Vacuum Valves

The knowledge of the application end-use for a given vacuum valve is key to determining the right vacuum valve for the specific application.

The design of the valves allows high flow rates to be controlled even at zero or full pressure drop.

VAT Manufactured Valves

The Edwards Electropneumatic Control Valves can be used to control the operation of pneumatically activated vacuum valves. Both “Hard on Hard” and “Hard on Soft” metal sealing technologies are available. Butterfly Valves. Up to Air Vent Valves can be used to vent a chamber to atmosphere or can be used as a gas inlet to allow for backfilling of a chamber. Due to the nature of vacuum, it is necessary to choose a vacuum valve capable of working in the operating vacuum range of the furnace.

Positive shut-off

Gate Valves

All-Metal Valves

In addition to air admittance valves, Edwards also offer panel or pipeline mounted needle valves for the fine control of gas bleeds into your vacuum system.

PVEK Solenoid Operation Isolation Valves

The Edwards range of ISO flanged Gate Valves are available in a number of construction and sealing combinations offering excellent overall leak tightness and vacuum integrity with maximum conductance.

These valves are available in stainless steel and brass. They feature pneumatic or manual actuation and various methods of control and indication. With visual and electrical indication of valve status and an option of aluminum or stainless steel construction, they provide a low cost valve which is ideal for high cycling duties.

Features & Benefits

Offered in both right angle and inline configurations. Manual, Pneumatic and Electromagnetically actuated valves are offered as standard in a variety of sizes and flange types. Manual and stepper motor controlled valve options are available for up-stream pressure control. Even a casual study of vacuum technology makes it abundantly clear that valves are almost as vital to the industry as pumps.

Admittance

High cycle applications

Ink & paint dispensing

Electromagnetic Valves offer easy installation in applications where automated actuation is desired, but a pneumatic source is not available or undesirable. High Vac Depot offers a variety of these valves including but not limited to Dual Housing, Door (housing-less), and Integrated Heater models.

Available Actuators

Vacuum valves are used to control gas flow into a vacuum chamber, isolate, vent, provide relief or control conductance.

Butterfly Valves are available in a range of sizes—large enough to isolate diffusion pumps and small enough for many foreline applications. Conductance controllers are ideally suited for applications where consistent and reactive pressure control is a necessity. Industrial compressors

Typical Applications

Diaphragm Valves are robust low cost vacuum valves for venting, rough-metering and isolation. The Edwards SP Speedivalves with fluoroelastomer or nitrile diaphragms are sealed in-line isolation valves which utilize a diaphragm and seat arrangement to provide a rugged, dirty system tolerant valve. These valves are available in stainless steel and aluminum. Butterfly.

Manual versions are offered as standard. Up to Air Vent Valves. When the VIV is closed, the backing pump is safely vented. Additional valve types include butterfly valves, slit valves, ball valves, pendulum valve, all-metal valve, vacuum poppet valve, aluminum angle valves, teflon coating vacuum valve and straight through valves.

The Edwards PVPK valves are fast acting, pneumatically operated right-angled isolation valves featuring bellows and O-ring sealing to provide a grease free vacuum.

NPT end connections

Gate valves, inline valves and angle valves are the most common types of vacuum valves for high vacuum or ultra-high vacuum applications. Bakeable Leak Valves are used to control the flow of gas into a vacuum system from an external source. A vacuum valve is a device placed in a feed or vent line on a vacuum furnace whose purpose is to isolate the vacuum chamber or direct the flow of gas into the vacuum vessel. They feature pneumatic or manual actuation and various methods of control and indication in addition to a bakeable design.

Inline Check Valves

Built-in Pneumatic (spring return)

The selection of the proper valve type requires an understanding of the process application so that the proper design and/or functioning valve can be chosen for a given vacuum furnace operation.

Electromagnetic Valves

Well suited for corrosive gases and liquids. Air Admit and Needle Valves. Ranging from simple screw plunger designs to solenoid operated valves, these panel or pipeline mounted valves are an ideal way to admit gas to your vacuum system. Maintenance free.

There are a variety of different types that fall into three main categories – operational valves, closing valves and sealing valves.

They feature complete pressure balancing – pressure drop has no effect on the valves switching characteristics. Conductance Control Valves. All Vacuum Products. Precise mixing/dispensing. The BGV Basement Gate Valves have been specially designed with a simple and innovative wedge sealing system that eliminates the complex mechanism of traditional gate valves. Vacuum and high pressure applications (to 600 PSI). These units are actuated via stepper motor and include an onboard control package.

The VAX…E series (Electric) are double acting solenoid valves

Machine tool coolant systems

This automatic foreline shut-off valve is a safety valve that protects the vacuum system upon power failure by isolating the vacuum system and venting the mechanical pump.

A variety of Swagelok® and other standard fittings are available.

Water Valves & Accessories

BGV Stainless Steel Gate Valves

Manual

Electro-Pneumatic Control Valves

Featuring stainless steel construction, O-ring sealing and pneumatic or manual actuation.

Protect/Soft

The Edwards IBV Ball Valves combine practical everyday features plus ease of use and economy in a high specification design. The Edwards BRV valves are manually or pneumatically actuated backing/roughing valves.

