Vac-U-Max Celebrates 70 Years of Excellence

Headquartered in Belleville, NJ, Vac-U-Max, a leading manufacturer of bulk material handling and industrial vacuum cleaning systems, is celebrating its 70th anniversary.

In 1954, the year the company was founded by Frank Pendleton, Vac-U-Max introduced the world's first 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 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.

“We are incredibly proud of our 70-year journey,” said Doan Pendleton, president of Vac-U-Max. “From our early innovations in industrial vacuum cleaning to our latest advancements in additive manufacturing and 3D printing, we have remained committed to excellence and customer satisfaction.”   

Pneumatic Conveying Business

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 continued to innovate, introducing the tube hopper vacuum receiver for conveying sticky and cohesive materials that tend to bridge and rathole. Today, Vac-U-Max has conveyed more than 10,000 different dry bulk solids.

Metalworking Industry

Vac-U-Max entered the metalworking industry in the early 1970s, designing 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 of up to 5 tn/hr of heavy materials including steel shot and cement. Expanding on this technology, Vac-U-Max introduced the patented bulk bag unloading station and the patented preconditioner.

Additive Manufacturing

In 2014, vac-u-max revolutionized the additive manufacturing 3D printing industry with the introduction of 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, significantly reducing processing time compared to traditional methods.

Vac-U-Max’s commitment to innovation is further demonstrated by its introduction of the first renewable-energy lithium-ion vacuum system for high volume debris recovery in indoor subway stations. The system has already collected more than four million pounds of debris in its first year of operation.

As VAC-U-MAX celebrates its 70th anniversary, the company looks forward to continuing its “Made in USA Since 1954” tradition, focusing on innovations in bulk material handling and industrial vacuum cleaning. For more information, visit www.vac-u-max.com.