The Power of Vacuum Technology (VIDEO)

In 1657, German scientist Otto von Guericke set up an experiment in the city of Magdeburg to demonstrate the power of vacuum. Von Geuricke fastened together two perfectly matching hollow bronze half spheres; using an air pump, he extracted the air, creating a vacuum inside the sphere.

Two teams of eight horses tried to separate the two hemispheres by pulling in opposite directions, but it couldn’t be done. Spectators were astonished by the horses’ inability to break the power of the vacuum.

In modern day vacuum applications, from powering conveyor belts to packing finished products, vacuum is a powerful and indispensable tool. Industries that require consistent and efficient vacuum creation include printing, plastics, packaging, woodworking, bottling and canning. Even medical facilities, workshops and engineering laboratories have a variety of applications that run on vacuum.

For applications operating between 29.9 in-HgV and 15 in-HgV, the GV oil-sealed rotary screw vacuum system – Atlas Copco’s first packaged vacuum system for “rough vacuum” operations – features an integrated screw element known for its reliable performance at the lowest energy cost. Other features and benefits include a modulating valve at the pump inlet, allowing capacity to match demand while minimizing vacuum-level fluctuations, and quiet operation, which allows the GV to be installed at the point of use.

If you’d like to learn more about the history of vacuum as well as industrial applications that use vacuum on a daily basis, visit the Atlas Copco Vacuum Systems website and check out the following video:

For those in the woodworking industry, Atlas Copco will have a booth at IWF, the International Woodworking Fair in Atlanta, where representatives will be available to discuss vacuum and compressed air equipment for woodworking applications. Stay tuned for more information about the products and technologies on display.