New at Pack Expo International is Graco's updated electric pump for food processing, boasting energy savings up to 80% more than traditional pneumatic air diaphragm pumps. According to Jeffrey Shaffer, senior product manager and North American sales manager, hygienic equipment at Graco, the company has been making electric pumps for about six years, but Graco recently developed patented technology that eliminates the need for a gearbox inside a pump, reducing the footprint and significantly increasing its energy savings.
"We have the motor and drive package right in the middle of the pump, but there's no gearbox now, which reverses package size and cost to the user," explains Shaffer. "A big benefit with electric is energy is it reduces your energy costs as far as efficiencies by up to 80%. So a pneumatic pump might cost you $2000 a year to operate, this might cost you $200 a year. So big savings, and it also qualifies for energy incentives from our company."
Shaffer adds that the new version of Graco's electric pumps work seamlessly with facility control systems that can monitor the pump's usage around the clock, which facilitates predictive maintenance, saving time and labor.
