VICI
AG INTERNATIONAL
North America, South America, and Australia/Oceania: Europe, Asia and Africa:
P.O. Box 55603, Houston, TX 77255 • USA Parkstrasse 2, CH-6214 Schenkon • Switzerland
Phone: +1 713-688-9345 | valco@[Link] Phone: +41 41 925 6200 | info@[Link]
AIR ACTUATED VALCO ON/OFF VALVES
INSTALLATION & OPERATION
Technical Note 607
DESCRIPTION
Valco high-pressure on/off valves feature quality engineering, precision machining, and extremely low
internal volume (< 2 μl), making them the ideal choice in the most demanding liquid or supercritical fluid
chromatography or extraction systems. When used in the prescribed manner, they offer years of trouble-free
service.
The long lifetime is accomplished by minimizing wear materials in the flowpath; we start with naturally hard
materials and then further harden them before incorporating them in the valve. (The materials listed in the last
column of the table below are for the seal which isolates the valve flowpath from the standoff and actuator
assembly.) The seat is machined out of the body material, then deburred with a special abrasive fluid. After
that, a cold-forming process tempers the stainless steel seat to increase its hardness. The stainless steel
needles undergo a special roller burnishing process to increase the hardness of the needle point, and cobalt
alloy needles are polished to a finish of less than 2 μ-inch.
CONFIGURATIONS
Air actuated on/off valves come with a choice of two tubing connection sizes (1/16” and 1/8”), three standoff
lengths (1”, 2”, and 4”), and two temperature ranges. The following table delineates all of the options, and
also describes the various needle and sealing materials for each model.
PART NO. CONNECTION BORE MAX MAX STAND- NEEDLE SEAL
(mm/in) TEMP PRESS OFF (in) MATERIAL MATERIAL
(ºC) (psi)
ASFVO 1/16” 0.50/0.020 100 10,000 1 Cobalt alloy PAEK/TFE
ASFVOL 1/16” 0.75/0.030 100 10,000 1 Cobalt alloy PAEK/TFE
ASFVOHT 1/16” 0.50/0.020 300 6,000 2 Cobalt alloy Polyimide
ASFVOLHT 1/16” 0.75/0.030 300 6,000 2 Cobalt alloy Polyimide
ASFVOHT4 1/16” 0.50/0.020 300 6,000 4 Cobalt alloy Polyimide
ASFVOLHT4 1/16” 0.75/0.030 300 6,000 4 Cobalt alloy Polyimide
ASFVO2HT 1/8” 1.50/0.060 300 2,000 2 316 ss Polyimide
ASFVO2HT4 1/8” 1.50/0.060 300 2,000 4 316 ss Polyimide
VICI Technical Note 607 - Revised 06/2014 1
The standard configuration has the input port of the actuator aligned so that it is parallel to the outlet port
of the valve. The valve can be ordered so that the actuator inlet is rotated in 90° increments. Viewed with the
actuator toward you and the valve away from you, the actuator can be rotated clockwise 90°, 180°, or 270° by
adding a “1”, “2”, or “3”, respectively, to the end of the standard part number. Examples: ASFVO1 (90°) and
ASFVOLHT43 (270°)
Caution: Actuator rotation should not be attempted by the user. Any alteration of the actuator
or valve will cause failure and void the warranty.
MOUNTING INSTRUCTIONS
Conventionally, there are four different mounting methods for Valco On/Off valves:
1. PREFERRED METHOD: Using the clamp ring provided, attach the ring with the socket head screws
provided to a panel or bracket. Then slide the hub of the actuator through the clamp ring and tighten the
clamp ring screw to hold the valve.
2. Remove the clamp ring and attach the actuator directly to a panel or bracket using the threaded holes in
the back of the actuator.
Caution: Do not use screws that are too long. This will bottom out the screw into the piston
and the valve will not open. If over tightened, this will destroy the valve seat and cause
valve failure.
3. High temperature valves can be mounted to a single valve heater block via the hub on the valve.
4. 1/16” versions ONLY: Mount with the two holes located in the valve body itself. There is clearance for
#6 screws.
AIR ACTUATION
These valves use air (40 - 60 psi) to counteract the spring
force that keeps them closed. Actuation air is supplied
through the 1/8” tube fitting on the cylindrical actuator.
Filtration
All actuation air supply lines must be filtered to remove
particulates. Any particles entering the valve will greatly
decrease its sealing effectiveness.
As of this writing, the exact minimum time to open and
close the valve has not been established, but they have
been successfully operated at several Hertz (1/sec). If
actuation is too slow, it’s possible that the air supply
system is retaining pressure. (If the overall air supply
system doesn’t vent quickly enough, residual pressure
can make it more difficult for the spring force to close the
valve.) This problem is more likely to occur with higher
actuation pressures.
MAINTENANCE
These valves are precision engineered, aligned, and assembled to achieve the high degree of performance
that they deliver. They are not designed to be altered or disassembled in any way by the user, and doing so
voids the warranty.
VICI Technical Note 607 - Revised 06/2014 2
