The company that invented coaxial valves, co-ax valves inc. (CVI), continues to push the boundaries with revolutionary high-pressure valves designed for the burgeoning hydrogen market.
Based in Bristol, Pennsylvania, CVI is a subsidiary of the German firm müller co-ax gmbh, which manufactures industrial valves used to control liquids, vacuums, gelatinous materials, and gases. Profiled in the July 2022 edition of Manufacturing in Focus, CVI is proud of its leading product line and growing market reach.
As for what’s new at the company since our previous article, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Ralf Hinz, says, “The single biggest change is that co-ax introduced a high-pressure valve rated for 1000 bar working pressure for hydrogen applications.” The valve in question is called (appropriately enough) the KX 1000, and it was released in mid-2024 with a specific market in mind.
“With this newly designed valve, müller co-ax becomes one of the pioneers when it comes to handling high pressures and tightness with potentially volatile media such as hydrogen. It was designed for applications where a high flow rate, tight installation spaces, low weight, and bubble tightness are a particular concern,” Hinz explains.
Potential end-users include customers who manufacture high-pressure hydrogen vehicle filling and storage systems and the like. Capable of handling nearly 15,000 PSI (Pounds per Square Inch) of hydrogen pressure, the KX 1000 was a natural outcome of müller co-ax’s ongoing R&D focus and marketing savvy.
“Hydrogen has experienced a comeback in the last five or six years. While not all hydrogen applications are high-pressure, the market started to open up for coaxials, and we realized there was demand for high-pressure valves,” explains Hinz, saying that a decision was made to create a valve “that can handle 1,000 bar to make sure we cover all potential applications.”
As with all its products, müller co-ax designed the KX 1000 hydrogen valve and is taking care of manufacturing. CVI’s German parent company produces a range of goods, including high-pressure coaxial valves, high-pressure lateral valves, pressure control valves, flow control valves, certified valves, modules, manifolds, and more.
These products are shipped to CVI, which then distributes them across North America and increasingly into South America. CVI recently picked up new channel partners in Chile and Peru and is exploring other growth opportunities in South America, possibly in hydrogen or mining. As it stands, CVI currently offers “pretty good coverage from Canada to Argentina, as far as channel partners are concerned,” says Hinz.
The company’s primary markets include the marine, machine tool, chemical, energy/oil/gas, construction, transportation, and aerospace sectors. At present, CVI is eager to expand its presence within the aerospace market in particular, and the company is also looking at the rising popularity of hydrogen as an alternative fuel source.
“I believe that co-ax will be able to grow this market segment on a global scale,” Hinz says. “It remains to be seen what the future holds for hydrogen in the United States; we have found some great opportunities in Canada.”
Gottfried Müller, who founded the German firm that bears his name, invented the coaxial valve in 1960. His invention offered an alternative to traditional valves, which kept failing in the face of rising machining and manufacturing pressures. Müller’s creation featured two co-linear cylindrical elements, one of which was inside the other. His pressure-balanced coaxial valve “revolutionized high-performance, maintenance-free valves,” according to company literature.
“The key aspect here is that co-ax valves, by design, are pressure balanced in any position. There is no pressure differential to overcome and therefore, the switching behavior is unaffected by the media pressure, even if the media pressure is fluctuating. Since there is no internal pilot orifice through which the media is forced to flow, this makes the valve less susceptible to contamination. Regardless of the type of actuation, the actuator is always integral, which eliminates the possibility of stem seal leakage,” says Hinz. Being pressure balanced “makes all the difference in the world. Most other valve designs are not pressure balanced,” he adds.
The coaxial valve was a hit, and müller co-ax grew, launching CVI in 1997 to gain better access to the North American marketplace. CVI initially benefitted from being the supplier of a one-of-a-kind product unique in the market; today, müller co-ax has competitors in the coaxial valve space but remains at the front of the pack.
This is in part because quality standards are of utmost importance at both müller co-ax and CVI. CVI has 1SO 9001:2015 certification for the sale, assembly, testing, repair, refurbishment, and distribution of valve assemblies and coaxial valves, and was recertified to this standard in 2021 and again last year. Such quality management principles cover everything from leadership and planning to customer satisfaction and support, performance, and internal improvements, notes Hinz.
Back in Germany, müller co-ax has also been setting the pace. In late 2024, the firm was named a world market leader for the fifth year in a row by WirtschaftsWoche, a German magazine whose name translates to Business Week or Economic Week. The magazine bestows this honor on companies that meet strict criteria.
“The title ‘World Market Leader Champions’ is awarded to companies that are either ranked first or second in their relevant market segment. The companies under consideration must be represented on at least three continents with their own production or distribution companies, generate annual sales of at least €50 million, and export at least 50 percent of their sales,” explains a müller co-ax press release. müller co-ax was selected for the high-pressure valves and coaxial valve technology category.
In addition, in September 2024, the KX 1000 valve won an award in the materials and components category at HydrogenExpo, an international trade event highlighting hydrogen technologies, held in Italy. “The jury was impressed by the valve’s premium quality and its ability to provide an absolutely tight seal at pressures of up to 1,000 bar, a key characteristic for safe and efficient use in hydrogen applications,” notes a müller co-ax release.
At CVI, these superior products are matched with peerless customer relations, and to this end, müller co-ax pays close attention to the client’s needs and specs. “We take in the whole application—all the details: pressure, media, temperature, cycle life expectancy, machining process. We want to know all this information… I think part of our success is that we look at every application and all the details provided by the customer,” says Hinz.
For its part, CVI has fully recovered from the hit it took during COVID. Like companies around the world, co-ax’s supply chain was severely disrupted by the pandemic even as demand increased for some of its products. The result was longer lead times. But all is back to normal, and CVI’s lead times have returned to pre-pandemic levels, reports Hinz.
The team is considering expanding its current promotional mix beyond newsletters, email campaigns, print and digital advertising, social media, and trade shows (last year, the company attended the Canadian Hydrogen Convention in Edmonton, Alberta, and Valve World Expo Americas in Germany). There is talk at CVI about introducing webinars to further disseminate information about the benefits of co-ax valves.
“Coaxial valves are unique, and most customers just don’t know what they are. It’s still our mission to go out there and educate people about coaxial valves. We believe webinars could be a great tool to spread the gospel,” says Hinz.
The company believes in providing its 400 or so employees globally with a safe environment and a wealth of opportunities. Employees are trained across multiple product lines and receive additional assembly training in Germany when possible, and CVI adheres to OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) guidelines even though the firm isn’t OSHA-certified. The company supplies personal protective equipment to its workers, and controls are in place to mitigate risk (including both work procedures and physical barriers within the plant).
“co-ax valves inc. has a robust written safety and health plan in place,” says Hinz. “To ensure compliance with all OSHA and Pennsylvania workplace safety requirements, co-ax conducted a voluntary OSHA audit performed by the University of Pennsylvania. All co-ax personnel have direct access via company portal to the co-ax Health and Safety Manual,” he shares.
Going forward, CVI and its parent company refuse to rest on their laurels. In addition to hydrogen power, other industrial developments also present opportunities for growth. “The increasing adoption of automation and process control systems in various industries is driving the demand for smart and intelligent flow control valves. To meet that demand, müller co-ax is expanding our flow control valve line,” says Hinz.
Asked if he thinks his firm makes the best coaxial valves in the world, he offers a definitive reply. “It’s not that we think it. We know. Other companies copy our co-ax valves, and then we get calls from their customers because they’ve tried to copy an existing design but found that it’s not so simple. There’s more that goes into a co-ax valve than meets the eye.”
