McFinn Technologies, located in the heart of Kenosha, Wisconsin, has been setting the standard for industry-grade flexible impeller and centrifugal pumps designed specifically for the wine industry since 2011.
Its highly-rated US-FIP series of flexible impeller pumps are known for superior must and/or juice handling with self-priming, high suction action that is complemented by robust wireless controls to facilitate ease of operation.
Also known as positive displacement pumps; flexible impeller pumps work by utilizing a food grade impeller rotating inside a cam shaped casing. The shape of the casing puts compression on the rotating impeller veins and displaces liquid out of the pump enabling it to move up or downstream.
The impeller pumps come equipped with a wireless remote that contains forward/reverse, stop/start and variable speed controls. Also, the vertical orientation of the pump head allows the hoses to remain on a horizontal plane, preventing kinking and undue stress on the fittings. According to McFinn Technologies co-founding partner John McGinn, the moderate price tag on the US-FIP series is surpassed only by its clear, easy-to-grasp design, which was created with the end-user in mind.
“The questions we ask ourselves is how do you make this product so the customer who gets it can turn it on and it works?” McGinn notes. “If it’s not simple, you’ve not done your job as an engineer or designer.”
Similarly, the company’s patented Bowpeller centrifugal pump has impressed industry professionals with its simplicity of operation and superior design efficiency.
Unlike the impeller pumps, centrifugal pumps work by accelerating the liquid that comes into it via a rotating impeller, which converts velocity into pressure and directs the fluid to the outlet of the system.
On traditional centrifugal pumps, that pressure can be tough on both the product going through the machine as well as on the unit itself.
The beauty of the McFinn Technologies Bowpeller is its “low shear” centrifugal design.
Rather than simply lowering the impeller velocity (which also decreases the efficiency of operations), the Bowpeller was developed with a unique pathway and shape for the liquid. This patented design lowers the rate of acceleration, ultimately lowering the “g-force” to the product. The result is an optimum flat performance curve, which is ideal for operating at variable speeds at the highest level of efficiency across the entire range of the pump’s capability.
“The advantages of less g-force exerted on molecules means that the action of the pump is not going to destroy that fruit membrane or that fat globule,” explains McGinn. “With pumpovers, it’s especially important because of the air or gasses already present. The Bowpeller will not emulsify those gasses into the product, which could ultimately affect quality.”
All US-FIP pumps are constructed and meet FDA and 3A requirements for food and dairy processing.
For more information on the US-FIP series or the Bowpeller low shear centrifugal pump, go to the McFinn Technologies website at www.americanwinepump.com.
