Blisters/clamshells/thermoforming materials

The wrap-up: Bees prefer thermoformed APET trays...

...over injection-molded polystyrene. We disclose this and other fascinating facts that you may not have known about award-winning tray packs that are filled directly by bees.

September 30, 2004

Leaders (UNIVERSAL TAXONOMY PW): Page 1468

Filling/capping, dry

First US servo capper from Pneumatic Scale

At PACK EXPO, Pneumatic Scale launches the first US rotary servo-driven bottle capper.

September 30, 2004

Coding, Printing & Labeling

Real-world RFID: An expert speaks

In this exclusive interview, RFID expert John Greaves of Deloitte Consulting separates RFID myth from reality, while calling on packagers to “seize the moment.”

September 30, 2004

Blisters/clamshells/thermoforming materials

P-O-P designs that satisfy Wal-Mart

At the P-O-P (Point-of-Purchase) Show in Chicago September 22, Bob Connolly, executive vice president of marketing and consumer communications at Wal-Mart Stores Inc., shared insights that can help both manufacturers and suppliers get an “in” at the nation’s No. 1 retailer.

September 30, 2004

Flexibles

Tips from Kraft on how to seize opportunities

Global competition is fiercer than ever, but U.S. consumer packaged goods companies can still find opportunities for success.

September 30, 2004

Controls & Machine Components

Capmatic servo filler is flexible, precise

New piston filler uses ELAU’s PacDrive for fast fills accurate to +/- 0.2%, regardless of bottle geometry.

September 30, 2004

Feeding/inserting/unscrambling

Capper/plugger

E-Pak offers its new Rotary Chuck Capper/plugger with a variety of head configurations. Machine is constructed of stainless steel and aluminum. It is capable of handling 2-oz to 2.5-gal containers and caps from 10-120 mm in dia.

September 30, 2004

Blisters/clamshells/skin packaging

Little consensus over child resistance testing for unit dose packaging

Leading drug manufacturers as well as packaging suppliers are locking horns over changes to child-resistant packaging test standards. Wide differences of opinion have emerged as the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) considers a change to its test requirements for child-resistant unit-dose (U-D) packaging that was proposed by the Healthcare Compliance Packaging Council (HCPC).

September 30, 2004

Controls & Machine Components

Igus Inc: Plain and Spherical Bearings and Linear Guide Systems

Updated iglide® bearings catalog showcases high-performance plastic bearings made from engineered polymers. Plastic bearings are lubrication-free, maintenance-free, and corrosion resistant.

August 31, 2004

Flexible packaging

Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corp.: Wrapping, stacking and pouching of carded vials

Vials in card form are stacked and then pouched via a Sinlon S.L. Package Machine flow wrapper, represented in the U.S. by Marpak. After precise weighing on a Hi-Speed Checkweigher machine to confirm pouch counts, the pouches travel on a conveyor section to where they are manually inspected before cartoning.

August 31, 2004

Controls & Machine Components

Trends in machine control

“Logic and motion control, human-machine interaction, diagnostics—even intelligence—in a single device is today’s machine control.”

August 31, 2004

Coding, Printing & Labeling

ARC study on RFID systems

If any manufacturing sector is ripe for implementation of RFID systems for product tracking through the supply chain, it’s pharmaceuticals.

August 31, 2004

Controls & Machine Components

Make2Pack update

On August 17-19, at Pfizer’s offices in Peapack, NJ, the World Batch Forum-sponsored joint working group that is focusing on developing a standard to address automation techniques and approaches useable across all of manufacturing held its first meeting.

August 31, 2004