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.
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“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.
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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.
