Flexible packaging

Innovations in plastics help foods flourish

Pinched-grip PET, an innovative pastry bag, a take-out bag for chicken, foamed CPET, and barrier beer bottles and food containers all win DuPont awards.

September 30, 1998

Materials: Page 764

Flexibles

Biodegradable plastics

Under the trademark Mater-Bi, Novamont (Eschborn, Germany) currently produces four classes of biodegradable materials that can be processed with standard technologies such as injection molding, blow and cast film molding, as well as foamed sheets and cushioning for packaging.

August 31, 1998

Blisters/clamshells/skin packaging

thermoformers

The multi-purpose thermoformer from Rigo (Milan, Italy) can produce blisters, covers, plates and trays. Both negative and positive molds can be used.

August 31, 1998

Flexibles

Technology to mold PU

Through video conferencing with R&D labs, Cannon S.p.A. (Trezzano, Italy) will introduce its latest polyurethane molding technology, including the use of liquid CO2 as a blowing agent.

August 31, 1998

Blisters/clamshells/skin packaging

Skin-packing machines

Interdibipack (Mazzo di Rho, Italy) will launch a new generation of skin-packing machines that feature a thermoforming system to produce polished vacuum forms for blister packaging.

August 31, 1998

Controls & Machine Components

Curwood: Meat pouch

A new coextruded, heat-sealable pouch from Curwood (Oshkosh, WI) was developed to provide meat processors with improved puncture-resistant, high-barrier packaging for primals and sub-primals.

August 31, 1998

Flexibles

Anheuser-Busch tests PEN bottle to answer some market questions

The first commercial market appearance of a polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) homopolymer bottle in the United States occurred earlier this summer in New York City and on New York's Long Island.

August 31, 1998

Filling/capping, liquid & viscous

KISS Packaging Systems a div. of the Frain Group: Volumetric pail filler

KISS Packaging System's (LaPorte, IN) stainless-steel semi-automatic positive- displacement filler accurately fills water-thin to high-viscosity products drip- free, says KISS.

August 31, 1998

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

Breakdown breakthrough?

Compostable films made with soy proteins are now technically viable according to new research from Michigan State University. Next up: overcoming scale and cost hurdles.

August 31, 1998

Additives, coatings & inks

PET spreads to mayonnaise (sidebar)

PET, mayonnaise marry in Sweden

August 31, 1998

Flexible packaging

PMMI expects growth in machine spending

Packaging machinery spending by U.S. manufacturers this year will likely rise by up to 3% more than it did in 1997. Strong investment is expected from personal care and household/industrial chemical markets.

August 31, 1998

Converting equipment

Crisco goes on a diet

Larger bottle sizes of Procter & Gamble's venerable Crisco oils now have the proprietary shape of the rest of the line, and they weigh 25% less than before.

August 31, 1998

Secondary Packaging

A short course on plastics technology

A new book promises to explain plastics packaging technology to scientists, engineers, even college graduates who begin new jobs and need a quick tutorial.

August 31, 1998