What Does Being a Valve Manufacturer Entail?

For valve manufacturers, nothing matters more than producing the highest quality product on the market. With a wide range of competitors, the only way to truly succeed is to produce an industrial product that speaks for itself. This requires rapt attention to the highest quality materials, processes, products, and distribution.

What Is an Industrial Valve

An industrial valve is a mechanism that either opens or closes or partially opens to regulate the motion of fluids in a system, either in liquid or gas states. These valves are pivotal to the operation of many systems. They keep everything in proper operation and, in many cases, prevent disasters. One of the most common is fire-safe valves.

Types of Valves

Valves come in a wide variety of forms to fit a variety of different usages. What valve you need depends on the purpose, from the form to the size. These are some of the major types of valves.

• Balancing valves manage the flow across different branches, such as in an HVAC unit
• Ball valves start or stop the flow of fluids with a hollow sphere which is fully operational either as a start or stop at a 90-degree turn. These are generally low-pressure valves though they can be used for high-pressure systems with proper metal seatings
• Butterfly valves use a disc with a rod to regulate or prevent flow
• Check valves have a flap to allow for fluid motion in a single direction
• Gate valves stop the motion of fluids or isolate them, making ideal shutoff valves
• Globe valves use a disc in the shape of a globe for regulation

All of these valves serve a vital purpose in the industrial process. Valve manufacturers have an obligation to ensure their customer base has what they need. Manufacturers must provide that the correct valve is made from the right material and shipped quickly. For example, ball valve manufacturers must have a properly designed valve that meets the highest specifications.

Materials in Industrial Valves

Knowing what makes for a quality valve is knowing the ideal material for your valve. The best valve manufacturers offer their valves in various materials for different needs. Stainless steel is among the most popular choices, particularly for ball valve manufacturers; it has a high resiliency and corrosion resistance though it carries a high cost. Iron is commonly used in pipelines as it has a high threshold for temperatures and pressures. Polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, is popular for its cost and flexibility.

Inventory

All of these elements go towards figuring out proper inventory for valve manufacturers. A strong inventory consists of diverse products to serve various needs and knowing what you have in stock. In the modern day, software can automatically keep track of current inventory levels and offer an instant guide to what is selling, what isn’t, and what products should be kept in stock.

With quality inventory control, a valve manufacturer doesn’t waste time or money trying to guess the needs of the market. The information provided by inventory control allows for proactive handling of the material for sale.

Manufacturing

The most important job a valve manufacturer does is, of course, to manufacture the valve. This is a process that involves several highly detailed steps.

First, the customer needs to order the valve, and a design must be agreed on. This can be a previously existing design or a custom design. With the order made, materials are assembled to build the valve. Often the parts needed already exist in the current inventory, a key reason to maintain an awareness of what’s in stock. With everything in place, a checklist of everything needed is run with an assessment of the quality of materials.

Once that is accomplished, the valve’s body, seat, and stem are crafted. This is usually done through the casting and forging method with various steps, including cutting and trimming, sandblasting, and machining. The casting process uses either a single piece or molds or cores. Cores are best for parts whose internal cavities have increased complexity.

With the parts crafted, the piece is then assembled. Following that, the part is put to an intensive pressure test, usually, the hydrostatic pressure test, in which a pressure of 50 percent above the rated working pressure is applied to a partially open valve. Finally, the part is put through quality control to ensure no leaks occur. Quality control is vital to ensure that no faulty valves are sent to customers.

Marketing and Shipping

The process of marketing and shipping a valve has never been easier. While it is a crowded market, valve manufacturers can count on classic tools such as a well-managed website with clear information and a well-designed catalog to spread the word about their products. Positive reviews will help make it clear that the manufacturer can be trusted. There is no better marketing than word of mouth.

A good, easily managed warehouse allows products to be shipped quickly. It is essential to have a reliable shipping partner. Commercial shippers such as DHL, FedEx, and UPS can be trusted to get your products where they need to go on time. In the modern day, things have never been easier for valve manufacturers.

At Valtorc, we are honored to serve our customers in this vital industry. With our years of experience, we take pride in crafting the finest industrial products possible. For whatever you need, we aim to deliver. Explore our site today.