Liquid dispensing valve and method with improved stroke length calibration and fluid fittings

A liquid dispensing valve comprising:

• a valve body having a liquid inlet, a liquid outlet, an interior liquid chamber in communication with said liquid inlet and said liquid outlet;
• a valve seat positioned in said valve body;
• a valve member mounted for reciprocating movement in said liquid chamber between a closed position engaged with said valve seat to prevent liquid from exiting through said liquid outlet and an open position disengaged from said valve seat to allow liquid to flow through said liquid outlet;
• a calibration device coupled with said valve member comprising a rotatable reference ring having a first zero reference indicator and additional indicia thereon for indicating incremental increases in stroke length of said valve member, and a rotatable stroke control stop member having a second zero reference indicator and capable of being rotated to change the stroke length of said valve member between zero and a maximum stroke length, wherein said first and second zero reference indicators may be aligned after said stroke control stop member has been adjusted to set the stroke length at zero and, thereafter, said rotatable stroke control stop member may be rotated relative to said reference ring to set the desired stroke length between zero and the maximum stroke length,
• a first fluid fitting having a first sealing portion and a first connecting portion, said first fluid fitting positioned in fluid communication with said liquid inlet;
• a first seal positioned between said valve body and said first fluid fitting;
• and
• a clamp plate removably secured to said valve body and clamping said first sealing portion of said first fluid fitting against said first seal with said first connecting portion adapted to couple with a liquid conduit.

A method of calibrating the stroke length of a liquid dispensing valve which comprises a valve member movable along a stroke length between open and closed positions and a calibration device operative to set the stroke length, the calibration device having a rotatable stroke control stop member with a stroke length reference indicator thereon and a rotatable reference ring with a plurality of stroke length reference indicators thereon, the method comprising:

• rotating the stroke control stop member into operative engagement with the valve member in the closed position thereby preventing movement of the valve member toward the open position;
• rotating the reference ring to align its zero stroke length reference indicator with the zero stroke length reference indicator on the stroke control stop member;
• and
• rotating the stroke control stop member out of engagement with the valve member such that the stroke length reference indicator on the stroke control stop member aligns with a desired one of the plurality of stroke reference indicators on the stroke reference ring to set and indicate the stroke length of the valve member.