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Screw In Cartridge Valve Applications in OEM Hydraulics

Rock Able | September 4th, 2013

Cartridge Valves Explained

Screw In Cartridge Valves (SICV) are compact and economical components that can be used for directional, pressure and flow control in circuits ranging from .1 GPM to 100 GPM and pressures of up to 5000 PSI.  By combining standard cartridge valves, almost any circuit for mobile or industrial equipment can be easily designed.  Using cartridge valves in a custom manifold, a designer can create a manifold circuit design (MCD) that is specifically tailored and tuned for a specific machine.

The first cartridge valves were simple relief valves, check valves, and flow control valves.  Over time, this technology has been refined and proven to be extremely reliable in modern hydraulic systems. Today, they are available in a range of sizes and functions that give the circuit designer almost unlimited flexibility, including proportional control.

To get an idea of the huge selection of product available from Cross Company, click below:

Cartridge Valves Availability and Interchangeability

Manufacturers like Eaton Hydraulics, Integrated Hydraulics, Sun Hydraulics, HydraForce, and others manufacture cartridge valves.  In the early days, most competitive valves were not interchangeable with each other due to their use of proprietary cavity designs. Over time, standards were adopted for the various cavities required for different valves. 

Today, almost all manufacturers produce valves that are interchangeable.  Therefore, if Supplier A can’t deliver a valve for you in the required timeframe, it is very likely that you could get one from Supplier B or Supplier C.  No other hydraulic product is as readily available as cartridge valves! 

Cartridge Valves Today

The advent of Computer Aided Drafting (CAD), along with Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) and Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) machine tools, has made low volume production of custom cartridge valve manifolds a very competitive option for small and medium sized OEMs. 

Today, the specialists at Cross Company can design a hydraulic circuit that will give your machine the control that your customers need and desire.  They can then design a single block manifold that properly interconnects an array of valves, giving you a compact, efficient, and cost effective hydraulic system – all in one block. Depending on valve availability, prototypes can often be designed and delivered in a matter of days.

The benefits of custom cartridge valve manifolds include low cost per unit.  Once the manifold is designed, it is pretty simple to make tens, hundreds, or even thousands of manifolds on modern machine tools.  

Because the manifold can be specifically designed for your machine, plumbing and installation can be greatly simplified by putting the right sized ports in the manifold and locating the ports for easy connection to your actuators.  Because most of the connections of the circuit are internal to the manifold, many fittings and connectors are eliminated.  This reduction in the number of fittings creates fewer potential leak points and saves money on plumbing the system.

In applications of 3500 PSI or less, the preferred material for custom manifolds is aluminum.  Aluminum is lightweight and inexpensive, saving weight on your machine and money on your bottom line.  For higher pressures, and environments that are not suitable for Aluminum, Ductile Iron can be substituted, but with added weight and cost.

Cartridge Valve Manifolds For YourMachine

The sales specialists and designers at Cross Company can usually provide a proposal for your machine control requirements in a matter of days.  A prototype can usually be delivered just a few days after receipt of order.  Contact a specialist at Cross today to learn how cartridge valve technology can improve your machine’s performance, reliability and lower your cost of manufacturing.

Here is an example of our work. 

Screw In Cartridge Valve Applications in OEM Hydraulics 1

These first pictures show a circuit that included the two solenoid cartridge valves mounted in a block on the left plus two stack modules underneath a CETOP 8 valve.

Screw In Cartridge Valve Applications in OEM Hydraulics 2

Here, you see the entire circuit incorporated into one custom cartridge valve manifold.  Notice the reduced amount of plumbing required and the compact design.  Also, diagnostic quick disconnects have been added to make set up and adjustment simple and easy.  Now, the entire circuit can be installed and set up in much less time.  Several years of rugged use have also proven this system to be extremely reliable.

Screw-in-Cartridge-Valves (SiCVs) 101: A Guide for Mobile OEMs

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Did you know… Cross Company is an ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan). Our ESOP started in 1979 and as of 2006, we are 100% employee-owned! Learn more about our ESOP and how that benefits both team members and our customers.
Did you know... the precision measurement group at Cross was founded in 1939 by our current CEO's grandfather, Jim King. That's a whole lot of calibration!
Did you know... A fingerprint weighs about 50 micrograms. We know, we weighed it! The residue left from a finger can actually make a difference in weight results which is why we wear gloves when we calibrate weights. For reference, a sheet of paper is about 4.5 grams, that’s 4.5 million micrograms.
Did you know… Cross Company has grown significantly since our start in 1954. Over the years we've acquired 26 companies! Today, our five groups have expertise in everything from industrial automation to precision measurement, and industry knowledge going all the way back to 1939.