Connections & Rubber Products

Fabric Transfer Sleeves and Connector Sleeves

Custom flexible connector sleeves that join vibrating sifters and other moving equipment to your process line, sewn from the right fabric for a precise fit.

Custom Made

Sewn for a precise fit.

Breathable or Sealed

Both connector styles.

Food Contact Fabrics

FDA approved options.

Designs on File

Easy repeat orders.

How It Works

What a Transfer Sleeve Does

A transfer sleeve, also called a connector sleeve or flexible connector, is a fabric tube that joins a moving piece of equipment, such as a vibrating sifter, to fixed equipment above or below it. It carries product from one point to the next while letting the machine move freely, so vibration is not passed into your spouting and dust and product stay contained.

AFF makes connecting and transfer sleeves and specializes in designing and fabricating a very wide range of flexible, breathable and non-breathable connectors. We select the fabric for the best performance in your application, custom make each sleeve for a precise fit, and keep track of your designs so repeat orders are simple.

Choosing the right fabric comes down to your product and process: sticky or wet material, abrasive material, food or pharmaceutical contact, and whether the line runs under negative pressure.

Warning Signs

Signs Your Transfer Sleeve Needs Replacing

  • Holes, tears or worn spots in the fabric

  • Dust or product escaping at the clamps

  • Product building up and sticking inside the sleeve

  • Sleeve collapsing under negative pressure

  • Frayed or stretched hems at the clamp area

Running a vibrating sifter? See corrugated rubber boots →

Built to Your Spec

Spreader Rings, Skirts and Clamp Slits

Every sleeve is built around how it will be installed and how your line runs.

Spreader rings are anti-collapse rings sewn into sleeves and filters that operate under negative pressure, so the sleeve holds its shape instead of pulling closed.

Skirts sewn to the inside of a transfer sleeve or filter bag keep dust and product from building up around the rim of a collection drum, so emptying the drum is not a mess every time.

Clamp slits cut into the hem give a cleaner look and make the sleeve easier to attach with a hose clamp or quick release clamp.

Custom sewn fabric connector sleeve with clamp slits beside a roll of Cordura nylon and a hose clamp

Spreader rings

Inside skirts

Clamp slits

Custom lengths

See It Made

Custom Transfer Sleeves

Watch how AFF builds custom transfer sleeves. Each sleeve is sewn to your dimensions and finished for the way it attaches to your equipment.

Need a standard white rubber coated nylon sleeve? Order the rubber coated nylon transfer sleeve in our store.

Fabric Options

Choosing a Connector Sleeve Fabric

We select the fabric for your product and process. These are the most requested materials and features for transfer sleeves.

Material or Feature Best For
RCN (Rubber Coated Nylon) Food and pharmaceutical lines. FDA approved, with a rubber coating that gives a non-stick surface for sticky or wet materials.
Cordura Nylon Abrasive products. An extremely durable fabric for hard-wearing transfer applications.
Breathable Fabrics Connectors where air needs to pass through the sleeve.
Non-Breathable Fabrics Connectors that need to contain dust and product completely.
Spreader Rings Sleeves and filters running under negative pressure.
Skirts and Clamp Slits Collection drum connections and easier, cleaner clamping.
Get a Quote

What to Send for a Sleeve Quote

Send us these details, or the sleeve you are replacing, and we will quote the right connector sleeve.

Detail What We Need
Equipment Make and model of the sifter or equipment the sleeve connects
Dimensions Inside diameter at each end and the overall length
Product What runs through the sleeve, and whether it is sticky, wet or abrasive
Contact Whether the sleeve needs food contact approved fabric
Pressure Whether the line runs under negative pressure
Attachment How it clamps on, and whether you need skirts or clamp slits
Industries

Transfer Sleeves by Industry

Flexible connector sleeves for sifting, screening and bulk material transfer.

Food Processing

Pharmaceutical

Milling

Powder Coating

Manufacturing

Metal Working

Wastewater Treatment

Transportation

FAQs

Transfer Sleeve Questions

Send us your equipment, dimensions and product, and we will build the right sleeve.

What is a transfer sleeve?

A transfer sleeve, also called a connector sleeve or flexible connector, is a fabric tube that joins moving equipment such as a vibrating sifter to other equipment, carrying product between them while letting the machine move freely.

Rubber coated nylon, or RCN, is an FDA approved material commonly used in food and pharmaceutical applications. Its rubber coating gives a non-stick surface for sticky or wet materials, which makes it an excellent material for product transfer sleeves.

Cordura nylon is an extremely durable fabric that we use for transferring abrasive products.

Spreader rings are anti-collapse rings sewn into sleeves and filters that operate under negative pressure, so the sleeve keeps its shape.

When a transfer sleeve or filter bag connects to a collection drum, a skirt sewn to the inside keeps dust and product from building up around the rim and making a mess every time the drum is emptied.

Yes. Each sleeve is custom made for a precise fit, and we keep track of your designs for future orders. Send us your old sleeve or its dimensions and we will build the replacement.

Connections & Rubber Products

More Connection Products

Sleeves, tubing, gaskets and couplings for your process line.

Pressure Sleeves

Gum rubber with duck jackets.

Corrugated Boots

Boots for OEM sifters.

Rubber/Poly

Gum rubber and urethane tubing.

Hi-Temp

Silicone tubing and hi-temp fabric.

Need a Custom Transfer Sleeve?

Send us your equipment, sleeve dimensions and product, and we will quote the right connector sleeve.