Coding, Printing & Labeling

RFID tags metal beer kegs

REPORTING FROM PACK EXPO: Metal-iTag™, a new metal asset tracking solution from Marconi's InfoChain div. (Wood Dale, IL), was displayed on empty beer kegs at its booth. Marconi’s Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology offers real-time product identification. Metal-iTag is currently being beta tested with all major brewers nationwide, according to Marconi.

October 31, 2000

Machinery: Page 945

Flexible packaging

Inline-applied slider-closure first

REPORTING FROM PACK EXPO: Sargento Foods is the first commercial user of Pactiv's Hefty® Slide-Rite® closure system on a form/fill/seal package.

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

Flexible packaging

Spout pouch takes its stand

REPORTING FROM PACK EXPO: Bell, a European food company, is packaging its new chicken and steak barbecue sauce products in an inverted stand-up pouch with a closure that acts as a base. Huhtamaki Van Leer Packaging Worldwide (Germany) converts the pouch material.

October 31, 2000

Converting equipment

Baking soda shake up

The Arm & Hammer Div. of Church & Dwight now offers its all-natural baking soda in a waterproof “sink-side” container that is an alternative to its venerable 59¢ paperboard “Yellow Box.” The 12-oz white pigmented high-density polyethylene container, which keeps water out, allows consumers to keep baking soda closer to the sink.

October 31, 2000

Coding, Printing & Labeling

Triarc goes triangular

White Plains, NY-based Triarc Beverage Corp. has introduced Mistic® Zotics™, a line of exotically flavored, all-natural drinks packaged in distinctive three-sided bottles.

October 31, 2000

Flexibles

Coors bottle echoes Rockies

Coors' five-layer plastic bottle for Coors Lite has a Rocky Mountains motif molded into the sidewall.

October 31, 2000

Conveying & accumulation

Sparks Belting Co.: Sparks Belting Co.: Conveyor pulleys

A new technical manual from Sparks Belting (Grand Rapids, MI) describes the company’s Dura-Drive™ line of motorized conveyor pulleys and shows how to incorporate the compact drives into existing and new belt conveyor systems.

October 31, 2000

Secondary Packaging

Case sealers

The semiautomatic STA-52 Line case sealer from STA (Garden Grove, CA) can top- and bottom-seal any case up to 20.47” W, 23.5” H and any length.

October 31, 2000

Secondary Packaging

Low-level palletizer

The KES 2190 low-level palletizer from Kaufman (Waterville, OH) uses an encoder to track the position of the carriage lift. This information is communicated to the motor controller and then to the system’s PLC, which uses the information to maintain consistent layer positioning.

October 31, 2000

Conveying & accumulation

Bag uncuffer

The Y1930 bag uncuffer from Pearson (Spokane, WA) lifts the cuffs of PE bag liners off the outside walls of filled corrugated cases, then folds the bag in to close it.

October 31, 2000

Controls & Machine Components

Pilz International: Machinery safety guide

Pilz (Farmington Hills, MI) has introduced the 6th edition of its Guide to Machinery Safety. Details information on machinery regulations and standards for the U.S.

October 31, 2000

Conveying & accumulation

Pressureless conveyor

The Accuzone™ conveyor from Alvey (St. Louis, MO) achieves zero back pressure through its zone design. Rollers are grouped into zones, each separately powered by 24-vDC motors.

October 31, 2000