Part Type
Custom Machined Aluminum Manifolds & Fluid Blocks
One block instead of a tangle of fittings and tube
A custom aluminum manifold consolidates a hydraulic, pneumatic, coolant, or vacuum circuit into one block of metal, with the galleries, cross-bores, and ports cut to your schematic instead of forced onto a catalog part. These are milled and drilled to print in 6061, 7075, stainless, or brass. Send a port map and a model through the quote form and a real person sends numbers back in 24-48 hours.
Updated June 2026
Why a custom block beats a stock manifold
Off-the-shelf manifolds are built around someone else’s port count, spacing, and circuit. The moment your layout needs an extra work port, a different thread, a gauge tap, or two valves talking to each other through an internal passage, the catalog part stops fitting and you are back to a nest of tees, elbows, and tube. Every one of those joints is a place to leak, a place to lose pressure, and one more thing to assemble.
A custom block takes that whole schematic and turns it into drilled passages inside one piece of metal. Fewer fittings, fewer leak paths, less weight, and a footprint that matches the machine instead of fighting it. For round, ported bodies (a rotary union style hub or a barrel with radial ports) the same circuit can be turned rather than milled from a block.
Galleries, cross-bores, and deburring
The work inside a manifold is the drilling. Main galleries run the length of the block, cross-bores connect them, and blind drilled ends get plugged (threaded plugs, expansion plugs, or pressed balls) to close the passage and route flow where the schematic wants it. Mark on the print which drilled ends are plugged and which are live ports so nothing gets sealed by mistake.
Where two bores intersect, they leave a sharp ragged edge, and that edge matters more than it looks. Burrs at a cross-bore restrict flow, break loose and contaminate the system, and can keep a valve from seating. Deburring those intersections is part of getting a manifold right, so call it out on the print when a passage feeds a sensitive valve or a clean fluid circuit, and the team will flag any intersection that is hard to reach before the block is cut.
Ports, threads, and sealing faces
Port choice drives how well the manifold seals and how easy it is to plumb. SAE straight-thread O-ring boss (ORB) is the go-to for hydraulic and higher-pressure work because the O-ring seals on a machined face, not on the threads. NPT is common and cheap but seals on a taper and wants thread sealant. BSPP (G-thread) shows up on imported and metric equipment and seals on a bonded washer or O-ring, and push-to-connect fittings suit low-pressure pneumatic lines. Spell out the exact callout per port, since ORB and NPT can look similar on a model but are not interchangeable.
Where the manifold bolts to a valve, pump, or plate, the mating face needs to be flat and smooth enough to seal against a gasket or O-ring. Note the surface finish and flatness on those faces, and where bolt patterns and gasket grooves line up with the part it mates to.
Choosing material and what to send
For most hydraulic, pneumatic, and coolant blocks, 6061 aluminum is the common pick: light, easy to drill clean galleries in, and fine for typical working pressures. An aluminium manifold in 6061 covers the bulk of the work. Step up to 7075 when pressures run high or the block is thin and highly loaded, choose stainless for corrosive media, salt, or washdown, and brass for many low-pressure pneumatic and instrument blocks. The right answer depends on pressure and media, so say what runs through it.
To quote, send a STEP model plus a schematic or a simple port map that names each port, its thread callout, and which passages connect to which. That review is free: the team reads the circuit, flags any drilling or sealing issue before you commit, and the same person handles the quote in 24-48 hours. The team can talk through flow paths and leak checks during that review, and every block is inspected before it ships.
Questions
Before you send a job.
01 What do you need to quote a custom manifold?
A STEP model of the block plus a schematic or port map is the ideal package: the port map names each port, its thread type, and which internal passages connect. A dimensioned PDF that shows gallery routing, plugged ends, and sealing faces works too. From that, a real person sends a quote back in 24-48 hours, and a free design review comes with it.
02 Which thread should I use for the ports?
SAE straight-thread O-ring boss (ORB) seals on a machined face and is the safer choice for hydraulic and higher-pressure ports. NPT is cheap and common but seals on a taper and needs sealant, BSPP (G-thread) fits metric and imported equipment, and push-to-connect suits low-pressure pneumatic lines. Call out the exact thread per port, since several look similar in a model but are not interchangeable.
03 Why does deburring the cross-bores matter so much?
Where two drilled passages intersect they leave a sharp burr inside the block. Left in place, that burr restricts flow, can break loose and contaminate the system, and may keep a downstream valve from seating. Deburring those intersections is part of finishing a manifold properly, so flag any passage that feeds a sensitive valve or a clean circuit and it gets attention.
04 Can you pressure-test or certify the manifold?
The team can discuss flow paths and leak checks with you during the design review and will help you think through how the block should be verified for your application. Every block is inspected before it ships. We do not claim specific pressure-test certifications, so if your application requires a formal certified test, raise it early and we can sort out the right path.
05 What material should a fluid block be?
6061 aluminum handles most hydraulic, pneumatic, and coolant blocks: light, easy to drill clean galleries in, and fine at typical pressures. Move to 7075 for high pressure or thin, highly loaded blocks, stainless for corrosive media and washdown, and brass for many low-pressure pneumatic and instrument blocks. Tell us the working pressure and the media and the choice settles quickly.
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