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Core line, represented 25+ years
How do controls manufacturers source valve bodies, solenoid parts, and housings?
Controls manufacturers source gas valve and actuator bodies as aluminum or zinc die castings, solenoid plungers and stops from screw machine principals in ferritic stainless, contact springs from precision stampers, and housings from molders running flame-rated resins. Leak tightness and cycle life drive the specs. SSG matches each part to principals set up for that process.
- Part families
- 12
- Processes
- 8
- Materials
- 10
Parts we source for this industry
- 01Die cast aluminum gas valve bodies
- 02Solenoid plungers, stops, and tubes
- 03Snap-action switch springs and contacts
- 04Thermostat and controller housings
- 05Damper actuator gear trains
- 06Brass capillary and pressure fittings
- 07Relay contact arms and terminals
- 08Nitrile and FKM diaphragms and seals
- 09Molded knobs and DIN rail clips
- 10Stamped mounting brackets and plates
- 11Bimetal discs and thermal cutouts
- 12Machined sensor probes and wells
How these parts are made
Die castingMolten zinc or aluminum injected into steel dies at high pressure. Thin walls and net shape at 2,500+ parts a year.
Screw machiningTurned pins, fittings, shafts, and bushings made from bar stock on multi-spindle and Swiss screw machines at volume.
StampingShort- to medium-run stampings: brackets, clips, shields, and plates cut and formed from sheet or coil in a press.
Springs & wire formsCompression, extension, and torsion springs, wire forms, and fourslide clips made from round wire and flat strip.
Injection moldingMolten thermoplastic injected into a steel or aluminum mold. Lowest piece price for plastic parts at 5,000+ a year.
Powdered metalNet-shape gears, bushings, and structural parts pressed from metal powder and sintered, with little or no machining.
RubberSeals, gaskets, grommets, and profiles extruded or molded in EPDM, silicone, nitrile, neoprene, FKM, and TPE.
CNC machiningCNC milling, turning, and production sawing from bar, plate, castings, and forgings, from prototype to production.
Which of these pays off at your quantity?
Parts per order
5 processes are at their best at this quantity, and 3 more can do it.
Drag to your quantity
What suppliers are held to
Automatic control standards
Electrical controls are evaluated to UL 60730-1 and part 2 standards such as UL 60730-2-9 for temperature-sensing controls. Endurance cycles and fault conditions are tested on the finished control.
Gas control standards
Automatic gas valves follow ANSI Z21.21/CSA 6.5, and combination gas controls follow ANSI Z21.78/CSA 6.20. Valve bodies are leak tested and must hold tightness across temperature cycles.
Magnetic materials
Solenoid plungers and stops are commonly 430F or a similar ferritic stainless for magnetic response and corrosion resistance. Annealing after machining restores magnetic properties and is called out on the drawing.
Insulating materials
Housings and terminal blocks need UL 94 ratings, a relative thermal index, and tracking resistance suited to the control's rating. Resin grades are fixed by UL file number.
Questions
Why are solenoid plungers made from 430F stainless?
430F is ferritic, so it responds to a magnetic field, and its added sulfur makes it free machining on screw machines. It resists corrosion better than plain carbon steel without plating, which matters inside gas and water valves.
How are leaks prevented in die cast valve bodies?
Gating and venting keep porosity out of sealing areas, vacuum die casting is used where needed, and machined bodies are vacuum impregnated before leak testing. Critical bodies are leak tested one hundred percent.
Which plastics suit control housings?
PC/ABS for cosmetic wall-mount housings, glass-filled PBT or nylon for terminal blocks and parts near heat, and flame-rated grades wherever the listing requires them.
Send us the part.
Build it or upload a drawing. A rep routes it to principals already making parts for this industry.