Packaging Digest back issues from September 2008:
RFID to track meat, poultry through Norway's food supply.(stories on the web)
Sep 01, 2008 ... IBM and Matiq, an information technology subsidiary of Nortura, Norway's largest food supplier, are working on an RFID tagging project in ...
New technology makes bioplastics more feasible.(stories on the web)
Sep 01, 2008 ... Metabolix's recent greenhouse trials showed that switchgrass plants engineered using multi-gene expression technology produced key amounts of PHA ...
McCormick jars spice up the crust.(design trends)
Sep 01, 2008 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Restaurant inspirations are taking over the supermarket this year. One example, perfect for grilling, oven heating or the stovetop is from McCormick, Hunt Valley, MD, which is capitalizing on restaurant seasoning techniques to liven up at-home dinners with ...
Shakes in pouches add to weight-loss diet.(design trends)
Sep 01, 2008 ... Physician, author and weight-loss expert Dr. Sanford Siegal created his hunger-controlling Dr. Siegal's[R] COOKIE DIET[TM] more than 30 years ago. With his "secret" blend of amino acids and food proteins, which he personally mixes every night in his bakery, the diet cookies effectively ...
Mashed potatoes get the steam treatment.(design trends)
Sep 01, 2008 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Ore-Ida, a Heinz brand, has launched Steam n' Mash[TM] to provide convenient side-dish preparation. The new line of frozen potato products is available in four varieties--Cut Russet, Garlic Seasoned, Three Cheese and Sweet Potatoes--and capitalizes on the ...
Revised Ethos water bottle builds character.(design trends)
Sep 01, 2008 ... Ethos Water was a startup in 2001, with the simple idea of creating bottled water to help children around the world get clean water. Five cents for every bottle of natural spring water sold is donated to humanitarian water programs that by 2010 are expected to reach a goal of $10 million ...
GE launches quick-fix caulk singles.(design trends: household products)
Sep 01, 2008 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Not every caulking job requires a full tube to fill seams around a room's molding or a bath tub. GE Caulk Singles from Momentive Performance Materials, Huntersville, NC, dispense effortlessly with one hand, with little knowhow, tools or time required. The ...
Metal Rescue[TM] is safe on everything except rust.(design trends: household products)
Sep 01, 2008 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Workplace cleanliness and environmental safety make the newest product a natural complement to a line of corrosion-inhibiting products. Introduced in April, Armor's Metal Rescue[TM] from Armor Protective Packaging, safely and effectively removes iron oxide ...
Wellness drink 'pulsates' with good looks.(design trends: household products)
Sep 01, 2008 ... Goldshield Elite debuts Pulsate Plus, a new cardio-wellness energy drink with label graphics that characterize a dynamic, electrifying shelf presence on a shrink label from Gilbreth (www.gilbrethusa.com). The challenge of communicating color, gloss and movement on an ...
Black PET liqueur bottle says sleek for Ryan's cream.(design trends)
Sep 01, 2008 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] White Rock Distilleries, Lewiston, ME, has commercialized what it says is the first 1.75-mL, opaque black PET liquor bottle for its popular Ryan's Cream Liqueur, a 34-proof combination of fresh cream, rich chocolate, natural vanilla and imported Irish ...
Courting beauty on a budget.(design trends)
Sep 01, 2008 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Creative Nail Designs' revised Enhancements Kits use a streamlined, sophisticated design to convey a premium image in more sustainable and affordable packaging. Previously, CND relied on the use of plastic in its packaging to emphasize the premium nature ...
Word to the wise: plastic films usage will expand.(comment)
Sep 01, 2008; ... It was classic cinema. Do you remember the conversation from "The Graduate"? Dustin Hoffman, playing a troubled young man named "Ben," was told by a family friend: "I just want to say one word to you. Just one word: Plastics." Ben: "Exactly how do you mean?" Mr ....
Grate magnet.(Motors, Drives, Devices)
Sep 01, 2008 ... The Tramp Iron Grate in Housing (TGH) removes ferrous contaminants from free-flowing products. Typical TGH units include a stainless-steel rectangular housing that holds multiple rows of 1-in.-dia tube magnets to attract and hold fine tramp iron as material flows around the magnets ....
