Which Screw-In Cartridge Valve Brands Are the Strongest Worldwide? These Five Big Players You Must Know

Quick Background

Screw-in cartridge valves started back in the 1950s.They first went into airplanes-like fuel pumps on US Air Force planes.Later they moved to hydraulic pumps as relief valves. By the 1970s the tech was solid.Sun in the US started in 1970,and Integrated Hydraulic in the UK started in 1972.

In the 1980s they began to be used everywhere and got real standards.The ISO 7789 world standard came out in 1998.By then many companies were making them.

US companies:HydraForce,Sun,Fluid Power Systems,Delta Power,Parker Hannifin, Vickers-Modular Controls and others.

UK:Sterling,Integrated.

Switzerland:Wandfluh,Bucher,Frutigen.

Italy:Comatrol,Oil Control.

Germany:Rexroth,IMAV,Tries,Fluid Team,HYDAC,HAVE and more.

In the 2000s the big hydraulic companies started buying each other:

Parker bought Sterling,Bosch Rexroth bought Oil Control,Eaton bought Integrated, Danfoss bought Comatrol,Bucher bought CCC.Then in 2020 Danfoss bought Eaton's hydraulic business.

Thisishowwegottoday'sfiveglobalgiants:Bosch Rexroth,Parker,Sun,HydraForce,and Danfoss(which now includes Vickers and Eaton).

(Note:Bosch Rexroth bought HydraForce in 2022.)

Sun

·Start and Firsts(1970):Sunmade theworld'sfirstscrew-incartridgevalvesystemin1970.

·Standards:They created the famous SUN cavity thateveryonecopies.Evenafterthe ISO standard came out,Sun's design is still the most popular because it handles bigger flow.

·WhatMakes Them Good: Sun istheonlybigindependentcompanyleft-noone boughtthem.Theyhavethewidestrange,highpressure,bigflow,niceperformance curves,but they cost a bit more.The valve spool can float freely,so installation torque doesn't matter much and it almost never sticks.All parts are heat-treated for long wear life.They offer both metric and inch sizes.Flow goes from 1L/min up to 720 L/min,pressure up to 42 MPa.

·Where They Stand: In 2004 they made 58,000 pieces every week.In 2010 their sales were 150 million USD with 12%profit after tax.75%of their money comes from these valves.

Bosch Rexroth

·Early Days(1970s): They jumped in early to help make hydraulic systems smaller.

·Big Changes (2002-2005):By 2002 they were already making over 3.5 million pieces a year.In 2002 they started compact new designs.In 2005 they bought Oil-Control and became even stronger.

·Strong Points: Small size,low price,easy to build into blocks as modules,each valve can be tested by itself,and very reliable.

·Research: The whole Bosch group spends 7%of sales on R&D every year.Rexroth leads in this area.

Parker

·Brand Power:Most international of all.They started with pens but are very well known for hydraulic parts,especially these valves.

·Technical Strengths:Good at handling vibration,very accurate control.Precise build, top materials and processes,great for high pressure and heavy loads,long life.Used a lot in construction machines,ships,and aerospace.

·Product Range: Covers solenoid valves,proportional valves,directional valves and more.Very good at tiny sizes and high-pressure big-flow versions.

·History: Bought Waterman in 1988,Fluid Power Systems in 1998,Sterling in 2006. After all the buys,they now have one of the biggest selections.

HydraForce

·Story: Came from the old Modular company(which Vickers had bought).In 1985 three engineers left and started HydraForce,focusing on good quality at a fair price.

·SpecialIdea:Theirmaininventionisfree-floating cartridge valves.Thespoolcan move a little inside,so you don't need exact torque when installing and it almost never sticks-perfect for heavy machines.

·MarketFocus: A little less famous than the top three.They go after middle and lower price jobs,use standard production to keep costs down.Big factory in the US (13,000 m²)and one in the UK(4,650 m²).In 2003 sales were 90 million USD and they had the biggest production volume in the world at that time.

·Products: Used to focus on medium pressure;now they have more high-pressure valves too.Full range of solenoid and proportional valves at medium prices.Small downside:their pressure and flow ranges are a bit smaller than the others.

Danfoss (includes Eaton Vickers)

· History:Vickers was one of the early European brands and started these valves in 1960.They grew,slowed down,then came back strong.

·Big Turns:Reorganized in 1971 and kept improving.Competition got tough,Eaton bought them in 2006,then Danfoss bought Eaton's hydraulic side in 2020.

·Today: They focus on energy saving and green designs(like temperature-control valves)plus very reliable products.Used a lot in steel mills,oil and chemical plants.

·Key Tech: New ValvistorR proportional valves and advanced control systems.

Final Thoughts

Right now SUN,Rexroth,Parker,HydraForce,and Danfoss/Eaton Vickers are the five big leaders in screw-in cartridge valves worldwide.They took valves that used to be big,heavy and leaky and made them small,light and tight.