Bakeable All-Metal Leak Valves

Bi-directional flow

Examples of design parameters include:

Vacuum Isolation Valve (VIV)

Process control applications

Vacuum valves are an essential component in any vacuum system. Inline Valves share most features and applications noted for angle valves but with one port turned 90° so its axis is parallel with the other port’s axis. Buna-N and Fluorocarbon diaphragm versions are available. Pneumatic. Leak. The Edwards range of CF flanged Gate Valves are available in a number of construction and sealing combinations offering excellent overall leak tightness and vacuum integrity with maximum conductance. CF Gate Valves. The Edwards range of air admittance valves are available in three designs to suit a variety of applications. View products.

Soft-Start Valves

Gas Valves are used to help manage Gas flow into and around the vacuum system.

VAX Series coaxial valves have been proven in the control of vacuum and gaseous, liquid, gelatinous, highly viscous and contaminated media. Overview of vacuum valve characteristics and other related topics. Answers to some of the most common questions we get asked. These rugged valves are manufactured in 316L stainless steel and have a full bore design making them ideal for a wide variety of vacuum applications. They feature position indicators and are suitable for pipeline mounting only.

ISO Gate Valves. These valves are mounted on KF & CF flanges with a bellow sealed, manually actuated valve. Both manual and pneumatic valves are offered as standard in a variety of sizes and flange types. Angle Valves. The Edwards QSB Quarter Swing Butterfly valves are a compact, quick acting, high conductance isolation valve. Compact design. VAX Series High Pressure Coaxial Valves. Ball valves provide low-cost, rugged performance at rough vacuum pressures and are found in foreline and trap applications. Gaseous, liquid, gelatinous or highly viscous media.

Vacuum Valves FAQ. KJLC Semiconductor Process Valves. The Edwards SIPVP valves are pneumatically operated, soft start valves with interchangeable orifices for the controlled pumpdown of processes where turbulent flow can cause problems with particulate contamination. Vacuum Valve Technical Notes.
Reactive stepper motor controlled units also available for high precision automated pressure control. Inline Check Valves serve a variety of purposes in vacuum systems; including reducing pumping speed for soft start operation, preventing air in rush at pump power down, and protecting against turbulence in piping and chambers. Coaxial valves are suitable for a very broad variety of applications and exceed expectations even under the harshest conditions.

Valves suitable for coarse through extreme ultra high vacuum operating pressure ranges are offered.

Backing/Roughing Valves

Vacuum valves are used in high vacuum or ultra-high Vacuum system equipments, when a vacuum must be maintained in a closed vacuum processing system.

High cycle-life. Speedivalves. When talking about vacuum valves the ones that most people think of are those installed in lines that connect a vacuum chamber to a vacuum pump: the roughing valve (aka main valve if a diffusion pump package is not installed), the poppet (aka the main valve), the foreline valve and the holding valve.

Diaphragm Valves

The Edwards PVEK valves are compact and lightweight solenoid operated right-angled isolation valves featuring bellows and O-ring sealing to provide a grease free vacuum. The VAX…P series (Pneumatic) are controlled with compressed air or inert gas. Gas Valves & Accessories. Water Valves are used to help manage water flow around the vacuum system. Rectangular Gate Valves. Auto-Off Safety Vent Valves. A series of pressure switches are also installed in most lines with vacuum valves (other than manual valves) to control the flow and changing the internal furnace pressure as demanded by the process being run. The VAX…E or VAX…P series are available in 2/2-way and 3/2-way versions with threaded ports.

Control valves are available in 3-port or 5-port versions with different supply voltages and frequencies to suit your application.

The Edwards PVMK valves are fast acting, lever operated right-angled isolation valves featuring bellows and O-ring sealing to provide a grease free vacuum.

Vacuum Valves. The gas evacuation path is different during initial pump down (aka roughing) with gas moving through the mechanical pump line with the poppet value closed as opposed to when the diffusion pump is activated and the poppet valve is open and the flow is through the diffusion pumps for high vacuum capability.

We offer a wide variety of valve types in a comprehensive range of sizes. Suction Cups, Vacuum Cups, Vacuum Pumps, Vacuum Lifters, Vacuum Lifts, Vacuum System Components and Vacuum Lifting Equipment for All Applications – Trusted Quality Made in the USA since 1968. Available in either aluminum or stainless steel construction, they provide a low cost, reliable isolation solution. Limit switches (pneumatic only)

Rectangular Gate Valves are typically used for load lock/ process module isolation.

PVPK Pneumatic Operation Isolation Valves. Inline Valves. Featuring various control and indication features, they provide a low cost, reliable and easy to operate valve. A variety of Swagelok® and NPT fittings are available. Ball Valves. They combine the function of separate backing/roughing valves into one integral 3 port unit. Built-in Electric (spring return). PVMK Manual Operation Isolation Valves. These valves can be actuated manually, pneumatically, electropneumatically, electrically or electromagnetically.

Specialty Valves

All-Metal Valves (metal bonnet seal and metal vacuum seal) are intended for use in a variety of UHV and extreme UHV applications where temperature extremes preclude the use of elastomer seal valves. The benefit means no oil, grease or moving parts within the vacuum, thereby reducing the risk of the mechanism being damaged by contamination in dusty processes. Intended for use with nXDS, XDS, nXLi and nXRi dry primary pumps, the VIV vacuum isolation valve is a high conductance, fast acting high vacuum isolation valve that is designed to prevent the movement of vapor or particulates from the backing pump to the process chamber.

Fast valve actuation