Appli-Tec Reduces Carbon Footprint with Redesigned Liquid Nitrogen System

Reactive!

Appli-Tec provides value to its customers by mixing, testing, and freezing highly reactive adhesives such as epoxies, polyurethanes and silicones. It’s the controlled freezing and storage process that ensures the adhesive will perform as if it were just mixed – even if it’s up to a year old.

Proactive!

Appli-Tec has been using liquid nitrogen for over 30 years to freeze reactive adhesives. Over time, the freezing and back-up storage process has become more automated.

Our delivery system, however, still relied on the manual changing of tanks to make the process work smoothly. Eliminating the changing of tanks was seen as a way to improve our product quality above our already high standards and reduce labor costs.

In addition, our freezer back-up system, which relied on daisy-chained 240-liter tanks, meant that someone was needed to “weather a storm” to change tanks in the event of a prolonged power outage.

After several months of research, planning, and number crunching, we’re pleased to announce the installation of our new 3,000-gallon Air Products liquid nitrogen tank.

Reduced waste, cleaner process

As part of our new completely redesigned system, the larger tank solves many challenges. Plumbing runs directly from the tank to our production and storage areas – eliminating tank changes and saving hundreds of hours of labor per year.

Eliminating tanks also means no maintenance and cleaning (tanks would arrive very dirty). Now a delivery means a truck brings nitrogen once, versus four times a month, reducing our carbon footprint.

Most important, the new system allows us to keep our pre-mixed adhesive product frozen for up to a week in case of a power outage versus 13 hours with the old system.

The new system also features a vacuum jacketed piping system with options for future expansion of Appli-Tec’s capabilities.

Changing over to the new liquid nitrogen system is yet another way that Appli-Tec lives to its core value of being environmentally conscious in all processes and ensuring all our adhesive products are defect-free every time.

Learn more about our People, Planet, Prosperity vision and plan

Greg Duhamel was the Engineering Lead for Appli-Tec and a chemist with 25 years experience in the adhesive industry. Data driven, he worked to standardize manufacturing processes and procedures to ensure consistent product conformity.

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