pressure test Archives

Using 3D Prototyping for Custom Parts Manufacturing

March 14, 2017 7:00 am 2 Comments

Across all industries, companies are constantly seeking ways to reduce project costs and downtime without sacrificing the quality of their products — a challenging balance to achieve and maintain.

Additive manufacturing, more commonly known as 3D printing, allows businesses to streamline and speed up production without forgoing quality. 3D printing is not yet refined enough to replace any current full-scale production methods, but it is an invaluable method for prototyping.

Prototyping with 3D Printing

Prototyping is an extremely important step in product development. Prototyping custom manufactured parts, in particular, provides the opportunity to evaluate your design, demonstrate its concept, inspect it for flaws, correct any issues, and improve overall design. However, traditional prototyping can be a very time-consuming and expensive process.

Using-3D-Prototyping-for-Custom-Parts-Manufacture Ford Motor Company has embraced 3D printing of manufactured parts for prototyping purposes, and, over the course of only a few years, has saved millions of dollars in prototyping costs and months upon months of development time.

As an example, an intake manifold is one of the most complex parts of a vehicle; with traditional methods, this took as long as four months and as much as $500,000 to prototype.

With 3D printing, Ford has cut that down to four days and $3,000 dollars, freeing both time and money for testing and design optimization.

Besides saving costs and time, additive manufacturing allows the same CAD software to be used to create various geometries, making it an extremely versatile process. And unlike CNC machining, 3D printing produces minimal waste, as the process only prints the material actually needed to create the desired product.

3D Printing for Valve Prototypes

Prototyping is notoriously challenging in the valve industry; valves are incredibly complex multi-component parts that require a full set of custom tooling to prototype. Tooling is a huge driver of time and costs for valve prototyping, especially for check valve prototyping. Luckily, 3D printing is making as big an impact in valve manufacturing as it is in car manufacturing.

DFT® Inc. has acquired a 3D printer that we use for valve prototyping, and its impact has been tremendous. This printer provides us with functioning 3D models to present to clients, which has proven to be a huge boon for collecting quality feedback from customers.

Compatible with all existing CAD software, it allows our designers and engineers to incorporate that feedback almost immediately and carry those ideas forward as the project progresses. Perhaps most importantly, it allows us to prototype valves for customers at drastically lower price points than we were capable of previously.

Utilizing DFT’s CAD Files

Since 1943, DFT® Inc. has been offering industry-leading valve manufacturing services, as well as check valve testing capabilities. Our 3D printing technology has allowed us to improve our prototyping and overall design offerings while decreasing costs and downtime for our customers. If you are an engineer interested in our prototyping services, the DFT® Inc. CAD Library is a great place to start.

Utilize the CAD Library to view our check valve drawings, which showcase models of various types, sizes, and end connections.

Pressure Testing DFT Check Valves

February 23, 2015 5:03 pm Comments Off

Check valves are known for their versatility and durability in diverse applications and processes. Many professionals rely on check valves daily, and as such, the valves they utilize must be of the highest possible quality.

Pressure Testing DFT Valves Moreover, check valves must conform to industry standards to ensure successful results. DFT Inc. has manufactured check valves for over 70 years; our team of specialists fully understands the stringent demands of any application. One of our main goals is to prevent check valve failures before they occur—that’s why each DFT valve is thoroughly pressure and leak tested.

Test Methods

DFT check valves are subject to MSS SP-61, an ANSI standard that institutes the requirements and acceptance criteria for shell and seat closure pressure testing. Proper pressure testing is conducted through various methods.

Shell Test

Valves are tested at a gage pressure no less than 1 ½ times the 100º F rating, rounded to the next highest 25 psi increment. The test medium is water, and the test should not be less than:

15 seconds for valves sized 2” and less
60 seconds for valves sized 2 ½” to 6”
120 seconds for valves sized 8” to 12”
300 seconds for valves sized 14” and above

Results: During the test, no observable leakage is allowed.

Seat Test with Water

Valves are tested at a pressure no less than 1.1 times the 100º F rating. The test medium is water, and the test should not be less than:

15 seconds for valves sized 2” and less
30 seconds for valves sized 2 ½” to 8”
60 seconds for valves sized 10” to 18”
120 seconds for valves sized 20” and above

Results: For metal seated valves, maximum allowable leakage is equal to 40 ml/hr of water per every inch of nominal valve size. For soft seated valves, no observable leakage is allowed.

After one hour, the maximum allowable leakage is 80 ml for 2” valves, 240 ml for 6” valves, 560 ml for 14” valves, and 800 ml for 20” valves.

Seat Test with Air

DFT valve models SCV®, Basic Check®, Vacuum Breaker, and Restrictor Check® are tested at an air pressure of no less than 80 psig. The test should not be less than:

15 seconds for valves sized 2” and less

30 seconds for valves sized 3”

Results: For metal seated valves, the allowable leakage is 0.4 SCFH/inch of inlet size. For soft seated valves, no observable leakage is allowed.

Keep Our Test Info on File

DFT Inc.has created a Valve Leak Test Infographic so you can access these pressure tests in an easy-to-read file. The infographic illustrates the types of tests performed by DFT, as well as the standards to which we hold our valves.

To learn more about our specialized testing methods, please contact us today.

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