DALE Series Pneumatic Valve Technology Overview

ROSS DALE Series valves feature advanced poppet construction that delivers exceptional performance in demanding industrial environments. The innovative poppet design provides high dirt tolerance, ensuring reliable operation even in contaminated air systems. Surface areas of the double piston and poppet are precisely calculated to produce strong shifting forces in both directions, resulting in high-speed actuation, excellent repeatability, and consistent performance across millions of cycles.

The DALE valve family encompasses externally piloted designs available in both solenoid pilot controlled and pressure controlled configurations. These versatile valves support bidirectional flow with full port flow capability, maximizing flow rates while minimizing pressure drop. Dynamic sealing technology is self-compensating for wear, providing positive sealing throughout the valve's service life without requiring frequent maintenance or adjustment.

CX Series: Vacuum-Leak Tight Valves and Valve Manifolds

CX Series directional control valves are engineered specifically for applications requiring leak tight performance, low pressure operation, vacuum capability, and process control. Available in both 2/2 (two-way, two-position) and 3/2 (three-way, two-position) configurations, CX valves accommodate normally closed and normally open functions to meet diverse application requirements.

Port sizes range from 1/4 inch through 2-1/2 inch with both NPT and G thread options, providing flexibility for integration into existing pneumatic systems. Maximum flow rates reach an impressive 108 Cv (110,000 Nl/min) for 2/2 valves in larger port sizes, while 3/2 valve configurations deliver up to 12 Cv (12,000 Nl/min). The compact CX manifold design eliminates external piping, reduces system volume, ensures fast consistent actuation, and can achieve flow rates up to 100 Cv (98,400 Nl/min) in blow molding and similar high-flow applications.

CX Series valves operate across an extremely wide pressure range from full vacuum to 250 psig (vacuum to 17.2 bar) for smaller port sizes, with vacuum to 145 psig (vacuum to 10 bar) capability for larger configurations. This versatility makes CX valves ideal for vacuum forming, plastic molding, packaging machinery, material handling, and process automation applications where leak tight performance is critical.

LX Series: High-Performance Externally Piloted Valves

LX Series pneumatic directional control valves provide exceptional performance in vacuum-leak tight applications with in-line mounting configurations. Like the CX Series, LX valves utilize poppet construction for high dirt tolerance and bidirectional flow capability. The externally piloted design ensures precise control and rapid response times essential for automated manufacturing processes.

Available in 2/2 normally closed and normally open configurations, LX valves span port sizes from 3/8 inch through 2-1/2 inch. Flow rates reach up to 62.7 Cv (62,000 Nl/min) for the largest port sizes, delivering substantial pneumatic power for demanding applications. Operating pressure ranges from vacuum to 145 psig (vacuum to 10 bar) for solenoid pilot controlled models, with pressure controlled variants supporting vacuum to 250 psig (vacuum to 17.2 bar).

LX Series valves feature integrated speed controls on select models, allowing precise adjustment of actuator speeds without requiring external flow control valves. This integrated design simplifies system architecture, reduces potential leak points, and enables fine-tuning of machine cycle times directly at the valve.

LT Series: Specialized Leak Test Valve Manifolds

LT Series valve manifolds are purpose-engineered for leak test applications in quality control and manufacturing environments. These specialized 3/4 (three-way, four-position) valves integrate multiple sensor ports (P1, P2, P3) and test ports within a compact manifold design, enabling flexible field configuration for flow testing, pressure decay testing, or differential pressure testing without requiring additional components.

The LT manifold design incorporates inlet, exhaust, and test ports along with three 1/8-inch NPT or G1/8 sensor ports, providing exceptional versatility for various leak detection methodologies. With flow rates of 0.9 Cv (890 Nl/min) and operating pressure from 2 to 145 psig (0.13 to 10 bar), LT valves excel in applications requiring precise pressure monitoring and leak detection. The external pilot supply requirement of 50 to 145 psig (3.4 to 10 bar) ensures reliable valve operation across the pressure range.

LT Series valves can be combined with CX manifolds to create sophisticated test circuits capable of simultaneously testing multiple chambers or components. This modular approach reduces complexity, minimizes leak paths, and delivers an integrated all-in-one testing solution for automotive, appliance, HVAC, and component manufacturing applications.

Technical Specifications and Construction Materials

All DALE Series valves feature cast aluminum valve bodies for durability and light weight, with poppets constructed from acetal and stainless steel for wear resistance and chemical compatibility. Buna-N seals provide reliable sealing across the operating temperature range of 40°F to 120°F (4°C to 50°C) ambient and 40°F to 175°F (4°C to 80°C) media temperature.

Electrical options include 24V DC and 110V or 120V AC solenoid pilot control with power consumption ranging from 1.5 watts for smaller valves to 6.5 watts maximum for larger configurations. All solenoids are rated for continuous duty with IP65 enclosure rating per IEC 60529, ensuring protection against dust and water ingress in industrial environments. Electrical connections comply with DIN EN 175301-803 standards in both Form A and Form C configurations.

Manifold assemblies can be configured with two to ten valve stations, allowing custom valve manifolds to be assembled with different valve functions, port sizes, and electrical voltages on the same manifold base. This flexibility enables system designers to create optimized pneumatic control solutions tailored to specific machine requirements while minimizing space and reducing potential leak points.

Applications Across Industrial Sectors

DALE Series directional control valves serve diverse industrial applications including plastic injection molding, blow molding, vacuum forming, packaging automation, material handling systems, automotive assembly, food processing, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and general process automation. The vacuum-leak tight design makes these valves particularly well-suited for applications requiring precise pressure control, rapid cycling, and contamination resistance.

The catalog includes comprehensive dimensional drawings with both inch and metric measurements, ensuring accurate integration into machine designs. Downloadable CAD models are available for all valve configurations, streamlining the design process and enabling digital prototyping before physical installation.

Ordering Information and Model Configuration

The DALE catalog provides detailed model number configurators for all three series, enabling users to specify exact valve configurations including port thread type (NPT or G), valve function (normally closed or normally open), actuation method (solenoid pilot or pressure controlled), port sizes, unit type (valve or manifold), number of stations, electrical voltage, and connector options.

Complete accessory information is included, covering pre-wired electrical connectors with and without indicator lights, connector pinouts for proper wiring, exhaust silencers for noise reduction, and electrical connection kits compatible with various valve configurations. All specifications comply with relevant industry standards and include Declaration of Conformity documentation.

This comprehensive catalog serves as an essential reference for engineers, maintenance professionals, distributors, and OEM machine builders specifying pneumatic control solutions. Download the complete DALE CX, LX & LT Series catalog to access full technical specifications, performance curves, installation guidelines, and ordering information for your next pneumatic automation project.