A high-end model making company who also provide special effects for film, TV, installations, prototyping and visual merchandising to clients from all around the world have been using a Pinch Valve from AKO UK to help with some of their TV commercials.
Back in 2013 when the company first enquired, they were looking to use a valve to deliver the chocolate pouring onto frozen ice creams. They went with an aluminium bodied valve from the VMC range where they could choose a mix of end connections. The valve for chocolate had a combination of a flanged end and a weld-on end.
Once the valve was received, the company trialed it and really liked the opening speed. The mix of chocolate and golden syrup travelling through the valve had to move fairly quickly when filming the TV commercial. The pinch valve for chocolate was used as a timed release mechanism as part of special effect rigs to dose the correct amount of chocolate onto the ice cream and shut off quickly enough to stop the flow.
VMC model, air operated, food quality Natural rubber sleeve, aluminium body, stainless steel weld-on end & stainless steel flanged PN10/16 end connections.
Since the melted chocolate pouring commercial, the company have used pinch valves for chocolate from AKO as part of other special effect rigs, releasing all manner of media. They have used the initial valves bought extensively for releasing water, sand, paint powder and more. The valves do not ever get installed in one place, and are now used in temporary rigs often on set. The cycle rate is very low, in the tens of uses on a given day that they are being used, and then could easily be a full year before they get used again.
Overall the company couldn’t be happier with the performance of the pinch valves and like that they can use them for multiple jobs. The valves for chocolate and other processes have been easy to clean and store, and the company have recently purchased further valves in size DN50 from the VMP range for different filming needs.
