Converting Industry News
- Published: November 30, 2000
Covering the Full Spectrum of Industry News, Events & Activities
Supplier News
Linerboard Eliminates Jewel Case for CD Storage
ELKRIDGE, MD, USA—A compact disc (CD) filing system is available from Jalema Inc. The CD media insert file, made of blue kraft, 189#, acid-free linerboard, offers protection and easy accessibility without the need for a jewel case. The CD media collective file is used for storing jewel cases, cartridges, and other thick media. Both have a hook attached that allows the file to hang on the special T-bars of the company's Grafi-System filing system for quick removal.
Adhesive-Laminated Rollstock Designed for Coffee
MINNEAPOLIS, MN, USA—Kapak Corp. has developed a line of adhesive-laminated rollstock designed to handle the demanding performance requirements of packaged coffee. The adhesive lamination production system enables more precise control of manufacturing when compared to extrusion lamination, the company notes.
The process is said to produce rollstock with gauge consistency and to eliminate equipment downtime associated with uneven rolls.
The precision associated with adhesive lamination also reportedly enables coffee roasters to specify a very thin layer of aluminum (down to 6 microns or approximately 25 ga) for barrier. Kapak says this allows cost savings without sacrificing performance—particularly beneficial in flavored coffee applications.
Gable-Top Carton Makes Serving Easier
FINLAND—Dairy giant Valio, headquartered in Finland, had been using 360-g plastic cups for its Fanny custards. Seeking new packaging for easier serving, Valio turned to half-litre, gable-top cartons.
According to product manager Mari Meriluoto, "Gable-top cartons stand out nicely on the refrigerated shelves from among the conventional cups. Many consumers choose the gable-top because it takes up less space in the home fridge compared with the equivalent number of cups."
The carton is made of Stora Enso's CTMP-based board with Ensobarr coating. Ensobarr has only three layers instead of the usual four or more reportedly used in conventional high-barrier coatings. This means lower gross weight.
The coating solution enabled Valio to stop using laminated board, in line with the company's environmental program. Used gable-top cartons are recycled in Finland to make cores for the paper industry.
P&G Develops New Package to Run on PMC Machine
MILWAUKEE, WI, USA—To draw consumer attention to its new Dryel in-home dry cleaning kit, Procter & Gamble developed a unique new package. It consists of a straightwall oval convolute paperboard canister with a locking plastic dome overcap. The transparent plastic overcap allows consumers to see the kit's contents, and a recessed bottom on each container nests over the dome of the container below it on the retail shelf.
The canister is formed from web-fed bottom stock and preprinted sidewall blanks on a PMC-1500NR machine from Paper Machinery Corp. (PMC). The sidewall blanks are die-cut from heavy-caliper 0.028-in.-thick SBS paperboard sheet especially formulated by GulfStates Paperboard for heat seal forming on this canister. Production speeds are 85-90 containers/min.
According to Jerry Meier, VP of PMC, "We initiated several technological innovations to manufacture this larger, heavy-caliper container. PMC's new gas-fired, hot-air, heat sealing system was incorporated to reduce utility costs and to apply a hotter, more focused heat on this very large blank. We also utilized our new heavy-duty bottom expander to seal the large surface of the container's recessed bottom."
In addition, large containers usually require more mineral oil for top-edge curling than do small containers. "However," Meier adds, "we were able to design tooling for the Dryel machine that utilizes a new coating technology that reduces the amount of lubrication needed."
Solutia Finds Solution in Van Leer Flexibles' Film
INDIAN ORCHARD, MA, USA—Film converter Solutia Inc. supplies Saflex film for use in shatter-resistant windshields. The film must be free of moisture and contaminants to guarantee a defect-free windshield, so it is a challenge to protect this film during shipment of the 2,000-lb rolls to glass manufacturers.
A major source of potential contamination in the past was the metallized bags the converter used for shipping. Sometimes the foil would flake off during shipment or when the packaging was being opened, leaving potential contaminants on the surface of the film.
The company found a solution in a five-layer bag developed using Valeron Strength Film from Van Leer Flexibles. The bag is designed to be strong enough to protect the 30-in.-O.D. rolls during shipping but easy for the customer to open so that the lamination does not flake and cause contamination of the film. The bag includes an outer layer of Valeron film and inner layers of PE/foil/PE/LLDPE.
Solutia's Andres Soto says, "We needed something to prevent the migration of moisture onto the roll of film, which is very moisture-sensitive, so we encapsulated the roll in the bag, which has Valeron Strength Film as the outer layer. That provided the strength and puncture resistance needed to protect the product."
Biocorp Supplies 2000 Summer Olympics
REDONDO BEACH, CA, USA—In an effort to ensure that the 2000 Summer Olympics would be the most environmentally responsible games ever, the Sydney (Australia) Olympic Committee selected Biocorp Inc. to supply its biodegradable, compostable trash bags, straws, cup lids, and cutlery to the providers of cleaning management and packaging and recycling services for the games.
According to Juan Antonio Samaranch, president of the International Olympic Committee, "...the Olympic Games in the year 2000 were awarded to the city of Sydney partly because of the consideration they gave to environmental matters."
Biocorp's manufacturing process combines corn starch with other biodegradable materials to produce products that are reported to be 100% biodegradable and compostable. These products do not use PE or PS and do not leave any plastic residue, says Biocorp, adding that, when composted, the products biodegrade completely into carbon dioxide, water, and biomass in 30-60 days, just like food scraps and yard trimmings.
