Machine Design
Clippard’s NPV-7 Long Stroke Pinch Valves

Clippard’s Long Stroke Smart Pinch Valves Make Music

Feb. 6, 2025
A pneumatic music machine gets Machine Design’s “Pick of the Day” at MD&M West 2025.

Passersby couldn’t help but be mesmerized by a curious contraption on display at Clippard’s booth at MD&M West 2025.

The pneumatic music machine was intended to showcase the specialty valve company’s different pressure and flow control capabilities. It featured different types of valves, as well as pressure controllers that rapidly changed the pressure and flow of air across beakers filled with brightly colored liquid. The resulting sound created music. “Flight of the Bumblebee” was the orchestral interlude playing as I stepped up to inspect the display.

The Trappings Behind the Music

Housed at the bottom of the display were four Cordis CHV high-volume boosters. These high-flow pressure controllers produce a high flow of air and enable accurate pressure control. In addition, it housed the electronics, including a music interface (MIDI) for converting the air flow (pitch) to a signal that the pressure controllers and valves can understand.

READ MORE: Lean into the Blur of Chaotic Change

“Now, we don’t make beakers, or we don't make music machines,” pointed out Andrew Aurand, director of sales, Clippard Instrument Laboratory, a manufacturer of miniature pneumatic valves, and a specialist in ultra-low leak, precision pressure control and high-resolution flow control. “We make fast responding valves using our proprietary spider technology, as well as our flow and pressure controllers that have integrated PID loops to give you control in your application.”

A New Line of Smart Pinch Valves

New on the trade show circuit this year is Clippard’s line of smart pinch valves. Aurand said Clippard offers five different sizes of pinch valves with integrated intelligence.

He demonstrated two options: “We have both a hit and hold circuit, which allows reduced power consumption, as well as heat buildup,” Aurand said. In critical applications, where media can be strongly impacted by temperature changes, this can really make a difference, he said.

The second option is an integrated mechanical position sensor. “For those in the medical device space, this redundancy is very important when engaging with some of the regulatory bodies,” said Aurand.

READ MORE: A Showcase of Innovations Turns Heads at MD&M West

During Aurand’s demo, he held up an NPV7 series valve, which provides the added benefit of a longer stroke compared to the standard NPV series and makes it great for applications that need greater flow, or where viscous or particulate-laden media are a factor.

The valves come pre-installed with 12 in. (30 cm) of either standard medical/laboratory grade or sanitary food grade silicone tubing.

Editors note: For more show coverage, be sure to check out our MD&M West 2025 content hub.

About the Author

Rehana Begg | Editor-in-Chief, Machine Design

As Machine Design’s content lead, Rehana Begg is tasked with elevating the voice of the design and multi-disciplinary engineer in the face of digital transformation and engineering innovation. Begg has more than 24 years of editorial experience and has spent the past decade in the trenches of industrial manufacturing, focusing on new technologies, manufacturing innovation and business. Her B2B career has taken her from corporate boardrooms to plant floors and underground mining stopes, covering everything from automation & IIoT, robotics, mechanical design and additive manufacturing to plant operations, maintenance, reliability and continuous improvement. Begg holds an MBA, a Master of Journalism degree, and a BA (Hons.) in Political Science. She is committed to lifelong learning and feeds her passion for innovation in publishing, transparent science and clear communication by attending relevant conferences and seminars/workshops. 

Follow Rehana Begg via the following social media handles:

X: @rehanabegg

LinkedIn: @rehanabegg and @MachineDesign

Sponsored Recommendations

Drive systems for urban air mobility

March 18, 2025
The shift of some of our transport traffic from the road to the air through urban air mobility is one of the most exciting future fields in the aerospace industry.

Blazing the trail for flying robots

March 18, 2025
Eight Bachelor students built a flying manipulator that can hover in any orientation and grasp objects. The drone is even more maneuverable than a quadrocopter and was designed...

Reachy 2: The Open-Source Humanoid Robot Redefining Human-Machine Interaction

March 18, 2025
Reachy 2 was designed to adapt to a wide variety of uses thanks to its modular architecture.

maxon IDX: The plug-and-play solution

March 18, 2025
IDX drives combine power with small space requirements - a brushless BLDC motor combined with an EPOS4 positioning controller and a gearhead inside a high-quality industrial housing...

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of Machine Design, create an account today!