Press Releases
Allentown Shotcrete Technology, Inc. Celebrates 100th Anniversary
 Allentown Shotcrete Technology, Inc. celebrates 100th anniversary. |
ALLENTOWN, PA (February 2, 2010) – Allentown Shotcrete Technology, Inc., a leading manufacturer of wet- and dry-process shotcrete equipment, is celebrating its 100th anniversary in the sprayed concrete industry.
“In this day and age, very few companies are able to succeed in business for 100 years,” says Patrick Bridger, president of Allentown. “We are very proud of our longevity, and see it as a testament to our reputation for quality, and the value we have brought our customers for a century.”
As a pioneer in the field, Allentown’s technology was first developed in the early 1900s when its originator Carl Akeley, a famous hunter and professor, devised a method for spraying plaster onto a wire frame for taxidermy purposes. Using compressed air, dry material was pushed through the nozzle of a gun-like device, where it was wet with water as it was blown onto a frame. The outcome was a strong, thick plaster coating that didn’t slump from the frame or set before being fully placed.
The equipment was subsequently used to patch deteriorated concrete using a dry mixture of sand and cement. The results were excellent, and patents and trade names were applied for in 1910 for the new “Cement Gun” and the “Gunite” material it produced.
This dry-process technique was utilized for the next 40 years, until a new process was developed in the 1950s that involved the use of pressure tanks to force stiff mortar through a hose. This new wet-process became known as shotcrete – and the rest is history.
Since then, the Allentown name has been synonymous with the process of spraying mortar at high velocity onto surfaces in the refractory, underground, mortar and civil industries. The Allentown equipment line has expanded to include a wide range of Gunning Machines, Pre-dampeners, Pumps, Combination Mixer-Pumps, Mixers, Chemical Additive Pumps, Nozzle Carriers, Mortar Machines, Concreting Machines and parts and accessories.
Throughout the years, Allentown has experienced numerous milestones, which have strengthened its position in the market:
1900s – Carl Akeley develops method for spraying plaster onto wire frames.
1910 – First Cement Gun introduced at New York Concrete Show.
1911 – Patents and trademarks issued for the Cement Gun and its Gunite process.
1950s – Wet-process shotcrete application developed.
1960s – Dry-process rotary gun developed.
1970s – Swing-tube technology used on wet-process shotcrete equipment, making application and use more practical.
2007 – Company acquired by Putzmeister America, Inc., resulting in most comprehensive line of sprayed concrete equipment. Name changed from Allentown Equipment to Allentown Shotcrete Technology, Inc.
2008 – Allentown becomes exclusive U.S. distributor of the Sika/Aliva family of wet- and dry-process shotcrete equipment.
2009 – Putzmeister America’s Special Application Business forms partnership between Allentown, Esser Pipe Technology and Maxon Industries, Inc., creating a comprehensive systems approach for tunnel and mining, dams and power generation, transportation, marine and off shore industries. MacLean Engineering develops new self-contained shotcrete spraying.