Cartoning

Packaging marketplaces take center stage

This year will be recorded as the year of the Internet "packaging auction gold rush." Auction--and classifieds--Web sites are popping up faster than you can say "network protocol" in the great race to establish Internet-based marketplaces for selling packaging equipment and materials.

September 30, 1999

Containers: Page 224

Flexibles

Kellogg cereal in linerless gabletop carton

In recent years, cereal marketers have turned to flexible pouches and bags to differentiate their products from traditional bag-in-box offerings. Kellogg, however, took a different tack in introducing Special K Plus(TM).

September 30, 1999

Converting equipment

Custom bottle 'juices' Odwalla

Last month, beverage marketer Odwalla, Inc. introduced a custom-designed bottle for its 450-mL and 325-mL refrigerated juices that it says extends shelf life by 40% compared to a previous bottle.

September 30, 1999

Filling/capping, liquid & viscous

IWK Packaging Machinery Inc: Tube filler

The TFS 80 tube filler from IWK Packaging Machinery (Fairfield, NJ) features precision servo drives, no-tool changeover and multiple closing systems.

August 31, 1999

Filling/capping, dry

AMS Filling System Inc: Multihead Filler

The A-610 multihead filler from AMS (Malvern, PA) fills rigid containers with virtually any dry or liquid products at speeds to more than 50 cpm. With memory storage for 54 products, the PLC-controlled machine offers optional bulk-and-dribble operation, bottom-up filling, and vibration to settle product in containers.

August 31, 1999

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

Vf/f/s system

Eliminating forming tubes and sealing jaws, Wright Machinery (Uxbridge, England) employs a carousel to carry formed bags through separate filling and sealing stations on its Pacwright 200 vf/f/s system.

August 31, 1999

Converting equipment

Flexible tubes

By using injection molding rather than extrusion and reducing the number of steps in the converting process, Zestron Research (Mt. Eliza, Australia) says it has cut the costs of squeeze tubes by more than 50%.

August 31, 1999

Containers

How European culture drives packaging (sidebar)

Environment goals tougher

August 31, 1999

Sustainability

Putting a labeler to the test

Test kit maker Artel uses a new labeler to speed production and meet FDA standards.

August 31, 1999

Conveying & accumulation

Y2K fever makes bulk foods sales sizzle

For the millions of people worried about the new millennium, timing is everything. The race is on to obtain bulk foods packaged with oxygen absorbers.

August 31, 1999

Containers

Machine vision affords economic inspection

Inexpensive machine vision frees up two workers, provides 100% on-line inspection for cosmetics producer.

August 31, 1999

Feeding/inserting/unscrambling

Vitamin packer wins new production in Las Vegas

Naturally Vitamins' president didn't go to Las Vegas to gamble, but a visit to Pack Expo there in '97 led to purchases that doubled packaging output and productivity.

August 31, 1999

Flexibles

How European culture drives packaging

The Intl. Steel Packaging Congress 1999, held during interpack 99, illuminated ideas for European manufacturers at the turn of the century. Many points will resound also in the U.S.

August 31, 1999