Compression fitting

A compression fitting is a fitting used in plumbing and electrical conduit systems to join two tubes or thin-walled pipes together. In instances where two pipes made of dissimilar materials are to be joined (most commonly PVC and copper), the fittings will be made of one or more compatible materials appropriate for the connection. Compression fittings for attaching tubing (piping) commonly have compression rings, called ferrules (American English) or olives (British English), in them, and are sometimes referred to as flareless fittings. There are also flare fittings that do not require ferrules/olives. Compression fittings are used extensively in hydraulic, gas, and water systems to enable the connection of tubing to threaded components like valves and tools. Compression fittings are suited to a variety of applications, such as plumbing systems in confined spaces where copper pipe would be difficult to solder without creating a fire hazard, and extensively in hydraulic industrial applications. A major benefit is that the fittings allow easy disconnection and reconnection. There are now open source 3-D printable easy fittings that can be customized to connect pipes of any size up to 4.5MPa.