be exact matches or mating flanges. Knowing which type of flange needs to be replaced, whether a DIN flange, ASME flange, or ANSI flange, can make the replacement search significantly easier by ruling out the other types as options. In most cases, one flange style will not replace another; for example, an ASME flange is highly unlikely to replace a DIN flange.
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