Flexibles

Diagnostic fluids switch to plastic containers

Medical diagnostics maker bioMérieux pioneers switch to multilayer plastic bottles for blood culture samples.

April 30, 2004

Leaders (UNIVERSAL TAXONOMY PW): Page 1532

Flexibles

Supplement packs deliver healthy results

Custom structure helps Pharmanex meet multiple needs for its packets of LifePak dietary supplements.

April 30, 2004

Flexible packaging

AIMCAL winners shine

Canada Bread and Celplast won Package of the Year in the annual competition of AIMCAL. But other packs were also honored.

April 30, 2004

Blisters/clamshells/thermoforming materials

Marking Mister Cookie Face

This ice cream sandwich manufacturer settled on seven new ink-jet coding systems after old units performed poorly in wet plant conditions.

April 30, 2004

Containers

Compact baggers pack improvements

World Flavors adds new and refurbished vf/f/s units to replace hand-filling operations and simplify changeovers.

April 30, 2004

Coding, Printing & Labeling

Label limbo

Uncertainty over country-of-origin labeling regulations leaves food packagers wondering what’s next.

April 30, 2004

Coding, Printing & Labeling

Labeling updates

Reports on OTC drug labeling, Codex meeting, fighting obesity with labels, and the Senate's passing of an allergen bill.

April 30, 2004

Conveying & accumulation

Integrated automation: 2004 EEC Seminar message

At the Annual Eastern Equipment Committee Seminar, a first-time attendee walked away with the message that packaging automation is becoming more and more integrated. What’s that mean exactly?

April 30, 2004

Flexibles

Perfect Popper pulls in prizes

Both the President’s and Innovation awards at the 61st National Paperboard Packaging Competition were snagged by the Perfect Popper popcorn box from Family Time Snacks of Valparaiso, IN.

April 30, 2004

Controls & Machine Components

TTI, Inc: Flowmeters catalog

From TTI comes a revised version of its Ultrasonic Flowmeters catalog. The free 20-page catalog features detailed specifications, accessories, and options, as well as illustrations for each product.

March 31, 2004

Flexible packaging

Espoma Company: Premade bag opening/filling/top sealing/stretch bundling for plant food

The Espoma Company is reportedly the first in North America to use the U-Pack package from Bischof + Klein for its 4-, 5-, and 10-lb bags of plant food.

March 31, 2004

Secondary Packaging

Espoma Company: Robotic palletizing for pre-made bags for plant food

Espoma’s new robotic palletizer from Automated Production Systems is equipped with customized end-of-arm tooling that uses multiple vacuum zones to pick up either bundles of small U-Pack bags, larger flat bags, slip sheets, or pallets, as necessary. The system simultaneously picks items and places them onto three different pallets. Once a pallet is filled, it is conveyed out of the robotic cell in three lanes that merge into one to feed a downstream stretch wrapper.

March 31, 2004

Coding, Printing & Labeling

RFID debate

While widespread use of electronic product code (EPC)/radio frequency identification (RFID) at the store level is thought to be years away, retailers are already eager to use it for case and pallet-level tagging.

March 31, 2004