Valve for Flint & Evatane in the Manufacturing of Road Surfacing & Markings

The way society moves through the world should be an afterthought. When it comes to roads, interchanges, airports, hospitals, schools and any other place along our routes in life— we don’t always think about how they are constructed or the science behind how they work — we just expect them to. That means every country, government, contractor, architect and engineer needs the right tools at their disposal to make sure the communities under their watch are protected by high-quality, well thought out infrastructure that keeps them safe and the world running smoothly.

That’s why this particular company’s product and application is designed for quality — quality that ensures safety, reliability and clarity no matter the project.

The company was founded to help make roads, cycle paths, bridges, airports and pedestrian areas safer for everyone. They manufacture anti-skid road surfacing and thermoplastic road markings. You can find the company’s products on roads and highways, taxiways, runways, parking lots and in all kinds of commercial, contractor, governmental, industrial, airport and architectural settings.

Valves are required for different applications all over this plant, and the company have been using Pinch Valves from AKO UK for an impressive 20 years.

Valve for Flint & Evatane Application Details

Flint and evatane are the two types of media passing through the valve at ambient temperature within the manufacture of road markings and surfacing. Evatane is a resin with high vinyl acetate content. It is more elastomeric than polyethylene, compatible with a wide range of polymers, and easy to process. The pressure of the flint & evatane is approx 900mBar. 4Bar air pressure is used to close the valve. (See more information on using a Pinch Valve with vacuum).

The Pinch Valve for flint is installed horizontally near to the floor, supported by pipework, and is normally closed.

Pinch Valve used within this application: VF200.03X.31.30LA

VF model, air operated, aluminium body, aluminium PN10 flanges with mild steel contact part bushings, natural rubber sleeve.

The Pinch Valve is used to break parts of vacuum/blower lines which convey products from various hoppers to elevated receivers.

Valve for Flint Performance

The company have been using Pinch Valves within this road surfacing/marking application for 20 years. The valves for flint were designed into the system by the company who created the bespoke plant machinery for it’s application.

Other valve types are used around this large plant, including butterfly valves, ball valves, check valves, and diaphragm valves. They are used within different applications, and all seem to function adequately to the purpose and equipment which they are incorporated into, but the Engineering Supervisor specifically pointed out that they find the function of the Pinch Valve very good.

When it comes to maintenance, the company replace the whole valve as opposed to replacing the internal rubber sleeve because they find the housings wear occasionally within this application, due to the media passing through. The valve is also in continuous use, so the application in general is fairly aggressive.

Most Pinch Valves on site are used in conjunction with pressure switches. The switches are used to feedback to the PLC to make the SCADA operator aware if the Pinch Valve has failed closing/opening.

Overall, this is a huge success story and proof that the Pinch Valve is a reliable choice, as well as being able to handle aggressive media.