Beverage

'Message on the bottle'

"The perfume bottles which grace a dressing table and the beverage bottles which languish in the cupboard speak volumes about their owners," writes Mary Lewis of London-based design consultancy Lewis Moberly.

December 31, 1997

Industries: Page 814

Consumer packaged goods

Zebra Technologies: Selection via software

The ability to select bar-code labels and supplies from Zebra Technologies (Vernon Hills, IL) is now possible through Windows(TM)-based software. The Electronic Selector Guide provides a list of user requirements and criteria, including durability, resistance to heat and cold, exposure to corrosive chemicals, and surface composition.

December 31, 1997

Closures

Oval bottle

Plastic Bottle Corp. (Libertyville, IL) has come out with a new line of bottles called Laura Ovals for the cosmetics and health and beauty markets. The three sizes include a 2-oz PVC bottle with a 20/415 neck finish or a 20-mm tall finish that accommodates a linerless threaded closure; a 4-oz PVC bottle with a 24/415 neck finish; and an 8-oz bottle produced in PVC or OPET with either a 24/410 or 24/415 neck finish.

December 31, 1997

Secondary Packaging

Servo-driven case packer for pouches

Designed for drink pouches, Schneider Packaging Equipment (Brewerton, NY) has introduced a servo-motor-operated pouch case packer. It automatically packs irregularly shaped pouches (with or without straw attached) into five-panel wraparound corrugated cases at speeds over 20/min.

December 31, 1997

Closures

Neck rings

Designed to be an inexpensive way to dress up conventional finger spray and lotion pump bottles, SeaquistPerfect Dispensing (Cary, IL) has introduced its decorative neck rings.

December 31, 1997

Closures

Foam liner

The Microcell PE and EVA metallocene foams from Sentinel Products (Hyannis, MA) have been FDA-approved for use in food-contact applications. Applications for Microcell include use as a liner in closures for the water and dairy industry and as packaging for personal or medical products.

December 31, 1997

Bag/pouch fill/seal (pre-made bags)

Thermoform/fill/seal system

Hassia's (Morganville, NJ) new THM 16/28 is a low-cost tf/f/s system. It's capable of a depth of draw of 4" and operates at speeds to 200 cups/min, depending on material and product.

December 31, 1997

Blisters/clamshells/thermoforming materials

Combo checkweigher/metal detectors save space for Keebler

Compact and highly accurate, combo checkweighers and metal detectors at Keebler's Macon, GA, bakery are meeting special needs.

December 31, 1997

Closures

Capabilities brochure

Rexam Closures' (Evansville, IN) new brochure focuses on the company's complete line of custom and proprietary closures for the healthcare, chemical, automotive, and food and beverage industries.

December 31, 1997

Containers

Flexible IBC

A flexible intermediate bulk container from Bulk-Pack (W. Monroe, LA) is for packagers of food and chemical products. The CubePak Baffle container is manufactured with a baffle inside each of the four corners to maintain its square shape and allow complete filling from corner to corner, top to bottom, maximizing the utilization of space.

December 31, 1997

Beverage

Packages 'understand' people, says Hine

The relationships people have with packages are more complex than they realize. They're both intimate and emotional, says author and noted design critic Thomas Hine in the foreword of his book The Total Package: The Secret History and Hidden Meanings of Boxes, Bottles, Cans, and Other Persuasive Containers (Back Bay Books).

December 31, 1997

Flexible packaging

A truly consistent line

With the introduction of Spiderwire® Super Mono fishing line, sports manufacturer Johnson Worldwide Associates decided to streamline the look of its entire Spiderwire product line.

December 31, 1997

Closures

Bass unveils PET/EVOH beer bottle in U.K.

"We scoured the world for the right technology." That's how Bill Dando, director of package development at Bass Brewers in Burton-on-Trent, England, describes the process that led to Bass' recent launch of one beer and one "alcopop" in identical high-barrier plastic bottles.

December 31, 1997