The reliability of a hydraulic manifold: Issues and criteria.

Hydraulic systems are widely used in industrial processes. They provide the power, precision, and reliability needed for engineering systems such as wind turbine operations, heavy maintenance tasks, or metal compacting in the recycling sector.

In complex hydraulic systems, manifold blocks offer many advantages such as ease of assembly, space-saving, and leakage reduction. What are the issues and reliability criteria of a hydraulic manifold block? VMF, a European expert in custom blocks, brings you its experience and expertise.

The manifold block has an essential function in industrial installations. It has to make connections between the different technical components of the equipment to make them work. Thanks to the valve system attached to the block, it distributes fluids reliably and precisely.

There are different types of valves: flanged valves mounted on a surface of the block, and integrated valves that are directly housed in the machined cavities of the hydraulic manifold block. These valves allow the control and regulation of fluid at the inlet and outlet of the manifold.

The manifold block offers many advantages in industrial hydraulic systems:

• Compactness: it allows a real space-saving solution compared to piped valves, the manifold block is a real asset and integrates perfectly into vehicles, machinery, wind turbines, or injection presses.
• Ease of assembly: it is integrated more quickly and easily on production lines within factories and manufacturing workshops. Time savings, productivity gains, but also a reduction in operator strain: there are many benefits to the manifold block!
• Reducing the risk of leaks: compared to piped systems, the hydraulic manifold block significantly reduces the risk of fluid leaks, making the installations more reliable.

What is a reliable hydraulic manifold? The answer is simple: a reliable manifold block is a block that perfectly meets the expectations for the proper functioning of the system it integrates. In other words, a hydraulic block that meets a precise specification tailored to each project.

As an expert in hydraulic manifold blocks, at VMF, all our blocks are high-performing and reliable. There is no approximation. Reliability means rigorously and professionally ensuring that our manifold blocks will work perfectly in hydraulic systems.

That’s why we pay special attention to the design phase, before manufacturing. We work with our customers to develop custom manifold blocks that meet their specific needs.

Our teams work with industrial customers to define the parameters that determine the block’s efficiency, according to the expected performance and conditions of use: compactness, weight, diameters and gauges, threading, connections, fastenings, wall thickness, block material (steel, aluminium, cast iron, stainless steel), surface treatment (zinc plating, phosphating, anodizing, chemical nickel plating) …

These design choices will define the hydraulic blocks’ resistance to pressure, extreme temperatures, and corrosion. It’s only thanks to the support of a specialist whose expertise is recognized that you will be guaranteed to obtain reliable and efficient hydraulic blocks.

At VMF, we have been meeting the needs of industrial clients for more than 35 years, providing custom solutions for hydraulic manifold blocks, from the simplest to the most complex. The biggest names in the industry trust us and remain loyal to our services.

Our qualified teams handle every stage of the process, from design to manufacturing, through quality control and packaging of the hydraulic manifold blocks, all within our workshops located in the heart of the Rhône-Alpes region. Our production capacity allows us to respond quickly to our clients’ requests.

We can manufacture single parts or small and medium series for many types of sectors such as offshore, shipbuilding, wind energy, armament, as well as agricultural machinery, construction, and civil engineering. These industries require expertise, precision, and a high degree of reliability. We are notably responsible for the production of hydraulic manifold blocks for the French army, integrated into the CAESAR self-propelled howitzers and the Barracuda nuclear-powered submarines of the Suffren program.

VMF has developed renowned and sought-after expertise in custom precision hydraulic manifold blocks. We support our customers during the different phases before manufacturing, in order to design the ideal block for the success of their project.

Are you looking for an expert in the design and manufacture of hydraulic manifold blocks? Would you like to learn more about VMF, the European leader in precision manifold blocks?
Contact us!