Vortron Industrial / Vortech Engineering – Corporate Profile
Vortron Industrial is an AirPower® Group company along with Vortech Engineering, Paxton Automotive and Lysholm Technologies. The AirPower® Group is an advanced technology and manufacturing company serving customers worldwide with centrifugal blower technology, supercharging systems and components. The corporation, which is headquartered in Channel Islands, California, has four major business units: Engineered Material Services, Automotive, Marine and Vortron Industrial. The Vortron Industrial division was created in 2001 to specialize in industrial blowers and air knife systems for applications such as industrial drying, aeration, de-watering and blow-off. James K. Middlebrook is president of the privately held corporation that was founded in 1990, growing from $270,000 to over $12 million in sales. Recognized as a leader in establishing compressor performance standards, Vortech holds six US Patents for centrifugal blower and supercharger technology.
The Achievements of AirPower Group, Vortech and Vortron Industrial
- First to develop a high-performance air blower system specifically for aircraft de-icing
- First centrifugal blower manufacturer to utilize a supercharger development test cell designed to meet SAE Std. J1723 allowing compressor efficiency quantifications
- Pioneered OEM quality supercharging systems (cast components)
- Innovator of a centrifugal supercharger air/oil mist system for distribution and cooling
- Initiated the use of an air bypass valve in supercharging systems
- Lead others by offering an upgradeable compressor
- First successful use of gears in a centrifugal supercharger
Manufacturing Equipment
Includes such advanced units as a pair of Makino A77 Horizontal Machining Centers with 20 pallet FMS system, Seiki CS25 Vertical Turning Cell with live tooling, c-axis and part loading robot, Thurmark Laser Etch machine, Zeiss Eclipse 2840 Coordinate Measuring machine (CMM), Scherr Tumico 30″ Comparator, DTS-4000G 2000 HP engine dynamometer, and Mustang Eddy Current chassis dynamometer. Design and manufacturing software includes Virtual Gibbs CadCam, Solidworks, Vellum Solids and SurfCam.
Corporate Headquarters – Vortech occupies a 60,000 square foot facility housing administration, engineering, manufacturing, testing, quality control, sales and marketing.
Vortron’s Machine Shop – Makino A77 Horizontal Machining Center with 20 pallet FMS system