Most modern day refrigerators are equipped with ice cube makers, machines installed within the freezer section of a refrigerator to make standardized sized ice cubes quickly and conveniently. These mechanisms are extremely helpful, completely removing the need to fill up ice cube trays by hand and ensuring that there is always plenty of ice on hand for drinks and other ice related products. One of the most vital ice making parts is the 12 volt solenoid valve, which can be either a pneumatic or hydraulic valve that regulates the amount of water used to create each individual ice cube.

Solenoid valves as a whole are important for a variety of industrial mechanisms, systems and machines. Specifically, 12 volt solenoid valves are the most popular and general model. Within an ice cube making machine, they function by way of a solenoid coil, plunger and  Valves that opens and closes according to the electronic signals it receives from the solenoid coil. Ice machines require this part to limit the amount of water that enters the machine at once, since only a certain amount is necessary to produce a single cube of ice.

Because ice machines work automatically, they are usually equipped with one of two types of 12 volt solenoid valves. The first is a direct-acting 12 volt solenoid valve, whose operation is described above. The second style is a pilot operated solenoid valve, which is actually a combination of a pneumatic or hydraulic valve and a smaller solenoid Valves, working with a diaphragm rather than a plunger and utilizing differential pressure to control the flow of water into the ice making section of the machine. Additional mechanisms are necessary to release each ice cube as it solidifies into a tray, which can then be accessed by opening up the fridge. Another way to access the ice made by the ice maker is through an automated dispenser, usually situated in the door of the freezer.