Adhering to Productism: How CHANUN Solves Air Compressor Piping Oil Leakage with WALFORM Technology

For industrial facilities that rely on compressed air systems, few maintenance issues are as persistent and costly as piping oil leakage in air compressors. Oil leaks do not only contaminate production floors and create workplace safety hazards; they also trigger unplanned equipment shutdowns, disrupt production schedules, and drive up operational and repair expenses. For decades, plant managers and maintenance teams have searched for a long-term solution to this widespread problem—one that addresses the root cause rather than just treating symptoms. As the industry shifts toward more durable piping solutions, steel tubing has grown in popularity thanks to its structural stability, clean installation, pressure resistance, and lower cost compared to flexible hoses. However, traditional steel piping connection methods still carry inherent leakage risks. This article explains the limitations of conventional piping systems and introduces how CHANUN, a professional air compressor manufacturer, leverages advanced WALFORM forming technology to eliminate piping oil leaks at the source.

The Hidden Risks of Traditional Steel Piping Connections

As more air compressor systems upgrade to steel piping, two installation methods have dominated the market: welded connections and compression fitting connections. Among them, compression fittings have become the industry mainstream due to their relatively simpler on-site installation and no requirement for welding equipment.

Despite their widespread adoption, compression fitting systems suffer from persistently high oil leakage rates, which remain a top complaint among end users. Most failures stem from installation or material defects that compromise sealing performance:

1. Incomplete tube insertion: If the steel tube is not fully seated into the fitting body, the compression ferrule cannot form a tight seal, leaving gaps for oil to seep through.
2. Improper nut tightening: Both under-tightening and over-tightening cause seal failure. Insufficient torque leaves the connection loose, while excessive torque deforms the ferrule or cracks the nut.
3. Scratched tube surface: Damage or scratches on the outer tube wall break the tight contact between the ferrule and the steel, creating leakage paths.
4. Out-of-round tubing: Steel tubing with imperfect roundness cannot achieve uniform compression around its circumference, resulting in partial sealing gaps.
5. Excessively hard tube material: Overly hard tubing prevents the ferrule from biting properly into the tube surface, reducing the reliability of the mechanical seal.

Each of these issues can lead to gradual seepage or sudden oil leakage, forcing frequent maintenance, part replacements, and production interruptions. For facilities running continuous operations, these recurring problems accumulate into significant financial losses over the equipment lifespan.

WALFORM Technology: A Military-Proven Solution for Industrial Compressed Air

To fundamentally solve the oil leakage problem of traditional piping, CHANUN has introduced the innovative WALFORM forming process into its air compressor product lines, bringing military-grade connection technology to industrial compressed air applications.

Originally developed by German engineering firm Walterscheid between 1997 and 2003 at the invitation of the German Ministry of Defense, WALFORM connection technology was first designed for military vessels, submarines, and aircraft—applications where piping reliability is critical to operational safety and mission success. Its non-welded hard tube design eliminates the weaknesses of both welded and compression fitting systems.

In 2021, CHANUN became one of the first air compressor brands to mass-adopt WALFORM process piping. This non-welded steel tube technology completely eradicates pipe bursts and oil leakage caused by long-term wear or improper installation, issues that have long plagued traditional welded and compression fitting oil circuits. Unlike conventional piping that relies on welding or ferrule compression, WALFORM assemblies are manufactured through precision cold forming. Using professional forming machines and precision molds, precision cold-drawn steel tubes are extruded into a shaped end, then assembled with sealing rings and nuts to form a complete steel tube assembly with a dual-sealing structure.

Core Advantages of CHANUN’s WALFORM Formed Steel Tube Assembly

Compared with traditional compression or welded piping, CHANUN’s WALFORM piping system delivers superior reliability and lower total cost of ownership, with five key strengths:

1. Integrated formed structure for exceptional strength The tube is directly formed into a one-piece structure, eliminating the need for pre-assembly and removing the risk of tube pull-out under pressure. This integrated design delivers higher overall structural strength, ensuring safer and more stable long-term operation even under fluctuating pressure conditions.
2. Dual sealing system for leak-free performance The system combines elastic sealing and metal sealing for double protection. The fluororubber (FKM) seal ring provides excellent oil resistance and performs reliably across a wide temperature range, adapting to diverse industrial environments from cold workshops to high-temperature production lines. The metal-to-metal seal adds a second layer of security, maintaining sealing performance even under extreme pressure shocks.
3. Foolproof assembly with reduced torque requirement Compared with traditional compression fittings, WALFORM connections require significantly lower tightening torque and feature a short assembly stroke with an anti-over-tightening design. This makes on-site assembly simpler and more reliable, greatly reducing the risk of installation errors caused by operator inexperience, and shortening system commissioning time.
4. Fewer components, reusable design for lower costs The WALFORM assembly has fewer individual parts, reducing material and logistics costs. Critically, the connections can be disassembled and reassembled repeatedly without losing sealing performance, making system modifications, expansions, and relocations far more flexible and cost-effective.
5. Simplified maintenance with minimal downtime When maintenance is needed, only the seal ring needs to be replaced—not the entire tube or fitting. This makes repair work fast, simple, and inexpensive, minimizing production downtime and cutting long-term maintenance costs substantially.

CHANUN’s Productism: Solving Pain Points at the Source

At CHANUN, our commitment to productism guides every technical decision. Instead of treating oil leakage as an unavoidable maintenance issue, we invest in upstream manufacturing technology to eliminate the problem at its root. By adapting military-grade WALFORM technology for industrial air compressors and scaling it for mass production, we deliver tangible value to our customers: cleaner production environments, fewer unplanned shutdowns, lower maintenance budgets, and longer equipment service life.

Air compressor piping oil leakage does not have to be a permanent operational burden. While traditional compression and welded piping carry inherent leakage risks, advanced forming technology offers a definitive solution. As a pioneer in applying WALFORM technology to air compressor systems, CHANUN continues to uphold productism, focusing on real-world customer pain points and delivering high-reliability compressed air solutions for global industrial users.