BROADVIEW, IL—Graymills has donated three ink pumps to the Sonoco Institute of Packaging Design and Graphics at Clemson University in Clemson, SC. The latest contribution of two pneumatic small peristaltic pumps joins the centrifugal pump that was donated to the university last December.
All three pumps will be used in the institute’s Advanced Print Technology Lab for research and testing on print methods. They will be connected to an OMET VaryFlex 530 press. According to Shane Hutchings, lab manager, “We had a special need for pumps to ensure the consistency of ink in a new application. We discovered Graymills through their active engagement with FTA and are extremely grateful that the company has supported our students with this donation.”
The Sonoco Institute of Packaging Design and Graphics is a unique education, research and industry collaboration to discover, develop and deliver advanced solutions and resources for tomorrow’s printing and packaging value chain. The institute has been in existence for 10 years and today works with both undergraduate and graduate students from multiple departments including graphic communications and packaging science that each enroll around 300 students.
Graymills President Kristen Shields, an FTA board member-at-large, is currently active in the TLMI and FTA, and spends a lot of time focusing on ways in which to attract new, young talent to the industry. She has hosted high school career days at Graymills and believes that this contribution is one more way to fuel interest in the label and packaging industry. She states, “We continue to bring innovative products to the marketplace. As we celebrate eight decades of market leadership this year, we are constantly gaining new insights into how to best serve the future requirements of label and printed packaging companies.”