Graco Receives Visionary Award for InvisiPac(TM) Tank-Free(TM) Hot Melt System
EastPack 2013
MINNEAPOLIS - Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG), a leading manufacturer of fluid handling equipment, was awarded the Gold Visionary Award by UBM Canon's Packaging Group in a ceremony held last night at the EastPack 2013 packaging industry trade show in Philadelphia, Pa. The award recognized Graco for its design of the InvisiPac Tank-Free Hot Melt Delivery System, which was previewed at Pack Expo 2012 and launched in February 2013. Graco Global Product Marketing Manager Nicholas Long accepted the award on behalf of the development team.
"It is especially gratifying to be recognized for this innovation," Long said. "We developed the product in response to a set of specific customer problems within a relatively short time frame. The fact that we emerged with an award-winning, new technology for the packaging industry is a testament to the creative minds of a lot of people, including our first customer, Summit Brewing."
While traditional hot melt systems use large tanks to heat adhesive to liquid form, the InvisiPac system is tank-free and its compact melting chamber processes pellets in small batches. Because the adhesive spends only a short amount of time at high temperatures there is significantly less char formation than in traditional tank systems. Less char eliminates the possibility of plugged nozzles and greatly reduces overall system maintenance.
"Without a tank attached to the system, InvisiPac reduces char and eliminates nozzle plugging. Operators no longer need to go through the time-consuming process of tank scraping and cleaning. The system ultimately lowers the end user's maintenance requirements," said Long. "The end result is better line efficiency and less downtime, resulting in time and cost savings for the packaging customer."
The Summit Brewing Company of St. Paul, Minn. installed and tested two InvisiPac machines in the spring of 2012 and expects to install two more by the fall of 2013, converting their entire hot melt adhesive packaging operations to use the InvisiPac system.
Many of the innovative designs included in the manufacture of the InvisiPac Tank-Free system are patent-pending.
ABOUT GRACO
Graco Inc. supplies technology and expertise for the management of fluids and coating in both industrial and commercial applications. It designs, manufactures and markets systems and equipment to move, measure, control, dispense and spray fluid materials. A recognized leader in its specialties, Minneapolis-based Graco serves customers around the world in the manufacturing, processing, construction, and maintenance industries. For additional information about Graco Inc., please visit us at www.graco.com.
ABOUT SUMMIT BREWING COMPANY
Founded in St. Paul, Minn. in 1986, Summit Brewing Company has stayed close to its roots, serving the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes region. Summit's beers are currently available in 17 states including Minnesota, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas and Wisconsin. Summit now produces 13 varieties of premium craft beer, including seven year-round, four seasonal beers, and the limited release Unchained Series and Union Series. Since its inception, the brewery has been a consistent pioneer in the craft beer movement.
ABOUT UBM CANON
UBM Canon, the leading B2B media company dedicated exclusively to the global $3.0 trillion advanced manufacturing sector, helps support the flow of information, commerce and innovation in sophisticated segments as medical devices and pharmaceutical development. UBM Canon also addresses cutting-edge developments in broader areas of advanced engineering design and manufacturing, and manufacturing processes and packaging. UBM Canon is part of UBM (UBM.L) a global provider of media and information services for professional B2B communities and markets.
Contacts
Graco Inc.
Beth Torgerson, 612-623-6290
btorgerson@graco.com
Source:
Graco Inc.
