Flow Control and Flow Divider Cartridges 08 to 12 Cavity

Screw-in cartridges for controlling speed. Simple metering with a free return, pressure compensated units that hold the set flow as the load changes, and 50:50 divider/combiners for keeping two actuators in step.

Bodies are supplied separately.

Ways to buy:

• Off the shelf – pick your cavity, flow and type below.
• Just need a plain adjustable restriction? A needle valve is cheaper – linked below.
• You will also need a body – 2-port for the flow controls, 4-port for the divider.

Pick your part

Three different jobs

• Flow control with reverse free flow – meters in one direction and lets oil return unrestricted the other way, via a built-in check. This is what you want on a single ram: controlled one way, full speed back.
• Pressure compensated – holds the set flow whatever the load does. Adjustable versions (LFRA, LFR-10-2A) and fixed versions (LFR-08-M6.5 and similar, where the number is the flow in litres per minute).
• Flow divider / combiner – splits one flow into two equal streams, and recombines them on the way back. Used to keep two rams roughly in step. Note this is a 4-way cavity.

A flow divider keeps cylinders roughly synchronised, not perfectly. Expect a few percent drift per cycle, and design a way to re-phase them at the end of stroke.

What the cavity code means

Every screw-in cartridge has a cavity code – 08-2, 10-3, 12-2, 16-2 and so on. The first number is the frame size, the second is how many ports the cavity has. A 10-3 cartridge only fits a 10-3 body. Get the cavity right and everything else follows; get it wrong and nothing you buy will thread in.

Cartridges, bodies and coils are supplied separately. Refer to the datasheet for full flow and pressure-drop curves.

Technicians Advice

Pressure compensation is the difference between a machine that behaves and one that does not, and it is worth paying for on anything an operator has to feel. A plain needle valve set for a comfortable speed on an empty bucket will be twice that speed on a full one; a compensated cartridge will not. The compensator does need a minimum pressure drop to work – typically a few bar – so if your circuit barely has any pressure to spare the valve will simply pass everything and you will think it is faulty. Fit flow controls close to the actuator rather than back at the valve bank, so the length of hose between them is not acting as an accumulator and softening the response. On dividers, plumb both legs with the same hose length and size – unequal legs are the most common reason two rams will not stay level – and give the circuit a way to re-phase at full stroke, because divider error accumulates cycle by cycle.

Complete your setup

Needle Valve Cartridges2-Port Cartridge Bodies4-Port Cartridge Bodies

Bulk discounts apply automatically in the cart: 5+ save 5%, 10+ save 10%, 25+ save 12.5%, 50+ save 15%.

Buying in bulk or fitting out a fleet? Call us for trade pricing.

Need help choosing? Call 1300 146 737 or email sales@mhfgc.com.au – real technicians, real answers.