Cartoning

Pack Expo 2000 quick-changeover round-up

REPORTING FROM PACK EXPO: Every year machinery builders advertise quick-changeover packaging machines. As Packaging World editors walked the aisles at the recent Pack Expo show, we could not miss the new packaging machines that featured super-quick changeover times, which we'll arbitrarily define as 15 minutes or less. Here are some cartoners, case packers, a shrink bundler and a thermoformer that caught our attention.

October 31, 2000

Feeding/inserting/unscrambling: Page 46

Feeding/inserting/unscrambling

Laser-guided vehicles at Latrobe

REPORTING FROM PACK EXPO: Rolling Rock beer brewer Latrobe Brewery, Latrobe, PA, bought three Elettric 80 laser-guided vehicles in early 2000 to move pallets of finished product throughout its warehouse. The same model was running non-stop at the Sasib booth.

October 31, 2000

Conveying & accumulation

BluePrint packs cases with vision smarts

REPORTING FROM PACK EXPO: A high-speed, vision-guided bag orienter/sorter was on display at the booth of BluePrint Automation.

October 31, 2000

Conveying & accumulation

Tums packages sealed with a twist

SmithKline Beecham breaks new ground with an oval-shaped, induction-sealed foil membrane beneath a twist-off cap. Benefits include reduced downtime and less scrap.

October 31, 2000

Cartoning

Suiza dairy touts 'squishy' bottle

A soft LDPE bottle and ‘sipper protrusion’ make it easy for kids to hold and drink single-serve milks. Suiza’s Country Fresh dairy introduces two distinct brands of milk in the containers.

October 31, 2000

Feeding/inserting/unscrambling

Printed films seal meat trays

Leak-proof films, featuring flexo-printed designs, seal both fresh chicken and frozen meat products for two companies at stores nationwide. Pilgrim’s Pride repositions its full line of fresh chicken and Carlson of Albert Lea debuts Crossroad Farms fully cooked frozen meats.

September 30, 2000

Protective/transport packaging

Paintball packs aim to protect

When Plymouth, MN-based Palco Marketing decided to change the packaging for its water-based paintballs, it teamed with Brookdale Plastics (Plymouth, MN) to create a package that would not only grab the attention of consumers, but also better protect the delicate paintballs.

September 30, 2000

Conveying & accumulation

Depends how you slice it

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s packaging equipment certification proposal could raise costs for machinery buyers.

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

Conveying & accumulation

Putting a wrap on enhanced productivity

A new shrink wrapping system has doubled packaging speed and cut downtime in half at this Arizona maker of adhesive lettering.

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

Flexible packaging

Stand-up pouches push the retail envelope

Nabisco rolls out Mini Chips Ahoy! cookies in a resealable stand-up pouch while Patrick Cudahy uses a pouch for frozen, precooked meats. And in Ecuador, an integral straw helps kids sip fruit drinks from a stand-up pouch.

September 30, 2000