Custom Designed & Manufactured Solenoid Cartridge Valve for the AFSAT Program

At Westfield Hydraulics, we have a long history of providing premium quality advanced flow control products to customers in the defense and aerospace industries. The solenoid cartridge valve shown here was designed for a target drone that is part of the military’s AFSAT program. When the customer presented us with this project, there was a significant constraint on the time allowed to develop and provide a prototype part. The customer contacted us because we have an established reputation for not only providing the best quality products in the industry, but doing so quickly.

The requirements for the fuel valve design included a high flow rate and very low internal leakage allowance. The valve is manufactured by machining precision components from steel and aluminum alloy materials using CNC milling and turning centers. Advanced honing and lapping equipment allows us to hold very tight tolerances and refine the surface finishes to meet the stringent leakage requirements. Passivation is used on stainless steel components and aluminum components are anodized to increase the corrosion resistance and durability of the valve. The copper wire solenoid is soldered and the valve is assembled in-house to create the finished product. The finished valve has a height of 4.56”, a width of 2.305” and a weight of approximately 2 lbs.

Our manufacturing quality is backed by ISO 9001:2008 and AS9100C certifications and all applicable processes are NADCAP certified. Pressure testing at 30 PSI and functional testing at 0.5 GPM and 2 PSID is used to verify the quality of the valve prior to shipment. Since the initial prototype was approved over ten years ago, we have produced over 300 of these valves. For additional information about this custom valve design project, contact us directly.