Finger valves save energy and offer reliability

Despite continuous developments in the manufacturing sector, manually operated valves still have their place in production, says SMC. While many plants look to significant upgrades and welcome more flexible solutions, manually operated valves still provide significant benefits and are still relevant for certain applications. These hard working, robust valves offer control, durability and cost savings. James McKew, Group Sales and Marketing Director for SMC ANZ, describes the evolution of SMC’s product offering in-line with the evolution of manufacturing technologies, saying that with more than 12,000 basic products in its range, SMC continuously innovates to meet needs but continues to support customers who use its existing products.

“Today, we have seen a significant shift to ‘smart manufacturing’ and while we provide solutions for this, we pride ourselves on offering a comprehensive range to match each application. With SMC’s significant contribution to R&D and rapid delivery, we are also able to refresh products to offer even greater customer benefits to existing products.”

SMC’s VHK series of finger valves allows for ease of operation, visibility and reliability, promises the manufacturer. The valve direction clearly indicates whether the valve is open or closed (shut to open is counter- clockwise) and the classification of the knob by colour helps in distinguishing between two- port valves (grey) and three- port valves ( blue). In addition, in SMC’s constant quest for energy savings, the VHK series forms part of its energy saving line- up thanks to its sturdy construction to best ensure no leaks. These robust valves offer a poppet valve construction and can operate at a maximum pressure of 1.0MPa and an operating vacuum pressure of -100kPa.

“The series begins with a minimum tube diameter of 4mm and accommodates air at temperatures of between 0 to 60°C,” McKew explains. In addition to the standard VHK two-port and three- port finger valve options, SMC also offers a flame-resistant version for harsher environments.

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