From america’s first brass forge to a modern industrial giant.
Early Beginnings. Beginning as a pioneer in brass forging, Mueller Metals Company was founded in 1917 to meet the growing demand for munitions during WW I. The company prospered in the 1920s by developing brass forgings that would not leak, which helped spur the growth of modern refrigeration. The company also pioneered the development of copper tube for both underground and indoor plumbing and changed its name to Mueller Brass in 1927.
StreamLine® Sets a New Standard. When Mueller introduced StreamLine® solder-type copper fittings in 1930, the plumbing world changed forever. The new StreamLine soldered fittings were strong, precise and reliable, which helped establish all-copper plumbing systems as the industry standard.
Since 1930, Mueller has grown to become one of the largest suppliers of copper tube and fittings in the world, as well as a leading producer of other flow control products.
StreamTECH Raises the Bar. Mueller Industries recognized that the existing mechanical joining systems were either too expensive or cumbersome. So, in collaboration with the 3M Corporation, Mueller developed StreamTECH, a revolutionary new flameless joining system that utilizes a high-tech structural adhesive with a sophisticated engineered sealing mechanism to produce a low-cost, strong, reliable plumbing joint.
What is StreamTECH?
StreamTECH™ is the result of a strategic collaboration between Mueller Industries and the 3M Corporation to develop a flameless high-performance copper joining system that does not require the use of heavy, expensive tools or high-cost copper fittings.
Extreme testing. Proven performance and reliability.
The StreamTECH&trade system has passed a series of grueling industry standard tests with flying colors.
hydraulic shock test
The hydraulic shock test replicated an extreme water hammer, and subjected a StreamTECH assembly to a hydraulic shock of 450psi once every two seconds for 10,000 cycles at 72° F. That's almost an hour and a half of continuous pounding. Results: StreamTECH not only passed the test - the connection never failed at all, no matter how many cycles we ran.
hydrostatic pressure test
StreamTECH fittings were exhaustively tested for burst strength with pressure tests at both 72° and 180° F. While standard testing only requires the water to be at room temperature, the entire assembly was baked in an oven to demonstrate that it wasn't affected by heat. Results: IAPMO Criteria: 1000psi at 72° / 750psi at 180° F. StreamTECH fittings consistently tested 2X to 3X the criteria. When ultimately taken to failure, the force usually burst the fitting - not the joint.
tension pull test
Hydraulics were used to see if the StreamTECH joints would pull apart in a brutal series of tension tests. The machine pulled a coupling in opposite directions until the connection failed - which it rarely did. Most of the time the force sheared the copper tube or stripped the threads off the adapter, but the joint held firm. Results: The standard for a 2" coupling is surviving a pull force of 2,500 lbs. - enough to suspend an automobile. StreamTECH Passed!
thermocycling test
This complex test required a serious investment in state-of-the-art controls, pumps and recording equipment in an attempt to recreate 50 years of system wear in a month-long test. A large tube and fitting assembly was pressurized to 140psi, and subjected to 35 days of continuous thermal cycling. While under constant flow, the water circulated at 72° F for 5 minutes before rapidly raising the temperature to 180° F for another 5 minutes to complete a single cycle. 7,000 cycles later, the test is complete. Results: Passed with honors - even when tested well beyond the required cycles.
vibration test
Designed to simulate a "real world" environment, the assembly is pressurized to 400psi and subjected to 1,000,000 vibration cycles at 25 hz. After the vibration cycling, the assembly is further pressurized to 600psi to ensure no strength degradation. No leakage can occur in passing the test. Mueller laboratories has also taken Many vibration assemblies well beyond the required cycle volume.
