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

Leaders (UNIVERSAL TAXONOMY PW): Page 1510

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

Palletizing/depalletizing

North America 'discovers' ELAU

Progressive OEMs and packagers exploit PacDrive automation technology in machines to debut at PACK EXPO 2004

August 31, 2004

Converting equipment

CPP Expo 2005 announces association partnership

Attendees who register for the CPP Expo 2005 will also be able to attend Pack Expo Las Vegas 2005 without incurring additional expense due to a new association partnership between HA Bruno LLC and the Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute.

August 31, 2004

Converting equipment

Can PP sub for PET?

Krones claims it has successfully demonstrated that injection-molded polypropylene performs can be stretch blow molded into bottles at 1귔 bottles/hr.

August 31, 2004

Sustainability

Iron City brew chills in aluminum bottle

In August, Pittsburgh Brewing Co., Pittsburgh, PA, launched 12-oz bottles of Iron City beer in aluminum bottles.

August 31, 2004