Industrial Gates, Valves & Diverters
Control, isolate and route powders, pellets, granules, slurries and process streams with valves selected around the actual application. Carolina Material Technologies supplies slide gates, knife gate valves, diverter valves, butterfly valves and specialty bulk-material valves for gravity flow, pneumatic conveying and process service.
The right valve starts with the process.
A valve that works perfectly below a gravity hopper may be the wrong design for a pressure conveying line, abrasive slurry, sanitary process or high-cycle diverter application. We evaluate the material, pressure, temperature, sealing requirement, flow path, actuation and installation before selecting the valve technology.
Start with what the valve needs to do.
Isolation, routing, pressure containment and material discharge each favor different valve designs. Explore the major valve families below or send us the application and let us help narrow the selection.
Slide & Knife Gates
Gravity-flow slide gates, cast-body valves, heavy-duty knife gates, pressure-rated designs and fully custom gates.
Explore Slide & Knife Gates →
Diverter Valves
Route material between destinations in pneumatic conveying lines, gravity chutes, process piping and distribution systems.
Explore Diverter Valves →
Butterfly Valves
Compact quarter-turn isolation and control including resilient-seat, process and inflatable-seat designs.
Explore Butterfly Valves →
Specialty Valves
Double dump valves, fill/pass scale diverters, air-pressure diverters and other purpose-built bulk material valves.
Explore Specialty Valves →Which industrial valve should I use?
There is significant overlap between valve technologies. This quick comparison provides a practical starting point before final application review.
| Application | Typical Starting Point | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Bin or hopper gravity isolation | Fabricated or enclosed slide gate | Simple full-opening isolation with round, square or rectangular connections and multiple actuator options. |
| Dry bulk pressure or vacuum service | Seated knife gate or sealed slide valve | Valve body, seat and packing can be selected around the required pressure differential and leakage standard. |
| Slurry or suspended-solids isolation | Process knife gate valve | Knife-gate designs can provide a clear flow path and cutting action through challenging suspended solids. |
| Pneumatic conveying line routing | Plug, WYE or conveying diverter | Designed to direct the conveying stream while managing pressure, wear and material buildup. |
| Gravity material routing | Gravity or flap diverter | Straightforward redirection of free-flowing bulk solids without requiring a pressure-rated conveying valve. |
| Air or general process isolation | Butterfly valve | Compact quarter-turn operation with manual, pneumatic or electric actuation and numerous seat and disc configurations. |
| Dust collector or high-temperature bulk discharge | Double dump valve | Alternating chambers discharge material while helping maintain separation between pressure zones. |
| Scale filling and bypass | Fill/pass or scale diverter | A purpose-built flow path can direct material into a scale or allow material to bypass it. |
Slide Gate & Knife Gate Valves
From economical gravity-flow gates to heavy-duty cast and pressure-rated knife gates, these valves provide positive material isolation across a wide range of dry bulk and process applications.
What is a slide gate valve?
A slide gate typically uses a flat plate that travels across the material opening. Fabricated and enclosed slide gates are especially common below bins, hoppers, chutes and other gravity-fed dry bulk equipment where simple full-opening isolation is required.
What is a knife gate valve?
Knife gates generally use a beveled gate with a more substantial valve body, packing and optional resilient or metal seats. Depending on the specific design, they can be used in dry bulk, pressure, vacuum, slurry and demanding industrial isolation applications.
Fabricated Slide Gates
Round, square, rectangular and custom gates for gravity-flow applications with manual, pneumatic or electric actuation.
Enclosed Cast-Body Slide Valves
Fully enclosed machined cast-body designs provide a robust alternative to fabricated gates for powders and granules.
Knife Gate Valves
Cast and fabricated knife gates with multiple seat, body, packing and actuator arrangements for dry bulk and demanding process isolation.
Industrial Diverter Valves
Diverter valves route or combine bulk material streams between process destinations. The correct design depends heavily on whether material is gravity-fed or pneumatically conveyed and on the required sealing, pressure and wear characteristics.
Conveying & WYE Diverters
Route dry materials between conveying destinations with designs configured around line pressure, material characteristics, wear and required switching arrangement.
Plug Diverter Valves
Rotating plug designs provide a smooth internal flow path and dependable routing in pneumatic conveying systems.
Gravity & Flap Diverters
Direct powders, pellets and granules between gravity-fed chutes, bins and downstream process equipment.
Industrial Butterfly Valves
Butterfly valves provide compact quarter-turn isolation or control with a broad range of body, disc, seat and actuator options. We select between conventional resilient-seat, higher-performance and dry-bulk-specific inflatable-seat designs according to the process.
General & Process Butterfly Valves
Versatile wafer and lug butterfly valves for isolation and control with numerous disc, seat and construction options.
Heavy-Duty Butterfly Valves
Higher-pressure and demanding process applications can require upgraded seat, disc, body and actuator arrangements.
Posi-Flate Inflatable-Seat Valves
Inflatable-seat technology is particularly useful where dependable dry-bulk shutoff, reduced seat wear and low operating torque are priorities.
Specialty Bulk Material Valves
Some applications do not fit neatly into the standard gate, diverter or butterfly categories. Specialty valves solve specific problems such as high-temperature discharge, scale filling, bypass routing and pressure or air-flow switching.
Double Dump Valves
Alternating flap valves are useful below dust collectors, cyclones and hoppers where a conventional rotary airlock may not be the preferred solution.
Fill / Pass Scale Diverters
Purpose-built diverter arrangements direct material into a weighing or batching vessel and can redirect or bypass the process when required.
Air-Pressure & Vacuum Diverters
Specialized valves can redirect conveying air, vacuum or process airflow independently of the solids stream.
Access to the valve technology the application requires.
Carolina Material Technologies works with established industrial valve manufacturers across dry bulk and process applications. Rather than designing the application around a single brand, we evaluate the process requirements first and then recommend an appropriate valve, construction and actuator package. Additional customer-specified and specialty manufacturers can also be supplied when required.
What do we need to select a valve?
You do not need to know the exact valve model before contacting us. Send the process information you have and we can help determine the appropriate valve family, materials, actuation and options.
Send Us Your Application →Common industrial valve questions
What is the difference between a slide gate and a knife gate?
Slide gates are commonly used as relatively simple isolation devices for gravity-fed dry bulk materials. Knife gates typically use a more substantial body, packing and seat arrangement and are available for more demanding dry bulk, pressure, vacuum and process services. Learn more about slide and knife gate valves.
Which diverter valve should I use?
The correct design depends heavily on whether the material is pneumatically conveyed or gravity-fed, plus pressure, particle characteristics, wear and sealing requirements. Explore industrial diverter valve options.
When should I use a butterfly valve?
Butterfly valves provide compact quarter-turn isolation or throttling and are available in many seat, disc and actuator configurations for dry bulk and process service. Learn more about industrial butterfly valves.
What are specialty bulk material valves?
Specialty valves solve more specific process requirements such as double-dump discharge, scale fill/pass routing and air or vacuum diversion. Explore specialty valves.
Can you supply custom-sized valves?
Yes. Fabricated slide gates, diverters and specialty valves can be engineered for unusual dimensions, rectangular openings, special flange patterns, high wear, restricted headroom and other custom installation requirements.
Do you only supply valves in North and South Carolina?
No. We provide local application support throughout the Carolinas, while many valve and flow-control products can be supplied and shipped to customers throughout the United States.
Building the rest of the material handling system?
Need a replacement valve—or help choosing the right one?
Send us the material, valve size, process conditions and any existing valve information you have. We can help determine the appropriate valve style, materials, seat, actuator and accessories for the application.