Flow Control Valves
Standard & custom.
Hygienic diaphragm valves redesigned for less maintenance, longer diaphragm life, and audit-grade documentation. US-made in Carson City since 1996.
Two-Way Diaphragm Valves.
The Aquasyn industry-standard two-way valve. Configurable in any combination of body type, diaphragm material, end connection, and surface finish.
BPE-compliant machined bar-stock bodies with controlled chemistry. Inventory of all basic valve sizes is kept in stock in a raw state · unpolished, no end connections welded on, no bonnet attached. That gives us a distinct manufacturing advantage: standard orders ship in 4–6 weeks, custom in 6–8 weeks.
Every body is machined to a drain angle. This is not a tank-bottom feature. Every Aquasyn two-way body, and every sterile access body built from them, has the weir face set slightly off flat so residual liquid runs back toward the tube face instead of sitting against the diaphragm. The angle is specific to the nominal size and it is published per size, with drain alignment marks etched on the end connections so an installer can confirm orientation by eye rather than measuring.
The angle only works if the valve is installed the way it was specified. Mount it rotated to suit the pipework and the same body will pool in a corner. Where a layout has shifted after specification, send us the arrangement and we will confirm the valve still drains.
Features
- Tork-Tite® feet on every bonnet
- Integral Sealing Ridge machined into body
- Precision-molded diaphragm by default
- Controlled sulfur 0.005–0.017%, ferrite <0.5%
- Less than 1 turn fully open to closed
- Optimum self-drain angles by size
Benefits
- Zero-leakage closure, every cycle
- Diaphragm never crushed or over-compressed
- Extended diaphragm service life
- Repeatable flow-control characteristics
- USP Class VI, FDA 21 CFR 177.2600 compliant
- Audit-defensible documentation pack
| Size | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% | 100% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ½″ | 0.5 | 1 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 2 | 2.3 | 2.6 | 3 |
| ¾″ | 1.1 | 2 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 4.8 | 5 | 5 | 5.4 | 6 | 6.8 |
| 1″ | 1.4 | 2.1 | 4.3 | 6.9 | 8.8 | 10.9 | 13.1 | 14.2 | 15.6 | 17.3 |
| 1½″ | 4 | 9.3 | 14.2 | 18.9 | 22 | 25 | 28.9 | 34 | 37.8 | 43.6 |
| 2″ | 7.6 | 16.5 | 22.3 | 27.5 | 35.6 | 43.5 | 48.2 | 54.3 | 58.6 | 66 |
Values are the ones published in the Aquasyn catalog. They cover ½″ to 2″ only; there is no published Cv for ¼″, ⅜″, 2½″, 3″ or 4″. Test conditions are not recorded alongside the original data, so treat the figures as indicative for sizing rather than as a guaranteed performance limit, and talk to engineering if flow prediction is critical to your process.
Fractional sizes (¼", ⅜", ½") share the same body geometry as full-size lines · hybrid assemblies combining fractional and full-sized valves on bioreactors, filtration and chromatography skids, and bench-scale development are a Carson City specialty. Same Tork-Tite® feet, same Integral Sealing Ridge, USP Class VI and FDA 21 CFR compliant. Sole-source from sketch through fabrication.
Valbow®
A 90° angle-pattern diaphragm valve. A valve and an elbow machined as a single body · eliminates the fitting that traditional installations require between a 2-way valve and a 90° turn.
Saves the weld, the centerline real estate, and the leak path. Originally engineered for hard-to-reach sample positions where standard inline valves would not fit · now specified into tight-clearance skid layouts, point-of-use installations, and custom hybrid configurations. Same Tork-Tite® mechanism as the standard two-way diaphragm line.
Why specify Valbow®
- Integrated valve and 90° elbow in a single body
- Eliminates the elbow weld and one leak path
- Minimal hold-up volume
- Optional integrated sampling capability
- Space-efficient compact footprint
- Stocked in a variety of sizes
Where it fits
- Tight-clearance skid layouts
- Directional changes on bioreactors
- Reverse-osmosis (R/O) systems
- Point-of-use installations
- Sample bottle assemblies (integrated)
- Custom hybrid assemblies
Manual bonnets and handles.
Three manual bonnet variants on the same Tork-Tite® mechanism. Hard physical stop closes zero-leak in less than a turn · no over-compression on the diaphragm.
The manual bonnet is the base of every Aquasyn diaphragm valve. Precision-machined Tork-Tite® feet mate to the weir profile to single-thousandth-inch tolerances · positive tactile stop at full close. Choose the variant that matches your service environment, then customize handles for line ID or LOTO compliance during ordering.
Standard bonnet
The workhorse. Tork-Tite® feet, machined 316L, hard-stop closure. Standard on stock configurations.
O-ring sealed
Sealed stem with EPDM O-ring for washdown environments and external contamination control. Same mechanism, sealed exterior.
Submersible
Fully sealed for biopharm CIP / SIP protocols where the bonnet is submerged during cycle. Autoclavable, drainable.
Color-coded handles
Handles in six to eight standard colors to differentiate lines, services, or operators at a glance. Common on transfer panels, where an SOP can name the color rather than the position: operators turn the orange handles, not the valve next to them. Reduces the chance of cross-line operation on busy skids.
Locking caps
Padlock-ready caps for lockout / tagout compliance on critical isolation points. Specify per valve or across a full set during ordering.
Pneumatic & Electric Actuated.
Compact, lightweight actuators built on the same precision internals as the manual line. Spring-return or double-acting on the pneumatic side. eMaxion™ electric on the cleaner-room side.
