Material handling

Immobilized plant cells: from DSMZ to the customer

VisiSens technology is used to detect metabolic activities of immobilized plant cells during simulated cell transport in a closed system.

September 17, 2014

Leaders (UNIVERSAL TAXONOMY PW): Page 791

Coding, Printing & Labeling

Hitachi printer reduces marking costs by 43%

Giroux’s Poultry Farm needed to reduce downtime, operating costs and carton waste associated with their coding equipment. After reviewing five competitive manufacturer’s printers they installed 28 Hitachi RX-Series Continuous Ink Jet Printers. The result: an immediate improvement in uptime, a 43% reduction in operating costs, and elimination of carton waste.

September 16, 2014

Secondary Packaging

Robots finish mac and cheese line

A multi-axis ARBOT palletizer forms layers of shrink-wrapped trays on a pallet and then hands the pallet off to a stretch wrapping cell where corner boards are also placed robotically.

September 15, 2014

Controls & Machine Components

PHD: Electric actuators in new lead screw version

Designed to provide lower tier performance at a significant cost savings, PHD’s new lower-cost lead screw version of its series of PHD Plus line of electric cylinders and linear slides is now available; in addition to the existing ball screw design, the Series ECV Electric Cylinders, the Series ESK/ESL Electric Thruster Slides, and the Series ESG Electric Gantry Slides are now offered in lead screw designs.

September 15, 2014

Controls & Machine Components

GE Intelligent Platforms: Software upgrades

In order to provide access to accurate, timely production and process data, GE’s Proficy Mobile Tasks, Proficy HMI/SCADA – iFIX, and Proficy HMI/SCADA – CIMPLICITY have been upgraded, and new capabilities have been added that help users take full advantage of the Industrial Internet.

September 15, 2014

Controls & Machine Components

NK Technologies: Current transducer

NK Technologies’ AT/ATR-LS combines a current transformer and signal conditioner designed for monitoring large loads; a large, split-core design can be installed over existing conductors without disconnecting the load, even in applications with multiple conductors per phase.

September 14, 2014

Controls & Machine Components

Optimal Engineering Systems: Pick & hold modules for solenoid control electronics

The compact (3.00 in x 3.00 in x .85 in) PH-ET Pick & Hold module from Optimal Engineering Systems, a very low-cost solution for solenoid control electronics, is a reliable module suitable for driving valves, relays, actuators, DC motors including voice coil and moving magnet linear motors, hydraulics, electromagnets, and LEDs.

September 14, 2014

Controls & Machine Components

Schneider Electric: Circular M12 connectors

Industry standard M12 circular connectors on Schneider Electric’s Lexium MDrive integrated motor-drive-controller-encoder system facilitate fast implementation of the system in new and existing systems and equipment, and further industrialize the system.

September 14, 2014

Controls & Machine Components

Loftware: Labeling software

Spectrum 2.5 introduces new features that extend design and integration capabilities.

September 12, 2014

Controls & Machine Components

AutomationDirect: Directional control solenoid valves

AutomationDirect’s NITRA® line of pneumatics products now includes additional directional control solenoid valves available in a wide variety of configurations to meet a broad range of pneumatic valve applications.

September 11, 2014

Sustainable Packaging

65% of consumers confused over plastics recycling

Opinion poll shows that consumer confusion over which plastics to recycle and where to dispose of them creates major hurdle to growth of recycling.

September 10, 2014

Sustainability

Funding available for use of How2Recycle label

Organizations offer funding to brand owners, packaging manufacturers, and retailers interested in implementing the SPC’s How2Recycle on-pack labeling system.

September 10, 2014

Sustainability

Coca-Cola further invests in biobased resin for PlantBottle

The Coca-Cola Company is making an additional investment in paraxylene company Virent to speed the full-scale commercialization of its 100% plant-based plastic packaging.

September 10, 2014