VAC-U-MAX material test facility in Belleville, NJ, incorporates pneumatic and mechanical conveying equipment and automated systems tailored to bulk material characteristics, ensuring proper handling and processing of bulk materials, according to VAC-U-MAX. With application expertise in handling of more than 10,000 bulk materials, including powders, flakes, granules, pellets, fibers, capsules, gel caps, tablets and various other bulk materials, the facility can review flow properties, product segregation, pneumatic conveying behavior, particle attrition and other particle properties like shape, size and density. It also can simulate customers’ bulk material-handling applications, incorporating dense and dilute phases in vacuum and/or pressure conveying for batch, continuous, loss-in-weight and gain-in-weight applications.

VAC-U-MAX material test facility offers more than 6,000 square feet of available floor space, tubing runs up to 400 feet and up to 4-inch outside diameter (OD) tubing, with conveying rates from 10 pounds per hour to 25,000 pounds per hour. Vacuum producers include VAC-U-MAX venturi units, VAC-U-MAX positive displacement vacuum pumps up to 30 horsepower and high vacuum pumps up to 29 inches of mercury (982 millibars). Test facility also features private meeting space with Wi-Fi access where customers can witness live tests. The company can supply videos to customers unable to attend material tests.

The facility includes a full range of VAC-U-MAX receivers and loaders for testing powders and granular non-free-flowing bulk materials, with capacities from .25 foot (cubic) to 36 inches in diameter. Material tests are conducted onsite with VAC-U-MAX manufactured equipment including:

• Loaders and filter receivers for powders, granules, flakes, pellets, fibers, capsules, gel caps, tablets, and other bulk materials
• Bulk bag loading/unloading equipment (LIW/GIW)
• Flexible screw conveyors
• Aero-mechanical conveyors
• Bag dump stations with bag compactors
• Feed bins and manual bulk conveying wands
• Powder pumps for fluid-like powders
• Positive-displacement vacuum pumps/venturi units
• Test bed for various level probe technology evaluation
• Diverter, butterfly, slide gate valves
• UL-listed VAC-U-MAX control packages
• Full range of industrial vacuum-cleaning systems

Additionally, systems testing can incorporate other OEM equipment, such as rotary valves or other components requested by customer.