Conveying & accumulation

Whetting Whetstone's appetite for PC controls

A 350 piece/min wrapping machine at Whetstone Candy relies on PC-based controls and a single software program to control logic, motion and HMI functions.

November 30, 2000

Controls & Machine Components: Page 298

Cartoning

A vision for low-cost inspection (sidebar)

A detailed look

November 30, 2000

Cartoning

A vision for low-cost inspection

Access Business Group, the manufacturing arm for Amway, upgrades cosmetics packaging with new low-cost vision sensors that confirm literature insertion and label presence.

November 30, 2000

Controls & Machine Components

OMAC reports progress at Pack Expo

More than 100 people attended the most recent OMAC (Open Modular Architecture Controls) meeting in Chicago during Pack Expo Intl. 2000. The meeting’s purpose: to report progress since the group’s first official meeting in March 2000, also in Chicago.

November 30, 2000

Secondary Packaging

Tri-extrusion heightens Haremar's capability

A faster line yielding more consistent films lifts Haremar Plastics into three-layer capability, exemplified by a clear overwrap for McDonald’s buns.Highlights include comprehensive central control and remote monitoring and servicing.

November 30, 2000

Conveying & accumulation

Paired vf/f/s equipment 'brews' foodservice packs

By adding two vf/f/s machines, Mother Parker’s Tea & Coffee meets growing sales demand for small bags of ground coffee sold primarily to restaurants and hotels.

November 30, 2000

Controls & Machine Components

Nordson Corporation: Curing device

Nordson’s (Amherst, OH) UV-Mac ultraviolet curing device has a special coating that prevents infrared-wave reflection, which generates heat and makes precise curing difficult, according to the company.

October 31, 2000

Controls & Machine Components

Kiwi Coders Corp.: Ink guide

Kiwi Coders (Wheeling, IL) has developed a 1-page Specialty Ink Application Guide that contains a chart including surface characteristics, substrates, ink bases and drying times.

October 31, 2000

Controls & Machine Components

Electronic Catalog

Baldor (Fort Smith, AR) has released Version 6.0 of its interactive electronic catalog on CD-ROM. Users can access technical information on 5귔 of its motors and drives.

October 31, 2000

Secondary Packaging

Cartoner favors operator training

REPORTING FROM PACK EXPO: Small-footprint, servo-driven Stealth cartoner from MGS Machine (Maple Grove, MN) features a Windows NT HMI touchscreen with online manuals and self-diagnostics for operator training.

October 31, 2000

Coding, Printing & Labeling

Internet-enabled print engines

REPORTING FROM PACK EXPO: Thermal-transfer label printers Internet-enabled for remote print management were on display at the booth of Zebra Technologies.

October 31, 2000

Conveying & accumulation

Sparks Belting Co.: Sparks Belting Co.: Conveyor pulleys

A new technical manual from Sparks Belting (Grand Rapids, MI) describes the company’s Dura-Drive™ line of motorized conveyor pulleys and shows how to incorporate the compact drives into existing and new belt conveyor systems.

October 31, 2000

Secondary Packaging

Low-level palletizer

The KES 2190 low-level palletizer from Kaufman (Waterville, OH) uses an encoder to track the position of the carriage lift. This information is communicated to the motor controller and then to the system’s PLC, which uses the information to maintain consistent layer positioning.

October 31, 2000