In the BOM's pneumatics section the intermediate block SS070M is mentioned to be required 4 times. In the Make FlowIO sections, I couldn't find the point where they are used. Can anyone tell me what is the reason to have them?
Furthermore, is their amount somehow linked to the number of valves I'm going to use in my FlowIO? Thanks in advance for your answers :)
Thank you very much for clarification :) These information are very helpful for planning the order of the valves.
I just updated the BOM page with a short description of this part's relevance.
There are two different use cases for the intermediate block
The more obvious use case is the one you mentioned - using it as a valve substitute when you are making a FlowIO device with less than 5 ports in an effort to reduce the cost of the device.
The less obvious use case is that this part serves as a perfect mold into which you can cast the valve plugs, that are discussed in this tutorial https://www.softrobotics.io/valves-preparation This gives you an alternative option to 3D printing the valve plugs, since 3D printing them can be incredibly challenging given how small and how dimensionally perfect they have to be.
Thus, depending on your own needs, you may or may not need this part. I would recommend getting at least one, in case you need to cast the valve plugs.