Controls & Machine Components

Rockwell Automation: Rockwell Automation: PLC control system

Designed for use in the liquid packaging industry, Elf Machinery’s (La Porte, IN) variable-speed, start/stop pump filler has an Allen-Bradley PLC control system from Rockwell Automation with an integrated touch-screen.

September 30, 2000

Controls & machine components: Page 294

Controls & Machine Components

PIAB USA Inc: Suction cup fittings

PIAB Vacuum (Rockland, MA) has designed a series of multiconnection fittings for its line of suction cups between ¾” to 2” dia. Thread connection of the fitting for suction cup dia of ¾” to 1 ¼” is 10-32 and for dias from 1 ½” to 2” it’s 1/8” NPT.

September 30, 2000

Controls & Machine Components

Relocations, expansions

Klöckner Pentaplast of America, Inc. (Gordonsville, VA) has opened a new 54ꯠ sq’ facility in Beaver, WV. The $6 million satellite plant includes a new polyester film extrusion line that will add 16 million lb of film and sheet output.

September 30, 2000

Conveying & accumulation

Crown Candy receives royal wrapper

Candy maker purchases new horizontal flow wrapper for wrapping large, coconut bon bons. The PC-controlled machine reduces changeover, increases line speeds and simplifies the packaging process.

September 30, 2000

Flexible packaging

Pouch machinery fills versatility needs

Hf/f/s pouch equipment reduces material waste and ups speed for California Redi-Date. The contract packager plans to employ a similar machine to add versatility.

September 30, 2000

Controls & Machine Components

Ocean Spray rides a new bus (sidebar)

Controls package illustrated

September 30, 2000

Feeding/inserting/unscrambling

Ocean Spray rides a new bus

On a new Craisins line at Ocean Spray, point-to-point wiring between machine devices and their master PLC has been replaced on some machines by an open fieldbus called AS-i. Installation time is slashed, while in-plant flexibility is maximized.

September 30, 2000

Coding, Printing & Labeling

Solutions 2000: world's largest packaging conference

PACK EXPO International 2000 is not only the biggest U.S. packaging show, but this year it also boasts what it calls “the world’s largest conference:” Solutions 2000, planned for Monday through Wednesday, Nov. 6-8.

September 30, 2000

Controls & Machine Components

Associated Bag Co.: Packaging and shipping

A free 166-page catalog from Associated Bag (Milwaukee, WI) features hundreds of new packaging products and shipping supplies. Also included are numerous hard-to-find products.

August 31, 2000

Controls & Machine Components

Elf Machinery: Parts catalog

ELF Machinery (La Porte, IN) and World Cup (La Porte, IN) announce 2 new print versions of their packaging machinery parts catalogs. Both include part names, numbers, photographs and descriptions of use.

August 31, 2000

Controls & Machine Components

Graphic Packaging Corporation: Graphic Packaging Corporation: Graphic Packaging Corporation: Graphic Packaging Corporation: Conference proceedings

Packaging Strategies (West Chester, PA) has made the proceedings from its Packaging Strategies 2000 conference available. Presentations given by executives at Huhtamäki Van Leer, Graphic Packaging Corp., Netgrocer, Anheuser-Busch, Inc., Rexam PLC, Pechiney Plastic Packaging, and Graham Packaging Co., L.P.

August 31, 2000

Controls & Machine Components

Hoover Materials Handling Group, Inc: Package tracking

Hoover Group, Inc. (Alpharetta, GA) has introduced an application service provider technology for tracking returnable packaging. “Internet Tracking Recovery and Asset Management” (iTRAM™) uses the Internet, through which users can access Hoover’s software, as well as its bar code and radio-frequency identification systems, to track any returnable packages throughout the distribution chain.

August 31, 2000

Controls & Machine Components

Tops Engineering Corporation: Virtual display

MixPro® from Tops Engineering (Richardson, TX) offers a virtual staging area to create mixed product loads for display. Gives the user the ability to select the vertical dimension and can automatically calculate the best layer pattern.

August 31, 2000