News | August 26, 1998

Furon's Mini Check Valve: No O-ring, 100% Non-Metallic Construction

Furon Co. (Laguna Niguel, CA), a specialist in engineered polymer components, has introduced a PFA molded mini check valve incorporating two important innovations: no O-ring and 100% non-metallic construction. The Mini Check Valve (Molded), featuring a high-purity PFA-wetted flow path, is a unidirectional valve which Furon claims offers 32% greater Cv flow capability than other PFA molded check valves on the market (1.11 versus 0.75).

"The high flow capability increases processing speed and throughput, while the valve's metallic-free, O-ring-free construction prevents contamination of the process media," stated Greg Sallee, Furon Fluid Handling product manager.

According to Sallee, this product is the first to feature injection-molded construction without an O-ring. "The valve is constructed of high-quality PFA, an injection-moldable material," he said. "That means there's no machining involved in its manufacture, so its surfaces are very clean when the piece leaves the production line. Generally, 'clean' industries prefer injection-molded products. Even so, we subject each valve to a proprietary, three-step cleaning process before shipping it to assure it meets industry specs. In addition, each Mini Check Valve undergoes stringent testing to assure high performance, reliability, and safe operation." After assembly, the product is tested and double-bagged in a Class 100 cleanroom.


Furon's Mini Check Valve features
no O-ring and 100% non-metallic construction

The Mini Check Valve is designed for semi-conductor, chemical processing, and biopharmaceutical applications where easy in-line installation, high purity and the prevention of both back flow in process delivery manifolds and drain-down in chemical delivery lines are essential. "We're selling, for the most part, to semiconductor manufacturers," Sallee told Pharmaceutical Online. "This industry has the highest requirements for clean processing equipment. Because the mini-valve meets those standards, it easily meets the standards of pharmaceutical manufacturers as well," an industry in which Sallee believes his company is under-represented.

Product Features

  • Low cracking pressure - less than 1 psig (6.89 kPA), which minimizes system pressure drop. The valve operates up to 125 psig at 22° C, with fluid handling temperatures in the range of 5° C to 100° C.
  • Availability with Pillar Super Fitting or Flare Grip II end connections
  • Port sizes of 0.25 and 0.375 inch.

By Angelo DePalma

For more information: Greg Sallee, Product Manager for Food Handling Products, Furon Co., 3340 East La Palma, Anaheim, CA 92806. 714-630-5818.