Packaging & Labeling News

Safety functions integrated with motion control systems at the design stage can allow troubleshooting without the need to shutdown the entire system, avoiding loss of productivity and allowing operators safe access to food processing or packaging machines. It also allows greater and more centralized diagnostic capabilities reducing troubleshooting time.

You can learn from another's mistakes. That is what they did at the fourth annual Packaging Automation Forum held March 31st in Rosemont, IL. Apart from discussing the potential pitfalls of today's packaging automation technologies, all those who attended also learned of the benefits to be gained from their use.

A decade ago it was hailed as the plastic of the future. While that may be true, various hurdles kept bio-polymers from becoming serious competitors to their oil-based counterparts. But at last, according to Environmental Data Services, we could be seeing the real dawn of this wonder plastic.

Check out the results of the 2009 FPA Flexible Packaging Awards held in Naples, Florida. For innovation and excellence, you cannot beat this bunch, which included vacuum skin and extruded film technologies. Notable were the Technical Innovation and Environmental & Sustainability Achievement categories. It seems like flexible materials are indeed demonstrating their power in changing the face of packaging.

Conventional labeling systems have to be adaptable and flexible in order to keep up with different trends in the packaging industry. Such trends are the use of eccentric container shapes, a greater variety of labels by the manufacturer, and the increasing use of thinner containers for environmental reasons. Find out how some labelers are meeting the challenges of the sleek and chic new containers.

Now that the FDA wants unique variable codes for medical devices and prescription drug packages, product manufacturers see bar codes as the answer. This requires a review of their current packaging and printing line capabilities to ensure a smooth transition from static coding to variable printing.

Cermex, the French manufacturer of end-of-line packaging equipment, has added the VersaWrap case packer to its product portfolio. The machine can handle a wide range of cans, bottles, and cartons at speeds of 65 product cycles per minute, packaging them in wrap-around cases or trays.

Read how a farmer-owned cooperative upgraded to a rugged stand alone checkweigher to verify the accuracy of their products. The co-op is dependent on this programmable, future-proof machine because of its highly visible display, ensuring that efficient visual weight confirmation is integrated smoothly with their cheese manufacturing operation.

A think tank for the packaging industry? A new institute created by Clemson University is poised to be just that, by providing a focus on innovation for the next generation of packaging professionals. View the video to learn more about the school's core curriculum in packaging and how it uniquely combines with other disciplines.

How do you determine the versatility of a service robot? Find out by giving it a package to open. Yes, dexterity is its ultimate test. After all, what use is it if it cannot open a cereal box or, more importantly, a case of beer while you are watching a football game? (See the February 17, 2009 blog entry)

Fiat Money Or Gold Standard?

Is the Federal Reserve and its fiat money system responsible for this current financial crisis? Is fiat money the root of all problems?