There are two primary types of pinch valves used in the medical and scientific industries: external and internal. Each has benefits and drawbacks, depending upon their end use. The core functionality of a pinch valve is a flexible flow path element that is compressed by an external plunger or pinch block. Most pinch valves employed in these industries are actuated using a solenoid, although some manual hand-actuated pinch valves exist, and they operate like a clamp.
