AKO Pinch Valves: 3D Printing and Contour Crafting
Additive manufacturing processes such as 3D concrete printing and contour crafting require highly precise, continuous dosing of viscous, abrasive material through narrow nozzles – even small fluctuations in material flow lead to visible print defects. AKO pinch valves are particularly well suited to this: their smooth internal contour with virtually no dead space prevents deposits, the rubber sleeve permanently withstands coarse aggregates, and the low weight makes them easy to use on moving print heads and robot arms.
Typical applications
- Dosing of special concrete and mortar directly at the 3D print head
- Material flow control in contour crafting systems for building construction and prefabrication
- Control of computer-controlled spray nozzles for material application
- Fine dosing of granulates and additives
- Shielding gas control in additive manufacturing processes
Recommended AKO series
- AKO VMP (female thread, DN10-50, POM) – compact and extremely light – ideal for mobile print heads and robot arms with many switching cycles
- AKO VMC (multi-connection, DN25-150) – flexible connection options for different plant concepts in prototyping and research
- AKO VF (flange, DN40-300) – for stationary, high-volume concrete printing plants with larger nominal sizes
Case study
A manufacturer of 3D concrete printing robots was looking for a lightweight, fail-safe valve (in case of compressed air failure) to dose abrasive high-performance concrete through a 10 mm nozzle – previous solutions weighed around 40 kg. AKO supplied a VMP valve (DN25) with a wear-resistant natural rubber sleeve and integrated safety circuit. The weight of the dosing unit dropped to around 500 g, making the entire robot arm considerably more flexible and scalable.
More information from the manufacturer: AKO Armaturen – industries & applications ↗
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