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BrainForest stands out at Pack Expo West

Sponsored by the Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute, Pack Expo West 97 drew 12겞 visitors to Las Vegas last month, up from 9걽 at the inaugural Pack Expo West in '95.

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Exhibitor personnel increased too: from 4깧 in '95 to 8꾭 this year. One of the more interesting packages spotted at the show is an innovative stand-up pouch for BrainForest(TM) flavored spring water. It's marketed to children by Northbrook, IL-based The Children's Beverage Group (TCBG). ACMA/GD's (Richmond, VA) Volpak Model S-240DF horizontal form/fill/seal machine was used by a contract packager in Canada to produce the product. ACMA/ GD confirms that TCBG will become the first to use these machines in the U.S. when it purchases three Volpaks next year. Pouches are made of a two-ply lamination. An outer layer of 48-ga polyester is reverse-printed by gravure in eight colors by Danisco Flexible Schpach AG (Burgdorf, Switzerland). The polyester is laminated to 4-mil low-density polyethylene that permits heat sealing. The 8.45-oz gusseted pouch also contains a straw. This eliminates the need to poke a straw through the pouch to drink the water. TCBG refers to this as its Rip it sip it(TM) straw-in-the-pouch, no-spill drinking system. An applicating device on the ACMA machine inserts the straw into the pouch. A small seal is made in one top corner that cleverly holds the straw in place and keeps it from shifting during filling, distribution, and consumption. A notch allows consumers to open just this section of the pouch, and the straw pops slightly upward to allow sipping. Pouches are filled at up to 120/min, thanks in part to a side-sealing process that reduces dwelltime. Since May, paperboard six-packs have been sold in selected retail outlets in the Midwest and Southeast for $1.99.

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