Ring index drives.(Motors, Drives, Devices)
Sep 01, 2008 ... Camco[R] ring index drives feature larger through-holes to accommodate a variety of automated machinery and equipment, including electrical wiring and air or hydraulic lines. New models include the 1100RNG, with a 1-m nominal dia ring, and the 1.5-m 1550RNG. Both can be ...
DVI/USB splitter.(Motors, Drives, Devices)
Sep 01, 2008 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The CU8810 DVI/USB splitter helps connect multiple industrial displays. Using this compact device, up to 4 displays showing the same image or 2 separate images can be connected to the same PC. The CU8810 transfers images via DVI, and its integrated ...
Signal cables.(Motors, Drives, Devices)
Sep 01, 2008 ... The co. introduces its miniBOSS[TM] and microBOSS[TM] tool-cord lines, designed to deliver power and signal to a variety of devices. miniBOSS[TM] comes in 3-, 4-, 5- and 6-position variations and uses both static and high-flex, dual-rated TC-ER and STOOW 14-awg cable, as well as thick and ...
Print controller.(Motors, Drives, Devices)
Sep 01, 2008 ... The I-Mark[TM] V84i is an OEM version of the co.'s newest drop-on-demand ink-jet printing controller. Minimal software development is required to integrate the controller, thanks to a simplified communications protocol. Machine builders can use the same touchscreen interfaces, power ...
Label printer/applicator.(Motors, Drives, Devices)
Sep 01, 2008 ... The Model 250C label printer/applicator is said to have the smallest footprint in the industry. Each system is custom-built and is configured for tamp application with a maximum stroke length of 8 in. and uses label rolls with outside ...
I/O brochure.(Motors, Drives, Devices)
Sep 01, 2008 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The co.'s new I/O-System Brochure includes a removable, 4-panel reference poster that outlines its range of bus couplers, PLCs and more than 300 digital input/output, analog input/output and ...
Metal detector.(Motors, Drives, Devices)
Sep 01, 2008 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Apex[TM] 300 metal detector series is designed to fit drop-through or pipeline food and beverage applications. New processing algorithms are meant to optimize high-speed scanning and detection, and its multicoil design is said to ...
Hot melt gun.(Motors, Drives, Devices)
Sep 01, 2008 ... The e.dot+[TM] electric hot-melt adhesive guns reportedly offer accurate dot or bead placement, easy installation and quiet operation. The guns are said to have on-times as low as 0.4 ms, cycle rates as fast as 1.8 ms and a service life in excess of 200 million cycles. The removable ...
Software.(Motors, Drives, Devices)
Sep 01, 2008 ... EASYLABEL[R] 5 software facilitates RFID and bar-code labeling and now features a version that can run on the Windows Terminal Server platform. A single copy can be installed on a server and accessed by an unlimited number of users, increasing ...
Leveling mounts.(Motors, Drives, Devices)
Sep 01, 2008 ... The co. expands its line of tapped type Ny-Lev nylon base leveling mounts. The socket swivels 15 deg in all directions, but the hex restricts further movement and keeps the socket from separating from the base. Available in both steel and stainless steel, with or ...
Hand packer, case sealer.(Motors, Drives, Devices)
Sep 01, 2008 ... The VP15-T VersaPack hand packing system features a case erector, an ergonomically designed conveyor system, a hand packing station and a case sealer. The S-curve conveyor handles most rigid, semi-rigid and flexible products at speeds up to 15 cases/rain. Operators can reportedly pack ...
Rodless cylinders.(Motors, Drives, Devices)
Sep 01, 2008 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] RTC rodless cylinders are equipped with oval-shaped--rather than round--pistons, which are said to provide excellent load and moment-generating capacity. The slide and piston are constructed as a single unit, letting the slide move maximum loads even on ...
Metalized pouches.(Film & Foil)
Sep 01, 2008 ... Flavorseal[R] metalized pouches lend a decorative look to products competing for customer attention while extending the shelf life of foods by minimizing oxygen exposure. After opening, the pouches easily reseal to keep foods fresher longer. The pouches can be tailored to specific ...
Security foil.(Film & Foil)
Sep 01, 2008 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] CPI Security Foil accepts fine-line graphics, text, logos and micro-features applied directly to its surface during the rolling process. This product can be used in any aluminum-based applications including push-through blister foil, child-resistant foils, ...
