VAC-U-MAX, a manufacturer of bulk material handling and industrial vacuum cleaning systems, has announced its 70th anniversary. The company, whose manufacturing headquarters is based in Belleville, NJ, was founded in 1954 by Frank Pendleton.
In 1954, the company introduced an industrial vacuum cleaner powered entirely by compressed air, addressing the textile mills industry’s need for safe removal of highly combustible dust and lint. VAC-U-MAX later expanded the product line to include systems for the safe evacuation of flammable liquids, such as jet fuel from the wing tanks of Boeing 747 aircraft.
In 1965, VAC-U-MAX entered the pneumatic conveying business, introducing unique venturi vacuum producers to convey black powder for a US ordnance manufacturer. The company also introduced the tube hopper vacuum receiver for conveying sticky and cohesive materials that tend to bridge and rathole. Today, VAC-U-MAX has conveyed over 10,000 various dry bulk solids.
Entering the metalworking industry in the early 1970s, VAC-U-MAX designed the TK-Series for high-volume liquid recovery. In 1985, the company began manufacturing continuous-duty and central vacuum cleaning systems for high volume recovery up to 5 tons per hour, of heavy materials including steel shot and cement. Expanding on this technology, VAC-U-MAX introduced the patented Bulk Bag (Super Sac) unloading station and the patented preconditioner.
In 2014, VAC-U-MAX introduced the AM-MPRS (Additive Manufacturing Metal Powder Recovery System). This system utilizes advanced vacuum conveying technology to extract metal powder from the printing build box, and sieve it for reuse.
The company also introduced a renewable-energy lithium-ion vacuum system for high volume debris recovery in indoor subway stations. The system has already collected over 4 million pounds of debris in its first year of operation.
