CRYOGENIC CRAFTSMEN Vacuum Barrier Corporation designs, engineers and fabricates LN 2 dosing and piping systems for Food & Beverage, Semiconductor, MBE, Pharmaceutical, Biotech, Beer, Wine, Coffee, and Cannabis industries. Investigating your application, we provide a custom or standard LN 2 solution and become your one-source for a complete system. Our continued commitment to delivering safe and defect-free products while achieving the highest customer satisfaction has allowed us to remain the leader in LN 2 dosing and piping systems since 1958. If you have an LN 2 piping or dosing project you’d like to discuss with our expert team, please reach out today. 1958 Thornton Stearns and Lewis B. Thompson Jr. founded VBC to address the need for vacuum-jacketed piping in the National Laboratories. 1960 Vacuum Jacketed Piping for liquid nitrogen transfer is supplied to a wide variety of industries. 1970 SEMIFLEX®/Triax LN2 piping and components such as the liquid vapor phase separator, automates LN2 supply and reduces LN2 consumption. Demand continues to grow to replace foam-insulated piping systems. 1980 VBC designs and fabricates the Linjector, to pressurize beverage cans as manufacturers moved from 3-piece steel to new 2-piece aluminum. Modular piping components and system design allow for the reconfiguration of systems as requirements evolve, especially in the semiconductor industry. Many more industries require automation of LN 2 delivery, such as cryoshrinking, rubber deflashing, cryopreservation, halogen lamp manufacturing, and environmental test chambers. 1990 VBC’s family of LN2 dosing systems continues to grow. The Linerter LN 2 dosing system is brought to market to enhance product shelf life by minimizing O 2 in empty beverage containers and snack foods. NITRODOSE ® LN 2 discrete dosing systems with a patented sub-cooled dosing valve allow the pressurization of lightweight single-serve water bottles – a fast-growing market. Aseptic dosing systems are developed for aseptic beverage filling-line applications. Equipment is developed to provide natural passive circulation within the cryo-panel of MBE (molecular beam epitaxy) equipment. 2000 New sealed SEMIFLEX® piping and CobraFlex hose complement the dynamic SEMIFLEX®/Triax piping systems providing more system design options. VBC works with the manufacturers of research and production MBE reactors to integrate bayonet joints on their equipment to provide completely frost-free connections. LN 2 dosing systems benefit from automatic CIP cover and various other heater blocks that impact the dose for different product requirements. 2010 As beverage filling line speeds increase, the G2 line of LN2 dosing systems are designed to meet this requirement with improved speed and dosing accuracy while offering basic equipment for the lower speed fillers. 2020 Our next generation G3 line of LN2 dosing systems is introduced, taking speed and accuracy to the next level. 2023 VBC continues designing, engineering, and manufacturing LN2 dosing and piping systems in our Massachusetts facility, always striving for excellence. VBC Leadership Team Providing custom and standard solutions for all LN 2 handling applications, we have worked to position ourselves as your one source for a complete LN 2 system. Our corporate policy is to understand and fully meet customers’ requirements at all stages of work. Our goal is to design, manufacture and deliver safe and defect-free products while achieving the highest customer satisfaction. Our commitment is to continuously improve our quality management system, which provides the framework to monitor quality issues and promotes employee involvement. Dave Tucker » PRESIDENT David started at VBC in the Engineering Department in 1986 as a Mechanical Engineer. His project management and engineering skills led to his promotion to General Manager in November of 2000. In April of 2013 David was promoted to Vice President of Operations where his duties expanded from managing the manufacturing and purchasing needs of VBC to also include managing the administration staff and fulfilling the human resource requirements of the company. He was then promoted to Executive Vice President in 2013, overseeing all aspects of VBC activities. In July of 2019 David was promoted to President of the Corporation. Priya Gopalan » TREASURER Priya started her career as a Controls Engineer at VBC in the Engineering Department in 2003. While working full-time, she attended Bentley University and earned an MBA in 2008. She was promoted to Accounting Manager, Controller, and Treasurer in 2015. In addition to managing all aspects of the company’s finances, Priya is also responsible for managing its IT, business insurance, human resources, and employee benefits. Bill O’Connor » General Manager Bill started at VBC in 1983 as a welder and was promoted to Manufacturing Manager in 2000. In 2017 he was promoted to General Manager overseeing all aspects of production. Bill’s calm, professional demeanor and steady hand on the ship’s rudder keeps VBC sailing along in the face of an ever-increasing workload. Jack Ross » Vice President, Engineering Jack started at VBC in 1985 in the Engineering Department as a Mechanical Engineer. He quickly became the go-to guy for every technical question. Jack’s extensive knowledge of our applications comes from long hours of hands-on work in the field. Jack was promoted to Engineering Manager in 2000 and Vice President of Engineering in 2015. Erik Showers » Product development manager Erik started his career in 2002 at VBC as a Mechanical Engineer working on numerous design and development projects. In 2012 he took over managing the Pyroflask® division while still actively involved in design and support of VBC’s cryogenic products. In 2017 he was promoted to Product Development Manager where he currently oversees advancement of new and improved equipment. His current role also involves support of the Nitrodose® line with focus on Aseptic. Jim Fallon » International Sales Manager Starting as an Application Engineer in 2016, Jim gained valuable experience and knowledge of LN2 piping and dosing systems in the domestic market. In 2023 he stepped into his current role with a focus on Europe and Asia, bringing with him an education in interdisciplinary engineering and management and a strong technical sales background. Dana Muse » Reliability and Technical Support Manager This new department is responsible for continuously improving equipment reliability, training, and technical support. Dana’s 25 years of experience with VBC in both Engineering and Sales make him uniquely qualified for the position. The new department will consist of field service engineers and other engineering support staff who will interact with customers, representatives, and the sales and engineering departments. Greg Neville » Sales Manager, The Americas Greg will manage the home office team of application engineers and coordinate our efforts with outside sales representatives in Mexico, Central and South America. Greg’s engineering background and 10-plus years of experience in the sales department supporting existing customers and outside sales representatives, combined with his knowledge of the applications and industries we serve, make him ideal for this position. Russ Blanton » Chairman Russ began his career with VBC in 1980 as a Mechanical Engineer and worked his way to Vice President of Engineering before his role as President of the Corporation in 2001. During his successful career, Russ has been at the forefront of new design efforts for VBC’s beverage applications, cryogenic piping development, and high-temperature heat shields. Russ retired from his role as President in July of 2019 and remains on as Chairman. BSME Northeastern University 1977. If you have an LN 2 piping or dosing project you’d like to discuss with our expert team, please reach out today.