Foil and bags.(Film & Foil)
Sep 01, 2008 ... Barrier foils are a laminate of polyester, aluminum and PE that provide a low moisture-vapor transmission rate and protect items that may deteriorate due to corrosion or moisture damage. Other bags and liners allow water vapor and aggressive gasses to seep through, allowing deterioration ...
High-barrier film.(Film & Foil)
Sep 01, 2008 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] An extension of a medical and pharmaceutical high-barrier film line is engineered to meet transdermal patch and oral strip-packaging requirements. For applications involving sensitive drugs or flavored strips, PerfecPharm[TM] Grades 35677-E, 35682-G and ...
Label shrink film.(Film & Foil)
Sep 01, 2008 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Pentalabel[R] product line of shrink-films for labels has been extended to include Pentalabel[R] 1:749/22, a polyester film with multiple shrink characteristics for all full-body shrink-sleeve labels, in contoured containers. This film combines ...
Blister laminate.(Film & Foil)
Sep 01, 2008 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Cold Form[TM] 4000 blister laminate is suitable for light- and moisture-sensitive medications due to its 45-micron, heavy-gauge foil sandwiched between PVC film on the sealant side and a 60-micron nylon film on the other. Cold Form is said to offer two ...
Syringe.(Film & Foil)
Sep 01, 2008 ... The Daikyo Crystal Zenith RU prefillable syringe system is made from a proprietary, cyclic olefin polymer said to ensure drug purity. According to the co., the syringe's improved drainability reduces dosing errors, and a lubricating barrier film on the piston and the cap ...
BIBs.(Film & Foil)
Sep 01, 2008 ... An aseptic Air-Evac[R] Bag-in-Box packaging system helps address the food industry's need for improved product safety by increasing the amount of viscous fluids that can be extracted from BIB packages. The addition of the aseptic, high-capacity barrier bags brings the efficiencies and cost ...
Ordering program.(Film & Foil)
Sep 01, 2008 ... Fast Face, an ordering program for nonadhesive products, enables label stock converters to receive lower volume, custom-slit orders of select nonadhesive products in rapid delivery time cycles. These products can be used for a ...
TPO sheet.(Film & Foil)
Sep 01, 2008 ... The Invision PX, a patent-pending, modified PPE-capped thermoplastic (TPO) olefin sheet, possesses high durability, while the Invision TX, a monolayer TPO sheet, offers benefits in thermoforming applications. The features also include high melt strength, greater stiffness of TPO sheet ...
Label inks.(Film & Foil)
Sep 01, 2008 ... Sheet-fed label inks include ProMark[TM] conventional and Fusion[TM] UV hybrid inks, designed to run on a full range of substrates, including recycled and low-basis-weight CIS stocks. The hybrid inks have gained acceptance in many operations, enabling printers to go from conventional to ...
Laminates.(Film & Foil)
Sep 01, 2008 ... Strong interlayer bonds and improved shelf life are characteristics of laminates made on a Comexi laminator that utilizes low-viscosity adhesives, the co notes. The solventless laminates eliminate concerns about the removal of retained ...
Rethink, repackage, reconnect: if you think consumers aren't purchasing products because of their packaging, think again.(Cover story)
Sep 01, 2008; ... Finding out what's on consumers' minds is increasingly important and enables companies to deliver innovative new products and services. Open, honest dialogue can get to the heart of customers' wants and needs. Marketers are considering new strategies and tools, thanks to the advent of Web ...
Filling, feeding system has yogurt yodeling: Alpine Italy's Milchhoff Sterzing adds an aseptic yogurt-packaging system that has nearly doubled production capacity.(cup filling, feeding)
Sep 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] One of Italy's largest and well-known yogurt producers, Milchhof Sterzing (or Latteria Vipiteno in Italian), located in Vipiteno/Sterzing, Italy, in the Alps south of Tyrolia, recently installed aseptic filling and cup-feeding systems for yogurt that have ...
Track and trace: Dutch pharmaceutical packager Tjoapack implements a marking and coding system that exceeds existing global requirements for track and trace.(making & coding)
Sep 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] With billions of prescription pills and tablets being packaged and shipped around the world each year, it would be easy to slip in a few tens of thousands of counterfeit pieces or divert a couple shipments of expensive medications to a black market in ...
Assessment can't replace life-cycle thinking.(sustainability)
Sep 01, 2008; ... As the packaging industry increasingly engages in discussions of metrics and scorecards to assess environmental performance, it is important to distinguish between two terms: Life Cycle Thinking and Life Cycle Assessment. Life Cycle Thinking is a qualitative framework used to ...