For modulating control, the electro-pneumatic positioner provides closed-loop position of the actuator · feedback transducer, electro-pneumatic conversion stage, and microprocessor electronic system. eMaxion™ adds drop-in mounting compatibility for facilities targeting a quieter cleanroom envelope or sites without compressed-air infrastructure.
Pneumatic actuation
- Compact, lightweight performance-plastic housings
- Spring-return or double-acting
- Precision stainless internals · O-rings to tight tolerances
- Limit-switch options · banjo-mount solenoid · NAMUR adaptor
- Integral controlled travel stop
- Electro-pneumatic positioner for modulating control
eMaxion™ electric
- Drop-in mounting · compatible with existing bonnets
- No compressed-air utility burden
- No air-quality validation required
- Finer modulating control resolution
- Built-in position feedback · closed-loop
- Quieter, drier, cleaner installation envelope
Multi-Port & Multi-Divert.
GMP and Sterile Access combinations machined into one body. Configurable layouts, minimized dead legs, maximum drainability.
A configurable assembly that provides controlled access into a hygienic process line · typically for sampling, addition, or maintenance · while preserving the sterile boundary. Block-body construction minimizes dead legs and maximizes drainability. Stocked components plus in-house machining and polishing enable short lead times on made-to-order combinations.
Features
- Minimized dead legs
- Maximum drainability
- Configured to specific system layout
- Selection sheet · SAL / SAR / HGV / VGV
- Stocked components · short lead times
Standard configurations
- Sterile Access Left · SAL1–SAL6
- Sterile Access Right · SAR1–SAR6
- Horizontal GMP Valve · HGV1–HGV4
- Vertical GMP Valve · VGV1–VGV4
- Custom on request
Orientation is part of the part number. There are six SAL codes, six SAR codes, and four each of HGV and VGV because each one is a different physical orientation, not a different feature set. The body is machined so that it drains in one specific mounting position. Installed that way, the port sheds back toward the line and nothing pools. Rotated or mirrored to suit the pipework, the same body traps liquid in a corner and the branch stops draining altogether.
This is the most common misapplication we see. A valve gets moved from the position it was specified for to the position that fits the skid, and the drainability the geometry was built to deliver is lost. Gravity does the work here, so the orientation has to be chosen against the installed attitude of the line rather than adjusted afterward. If the layout has changed since the valve was specified, send us the arrangement and we will confirm the code still drains · a different orientation from the same family is usually all it takes.
Block-Body Valve Assemblies.
Two or three diaphragm valves machined into a single block. Compact centerlines, integrated drain paths, fewer welds.
Block-body assemblies eliminate the fittings between adjacent valve stations, taking weld points out of the line and tightening the centerline real estate. Internal flow paths can be machined to specific drainage geometry · particularly valuable in tight bioreactor skids and points-of-use where every inch and every weld matters.
Features
- 2-station and 3-station standard
- Custom geometry on request
- Integrated drain paths · zero static
- Same Tork-Tite® bonnets across stations
- Single material certificate, single weld map
Why specify a block body
- Skid footprint reduced
- Validation simplified · fewer joints
- Weld points eliminated
- Cleanability proven by geometry
- Documentation pack consolidated
Block or fabricated. Most block configurations can also be built as a fabrication · two or three standard valves welded together to the same port arrangement. It is the question we get asked more than any other, and the honest answer is that both do the same job. A block costs considerably more and carries roughly half the holdup. A fabrication costs less and gives up that holdup volume. Nothing else meaningful separates them.
Specify the block when the station is tight enough that a welded assembly will not fit, or when holdup genuinely drives the process: an expensive product you cannot afford to leave in the line, or a low-holdup requirement for steam-in-place. Specify the fabrication when cost matters more than the last few milliliters. Around six to eight block configurations are standard; anything else is machined to the port geometry you need.
ARTēVA® Pinch Valves.
Stainless mechanism, single-use flow path. The hybrid Aquasyn × Alphinity answer for processes that need disposable wetted parts without giving up actuation reliability.
The actuator and frame are stainless, machined in Carson City to Aquasyn's standard. The flow path is single-use tubing, replaced between batches. The result: single-use compliance with stainless-grade actuation discipline. Three actuation modes available · same body, swappable actuator.
Three actuation options
- Manual · standard handwheel for low-cycle service
- Pneumatic · matched to Aquasyn's pneumatic line
- Electric · eMaxion™ actuator, same as the diaphragm line
- Single-use disposable wetted flow path
- Validated tubing · silicone, TPE, PVC
For applications that need
- Disposable wetted parts · single-use compliance
- Stainless actuation reliability
- Tight integration with hybrid bioprocess skids
- Validated tubing compatibility · multi-vendor
- The Aquasyn × Alphinity hybrid story
Tork-Tite® Feet · a hard physical stop.
When an operator tightens a manual valve, it is easy to over-tighten and crush the EPDM or PTFE diaphragm. The Tork-Tite feet act as a hard physical stop · the handwheel turns until the feet make metal-to-metal contact with the valve block, compressing the diaphragm by the exact right amount every time.
Zero-leakage closure. Diaphragm never crushed or sheared. 2-3× service life vs. over-tightened bonnets. Repeatable flow-control characteristics when modulating.
Where Aquasyn valves do the work.
Specified across high-purity processes where contamination risk is non-negotiable and lifecycle math matters.
Answers before you ask.
What sizes are Aquasyn hygienic diaphragm valves available in?
What is a Tork-Tite® foot?
When should I specify a block-body assembly instead of individual valves?
Can I convert pneumatic to eMaxion™ electric later?
What tubing is validated for ARTēVA® pinch valves?
What are typical lead times?
Tell us what you're building.
Standard configurations ship from stock. Custom assemblies, exotic materials, and large-volume orders quoted by engineering directly.