Containers

Plastic drums for citrus

The N55 is the first nestable plastic drum designed for use in the transport of citrus juices, says manufacturer U.S. Coexcell (Maumee, OH). This 55-gal HDPE drum is conically shaped and has a fully removable plastic cover and metal lockband.

May 31, 1996

Materials: Page 836

Conveying & accumulation

Motorized conveyor pulley

The Sparks/Dura-Drive(TM) 4.5" dia motorized pulley provides a 62% increase in radial load weight for belt conveyor systems, says manufacturer Sparks Belting (Grand Rapids, MI).

May 31, 1996

Controls & Machine Components

LDPE drum liner

ValuLiner® VLN from New England Plastics (Woburn, MA) is a 15-mil, smooth-sided, 55-gal LDPE drum liner that folds flat and nests for easy storage, but shakes open to install inside drums without pushing or tugging.

May 31, 1996

Protective/transport packaging

Polystyrene loosefill

Free-Flow Packaging (Redwood City, CA) has introduced Flo-Pak Super 8(TM), designed for heavy items requiring a sturdier loosefill. It's made of 100% waste PS, including 35% PCR content.

May 31, 1996

Closures

Dispensing closure

Rexam Closures (Evansville, IN) has introduced the CC-6, a one-piece PP dispensing closure suited for food products, such as catsup and salad dressings, and household cleaners.

May 31, 1996

Additives, coatings & inks

Thermoforming resins

Mobil Polymers (Edison, NJ) has introduced two new HDPE resins for extruding or thermoforming that allow up to 20% faster cycle times and downgauging by as much as 10% compared to traditional HDPE resins.

May 31, 1996

Sustainability

Two-piece D&I cans for aerosols

Beverage packers have enjoyed the benefits of lightweight D&I two-piece cans for years. This company is out to prove that aerosol cans can be similarly fashioned.

May 31, 1996

Additives, coatings & inks

Luster pigments for food contact

Mearlin® Micro Pearls from Mearl (Briarcliff Manor, NY) is a new line of luster pigments for food-contact plastic packaging. Pigments consist of titanium and/or iron oxide-coated mica with a very fine particle size of 2 to 24 microns.

May 31, 1996

Protective/transport packaging

Cushioning foam

PolyPlank Ultra® is a high-performance, fine cell extruded PE foam from Astro-Valcour (Glens Falls, NY) that provides good cushioning and surface protection.

May 31, 1996

Closures

Improved closure molding

Marland Mold (Pittsfield, MA) is the authorized U.S. moldmaker for closure and packaging tooling for Toolvac(TM). This technology, from AGA AB of Lidingo, Sweden, combines microporous tool steel with a cyrogenic industrial gas to improve cooling in injection molds for plastic closures.

May 31, 1996

Conveying & accumulation

Blue Diamond shines with new case handling system

From case setup to case taping, corrugated cases are automatically guided through a "smart" handling system, part of which is hoisted out of the way when 1겨-lb totes are running.

May 31, 1996

Conveying & accumulation

PET water bottles flow through filling

AquaPenn rinses, fills and caps PET bottles on a bloc system twice as fast as a former line, producing 1/2-L and 20-oz bottles of spring water. Improved bottle handling slashes downtime, resulting in a nearly 20% increase in efficiency.

May 31, 1996

Sustainability

No assembly required for IBM terminals

Defying traditional notions of protective packaging, IBM ships an all-in-one pack for preconfigured point-of-sale computer terminals. Customers no longer receive separately boxed components, escaping baffling product setup.

May 31, 1996