Cork carries coffee: two brothers hope to redefine the standard for hot beverage sleeves.(beverage sleeves)
Sep 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Cork was once the only crown fit for wine. Then the metal screw cap came along, as well as synthetic corks, which have won increasing favor as wine bottle closures. Cork may have found a new ally, however, in the ascendant prince of beverages, coffee ....
Talking trash: 'upcycle' to recycle: reclaiming trash destined for landfills, TerraCycle 'upcycles' used packaging from Kraft Foods and others that's often deemed 'unrecyclable.'.(packaged 'upcycling')(Company overview)
Sep 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The next time you throw out that candy bar wrapper, someone could be turning your trash into a wallet, a totebag or a backpack. In fact, someone else may be grabbing those used Capri Sun drink pouches and making them into a purse, or Oreo cookie wrappers ...
Questions for a potential integrator, Part 4.(system integration)
Sep 01, 2008; ... Experienced system integrators know the questions that prospective clients should be asking them during the interview process. Two are often overlooked. For more, see the March, May and July 2008 installments of this column. What can you do for me, and what am I going to have to ...
Faster production with servo system: Mullins Food Products, a contract producer of condiments, uses a high-speed servo-driven case packer to increase production speed, quality, efficiency and overall productivity.(automation & controls)
Sep 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] When you're in the business of providing sauce packs and cups for major fast-food suppliers, speed is of the essence. Stop and consider how many condiment packs are produced in a given week to serve the market. Mullins Food Products, ...
Sweet moves: an integrated robotic pick-and-place and conveyor system boosts production 20 percent for New England Confectionery Co.(conveying, robotic picking)
Sep 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Located just 10 minutes from Boston's Logan Intl Airport in a new 816,000-sq.ft facility, New England Confectionery Co. (NECCO) manufactures a variety of treats from its famed candy wafers, to chocolate bars, to thin chocolate mints, to private-label ...
Bottle opener: a new bottling line opens fresh, vertical integration opportunities for Kwik Trip gas and convenience stores.(bottling line)
Sep 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The approximately 335 Kwik Trip, Inc. convenience stores throughout Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin are part of a retail genre that serves as the modern version of the "neighborhood grocery," and neighborhood shopping currently is enjoying a resurgence ...
Automation increases speed and accuracy: modified-atmosphere fill/seal machine produces trays of salad components for a fresh produce supplier as part of a one-step salad system.(automation and controls)
Sep 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Hyde and Hyde, Inc., Corona, CA, supplies salad components to the fresh-cut produce industry and offer custom packaging and copackaging to its customers. In August, 2008, the company installed a Model PB-1000 servo-driven, 4-wide, modified-atmosphere ...
PACK EXPO approaches North America's leading packaging show is expected to draw more than 1,700 exhibitors and 45,000 visitors for its Nov. 9 to 13 run at Chicago's McCormick Place.(pack expo)
Sep 01, 2008 ... In a business environment of economic uncertainty, packagers seeking solid advice and reliable information on which they can base their capital planning and investments, will soon descend upon Chicago for the upcoming PACK EXPO International 2008. The industry's largest U.S ....
Conference at PACK EXPO addresses change, innovation and sustainability: packaging's big show includes a wealth of sessions from Nov. 10 to 12 that focus on issues facing packagers today.(PACK EXPO)
Sep 01, 2008 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute (PMMI [www.packexpo.com]), the sponsor and producer of PACK EXPO International 2008, has announced its agenda for the upcoming Conference at PACK EXPO. With its overall theme of "Change, Innovation and ...
Carbon-cutting bags trim costs: PJ's Coffee of New Orleans takes a two-pronged approach to address environmental and economic concerns.(coffee bags)(Company overview)
Sep 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Founded by Phyllis Jordan in 1978, PJ's Coffee of New Orleans prides itself on the precision roasting of its coffee beans. "One of the key things when it comes to roasting coffees is not going so dark with the roast," PJ's Coffee lead roaster Felton Jones ...
