A valve body carries the ports, the bore and the seat, and it leaks or it does not. Balford makes valve bodies two ways: machined from bar or forging, and cold formed or deep drawn into a blank which is then finish machined.

What we make

The family covers anything that routes or stops a fluid inside a machined housing.

Solenoid valve bodies and magnetic valve components
Hydraulic and pneumatic valve bodies
Manifold blocks and subplates
Valve housings supplied with the mating spring seat or spool

Two process routes

Choosing the route is a cost decision, and both routes can be quoted from the same drawing.

Machined route: bar, forging or casting, then turning, milling, cross drilling and threading
Formed route: cold extrusion, cold heading or deep drawing into a blank, then finish machining
The formed route removes material cost and cycle time at volume
The machined route is faster to first article and cheaper for low volume or late changes

What decides the function

In a valve body the leakage path is usually a geometric problem, not a material one.

Port positions and seat face flatness held to the drawing datum
Bore concentricity and roundness where a spool or plunger runs
Thread form and gauge depth on every port
Deburring and internal cleanliness before assembly

Send a valve body drawing for review →