Orifice plates and restrictors work to limit flow rate through an air or liquid circuit in a variety of applications. OEM manufacturers prefer to use orifice restrictors for flow control because of its simplified assembly procedures. Due to their single, preset flow rate, there is no complicated setup process. Once the restrictor is incorporated with the flow lines, it is ready to restrict the air or gas flowing through: no adjustments required!
From Manhole to Pinpoint: The Miniaturization of the Orifice Plate
The concept to utilize restrictive orifice devices in small fluid circuits was originally incorporated from larger pipe systems in industries such as water treatment and refineries. The larger flow lines included plates with manufactured openings to selectively reduce the area of flow to control flow rate. These same mechanics are what’s in play in the miniature scale for our orifice restrictors.
The smaller orifice restrictors are integrated inline to have a single, controlled rate. The rate is set by the size of the diameter of the opening in the blocking material; usually made of types of metals, plastics, and gems.
Air Logic’s Economic Focus
Air Logic works to engineer cost-effective solutions to provide our customers. Our previous orifice restrictors are molded from Polysulfone plastic to provide this solution. This process entails the orifice being created by a select area of the mold that the plastic is not injected into. This process, though, caused limitation on the size capabilities we were able to reach. We were pushed to test our abilities to find another solution; this led to our latest product release.
Announcing the Micro Orifice Plate!
As the nickel plate does not suffer from the limitations of the molding process, much smaller diameter sizes are able to be produced.
With the fully Polysulfone versions, the smallest diameter capable of being produced was 0.004 inches. With Air Logic’s new Micro Orifice Plate, diameter sizes of 0.003in, 0.002in, and 0.001in are now available for your lowest flow rate needs yet.
If you are using expensive machined billet or jeweled orifices, consider switching out for micro orifice plates for a more cost-efficient solution today. By employing the use of a thin nickel plate, Air Logic is able to greatly reduce the purchasing price to provide an economical option to our customers!
For more resources on flow controls, check out Understanding Flow Control Orifices and Orifice Restrictors – Types and Applications!
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