Controls & Machine Components

Packaging Automation magazine gets its own website

The popular online magazine gets its own searchable archive site, helping packaging machinery specifiers and builders research innovative, modular machinery and automation trends in the packaging industry

May 21, 2007

Other Packaged Goods: Page 153

Cosmetics/Personal care

Teen products pack inspiration

Packaging for TESS skin care products speaks to teen girls.

May 11, 2007

Flexibles

Responsible Sourcing and Usage of Paperboard-Based Materials

Editor’s Note: This article is the first in a three-part series from MeadWestvaco that looks at the entire lifecycle of paperboard-based packaging systems. The series begins with the issues of sourcing.

May 10, 2007

Consumer packaged goods

Harnessing the value of a design brief

The package is becoming essential in marketing, and a good brief invites critical thinking earlier from those with packaging savvy.

May 7, 2007

Cosmetics/Personal care

Unilever's 360 degrees of success

Cost savings are commonly associated with a compromise to consumers. But Suave's package redesign shows that a brand can have it all through integrated planning.

May 2, 2007

Coding, Printing & Labeling

Six Sigma and pharmaceutical packaging

In this article, Kent St. Vrain of Paxonix reports on Six Sigma benefits, economic justification, and streamlining the process of getting product more quickly to market.

April 26, 2007

Blisters/clamshells/thermoforming materials

Baking soda label acts as a freshness timer

Special label eliminates replacement guesswork for a refrigerator air filter.

April 20, 2007

Flexible packaging

Co-packing industry assesses opportunities and challenges

The contract packaging industry has no shortage of opportunities and challenges, and some of them were discussed formally and informally at the Contract Packaging Association’s annual meeting, which concluded April 2 in Tucson, AZ. First, the opportunities. One of the hottest segments of contract packaging today is pharmaceutical products, and it’s promising even more growth for co-packers with the right facilities, capabilities, and certification approvals. Speaking to association members, Bill Sharpless said the $400 billion pharma industry is growing at 3% annually. Sharpless is marketing director of pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and medical packaging at Alcoa Flexible Packaging.

April 17, 2007

Flexibles

New plastomers/elastomers

Dow Chemical has introduced 8 new grades of Versify™ Plastomers and Elastomers, each designed to deliver performance and processing benefits to address specific market needs.

April 6, 2007

Conveying & accumulation

Flexible checkweigher

WeighPack now offers the Striker Checkweigher, equipped to handle weight ranges from 15g to 310g and suitable for a variety of different packaging types including bags, bottles, cans, cartons, and boxes.

April 5, 2007

Cosmetics/Personal care

Balluff: UV luminescence sensor

Balluff’s BLT 31M sensor effectively detects UV luminescent materials and markers with a range of 300 mm.

April 5, 2007

Controls & Machine Components

Renco Encoders Inc: Compact optical encoder

Renco Encoders has introduced a 3.3 V feature for the RCML15 compact optical encoder, which provides signals for brushless motor commutation as well as incremental position feedback in a low profile (.350” heigh) optical encoder. A custom LED and CMOS sensor arrangement reduces cost while improving performance and reliability of the encoder package.

April 5, 2007

Consumer packaged goods

UK paint container doubles as a roller tray

ICE Paints markets Gliddens Rollable paint in the United Kingdom in a container that also holds a roller tray. The package functions as a storage unit and also serves as an integral functional component of the product. The Quick-Roll co-polymer polypropylene container, from Superfos Packaging (www.superfos.com), enables consumers to paint directly from the 11” x 65⁄8” tray area, which is melted into the container, without mess or wasted paint.

April 4, 2007