Dispensing closures
Bottles and dispensers that shouldn't drip.
Valves and diaphragms · Duckbill valves
Duckbill valves.
Two lips, pressed together, that open under forward pressure and seal against backflow. Simple in principle, precise in practice.
The detail
The lips do the work
A duckbill's behaviour depends on the lip geometry, the wall section and the hardness of the silicone. Small differences between batches show up as different opening pressures or weeping under back pressure.
We mould duckbills in LSR for consistency, keep gates away from the lips and test samples from each batch against agreed functional criteria.
Where it fits
Where they're used
Medical fluid paths
Check valves in devices and lines.
Appliances
Valves in drinks and cleaning machines.
How we run it
How we make them
Geometry review
Lip design and hardness checked together.
LSR moulding
Consistent thin walls.
Slit or formed lips
Lips formed in the tool or cut after moulding.
Functional testing
Opening and backflow checks per batch.
To quote it
To quote it
Valve drawing or sample
With the housing.
Fluid
What flows through it.
Behaviour required
Roughly when it opens and how it must seal.
Paperwork
Food-contact or medical documentation.
At a glance
The idea in a picture.
From drawing to delivered parts
- 01Drawing or sampleYour part and where it is used
- 02Material and routeCompound and process agreed
- 03PrototypeReal parts to test
- 04Sign-offYou approve the samples
- 05Production toolBuilt for your volumes
- 06Batches and checksInspected and delivered
Swipe to see the whole diagram
Questions
What people usually ask.
Can you design a duckbill for us?
Yes. We'll propose a geometry and test samples in your housing.
Duckbill or umbrella valve?
Duckbills suit inline flow; umbrella valves suit flat ports. See valves and diaphragms.
Keep exploring
More from valves and diaphragms.
Diaphragms
A diaphragm flexes thousands or millions of times. Its life depends on material, section and how evenly it was moulded.
Open this variantValves and diaphragms overview
A valve is judged on one thing: does it open and close the way it's supposed to, every time. That comes down to wall section, material…
Back to the overviewDesigned and developed in the UK. UK moulding capability, with some higher-volume production placed with trusted partners where that's the right commercial answer.
Get in touch
Tell us the part, the volume, and the timeline.
Rough annual volume, target unit price, and any deadlines. That's enough to work out whether compression, LSR injection or something else is the right tool.
Real people, a real workshop
You deal with the people who make it.
No call centre and no middlemen. When you contact TCI Products, you speak to the team who design, build and check your mould.
- A real Warwickshire workshopUnit 15, Waterloo Park, Bidford-on-Avon, Alcester B50 4JG.
- Real people on the phoneCall the team on 01789 224228, Monday to Friday.
- The same team on every jobDesign, production and aftercare come from the people you see here.
- Part of TCI GroupFive specialist brands, one engineering team. Visit TCI Group.
Thomas LaneManaging Director
George PrestonDesign & Project Manager
Kelly BallingerHead of Partnerships
Jim AndertonProduction Manager
TheodoreEmployee Welfare