Description

Hydraulic systems a generation ago featured valves that were either threaded for pipe and tube mount, or used a flat gasket interface for sub-plate mounting. These systems were bulky, leaky, heavy, and downright messy. Over the last 20 years, however, many line-mounted components have given way to hydraulic integrated circuits (HICs) using cartridge valves mounted in manifolds. Cartridge valves are installed into a hole on a hydraulic manifold (typically a cube-shaped block of aluminum, steel, or cast iron), which contains internal passages to create all connections between the valves and work ports. Some cartridge valves have threaded bodies that screw into the manifold, while others slip into cavities and are held in place by a cover that is bolted down.