Are you allergic to dusting? New Endust Free Dusting and Cleaning Spray is the first aerosol hypoallergenic cleaning product in a steel can that's easy to grip and uses 14 percent less material.(aerosol spray can)
Sep 01, 2008; ... Sara Lee Corp., the maker of the successful Endust[R] dusting and cleaning spray, has launched a new product that's nothing to sneeze at--literally. Endust Free Dusting and Cleaning Spray is the first fragrance-free, hypoallergenic dusting and cleaning product designed to reduce allergens ...
Vacuum grippers are spot-on: Delkor Systems gets a grip on energy costs, downtime and product delivery with vacuum grippers that pass the savings onto customers.(package handling)
Sep 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Delkor Systems, Circle Points, MN, a manufacturer of end-of-line packaging machines for dairy, grocery and automotive sectors, offers custom packaging machines that increase efficiency, reduce costs and help address challenging customer needs. ...
New water bottle is made from plants: the Primo bottle is different from virtually all other water bottles sold in the U.S., because it is made from a plant-based polylactic acid plastic that is derived from corn.(water bottles)
Sep 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] With gas prices hovering near $4/gal, families across the country are making simple choices to reduce their oil consumption. They are looking for alternatives to products and packaging made from crude oil, such as traditional plastic water bottles, and ...
Labeling software.(new products: equipment)
Sep 01, 2008 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Label Gallery 3 software series features two new software development kits: Label Gallery SDK for PCs; and Label Gallery Pocket SDK for mobile devices. It is now Unicode-compliant in all modules for multilingual label printing and supports Windows ...
Network card.(new products: equipment)
Sep 01, 2008 ... The MCA 121 EtherNet/IP[TM] Option Card enables users of the co.'s VLT[R] AutomationDrive to deploy standard Ethernet technology in manufacturing applications, while also facilitating internet and enterprise activity. It can reportedly handle a single EIP Class 1 connection with an Actual ...
Vertical f/f/s.(new products: equipment)
Sep 01, 2008 ... The robag[R] 3 vertical f/f/s machine now includes new "kanga jaw" technology that lets flexible bag formats such as quattro and block-bottom be handled with rotary jaws. A linear motor moves the jaws up and down as much as 120 mm so that they can ...
Top-load cartoning, closing.(new products: equipment)
Sep 01, 2008 ... The co.'s top-load line consisting of the Genesis lock-style carton former, a variable-pitch conveyor and the Vari-Straight tri-seal carton closer (shown). The Genesis operates at rates between 30 and 75 strokes/min. A quick-change feed-bar assembly and quick-release plunger tube ...
Robotic palletizer.(new products: equipment)
Sep 01, 2008 ... The EC-171 robotic palletizer performs at up to 20 cycles/min. Has a collision-detection system and a small rotation radius. Improves throughput and space efficiency. The controls use a ...
Gravity conveyors.(new products: equipment)
Sep 01, 2008 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] DynaCon modular gravity conveyors maximize flexibility in configuration by using short roller sections. The modular section pieces are 17 1/2 in. long with rollers on 4-in. centers to convey cartons weighing ...
Wraparound labeler.(new products: equipment)
Sep 01, 2008 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Model 390 wraparound label system feeder is designed for labeling small, round test tubes, ampules and vials. Containers are fed into the system horizontally and transported to the labeling station, where they are trapped from ...
F/f/s for liquids.(new products: equipment)
Sep 01, 2008 ... The ACCU-Pack automatic liquid form/fill/seal machine handles pouch packages such as ketchup and soy sauce packets. All product contact parts are made of 316 sanitary stainless steel. The PLC control system features a color touchscreen for easy setup and operation, and the machine ...
Scale.(new products: equipment)
Sep 01, 2008 ... The US-5500 netweigh/counting scale is designed for kit packagers by integrating partitions with LED lights and a traditional counting method. The lights tell the operator which product to load and when the desired quantity is met, the co., reports, and the completed kits feed ...
Pharma fulfillment.(new products: equipment)
Sep 01, 2008 ... A custom-engineered, automated pharmacy fulfillment system will be integrated together with an Autobag[R] PaceSetter[TM] PS 125 bagger, printer, bar-code scanner and conveyor system, designed to deliver print-on-demand prescription information, the system folds and verifies contents before ...
Bulk bag/drum filler.(new products: equipment)
Sep 01, 2008 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A new combination bulk bag/drum filler features a Swing-Down[R] fill head that pivots down for connecting empty bags at floor level, increasing the safety and speed of operation. A remote console or wall-mounted panel raises and pivots the fill head into a ...