Bag-on-a-Roll Ideal for Non-Bagmaking Sites
LAKE FOREST, IL, USA— Bag-on-a-Roll protective bags are custom made in perforated rollstock by Pactiv Corp. The pre-made bags are said to be ideal for operations in which on-site bagmaking equipment is not an option.
The bags are available in a variety of materials, including film/foam laminations, air cushioning, and foam. Pre-made bags are available in sizes up to a 78-in. opening and 240-in. depth.
The rollstock is designed for applications in industries such as furniture, electronics, horticulture, appliances, and fixtures. Bags are shipped polybagged to eliminate the need to dispose of corrugated cases.
Metallized Cellophane Wraps Up New Product Launch
SMYRNA, GA, USA—When See's Candies developed four gourmet lollypop flavors, it wanted elegant, high-impact wrapping to set the product apart from its competitors. See's worked closely with UCB Films in choosing a gold metallized finished cellophane film for the job.
UCB's metallized silver film is tinted yellow by film converter Northern Expediting Corp. to achieve the gold coloring. However, because the film is metallized, it is only heat sealable on the inner clear side. This proved to be a problem for See's, as the film is wrapped, folded, and twisted around the lollypops to keep it securely in place.
Barry Frizell, UCB films product applications manager, conducted research among European coating manufacturers to find a heat-sealable product that could be used on the metallized surface. Frizell then worked with Northern to find the best coat weight.
Reports Eileen Duag, See's director of product support, "The technical support provided by Barry gave us the assurance that the performance characteristics of the film and coating would produce a precise fold, strong seal, and tight twist around the lollipop stick. His recommendations...improved wrapper efficiencies dramatically."
Installations
Adhesive Coater Adds Visual Inspection System
CAMBRIDGESHIRE, U.K.—SJP (UK) Ltd. has installed a Vision Imaging System on its 2-m Bachofen & Meier self-adhesive coating machine. Eight cameras are mounted after the adhesive dryers, taking overlapping snapshots of the entire width of the material. Each of the cameras is linked to its own computer to analyze instantly the mass of data against pre-set criteria.
All of the data is processed onto one screen and analyzed within 15 sec of the actual coating being applied. The equipment is said to be so sensitive that adhesive pinholes or imperfections can be detected accurately down to a size that is difficult to see with the naked eye.
Says operations director Keith Thompson, "Further improvements will spin off from the huge amount of data we will be receiving from the system in the coming months."
PPC Installs PCMC Gearless Press
MISSION, KS, USA—Packaging Products Corp. (PPC) converts a variety of films and laminates for snack foods, bakery products, candy, and beverages. The company recently installed an eight-color Infiniti gearless press from PCMC (Paper Converting Machine Co.) at its Rome, GA, facility.
Kirk Livingood, operations manager, put the press through a rigorous print trial to examine its registration capability. He reports, "The registration on acceleration and deceleration was phenomenal compared to conventional presses. This means drastically reduced waste and increased productivity for us."
After a brief orientation to the press, lead operator Lee Nelson began running it. "The entire operation of the Infiniti is really simple with touchscreens," he says. "PCMC really thought about the operator when they designed the Infiniti." A unique sleeve presentation system is said to make changeovers easier and quicker with less set-up time.
Multapex Depends on Dusenbery
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA—Multapex Pty. Ltd., a converter and supplier of specialty films located in Sydney, has recently installed a 10,000 level 6 slitter/rewinder manufactured by Aldus Engineering, a Dusenbery Australasian licensee. Multapex will install the machine in its new Riverwood, New South Wales, plant, alongside four other Dusenbery slitters.
Designed to convert a broad range of flexible packaging and specialty films at speeds to 460 mpm, the 2100-mm-wide machine features touchscreen controls with job save features allowing operators to store up to 199 recipes that can be retrieved for converting repeat jobs.
The integral shaftless, self-loading unwind stand results in a very compact machine considering the large rolls that it's designed to handle, the mfr. reports, yet allows easy access to the shear and razor slitting section.
The lift-out rewind mandrel version of the machine was chosen by Multapex over the cantilevered mandrel type, due to its versatility in handling a variety of slit roll weights.
Purchases
Barrier Films Buys Varex from W&H
SPARKS, NV, USA—Barrier Films specializes in the production of food packaging films serving the fresh produce industry, meat, cheese, and other modified-atmosphere applications. The company recently purchased a seven-layer Varex blown film extrusion system with Optifil P-2 automatic die control from Windmoeller & Hoelscher Corp. This is the third seven-layer line operating at the Sparks facility, and it is intended to satisfy additional high-barrier capacity.
Bill Wright, founder and president of Barrier Films, says, "The W&H seven-layer project is the result of three years of research, testing, and planning. The system has been specifically configured for production of EVOH film structures, coupled with high-temperature engineering polymers such as nylon and polyester."
The new extrusion system includes an oscillating hauloff with the Nostic package for tacky films, noncontact (Beta) thickness gauge control, and multiple-component gravimetric throughput control system, as well as a Filmatic W dual turret winder.
BHS to Deliver Seven-Color Press
BALTIMORE, MD, USA—By the end of this year, BHS Printing Machinery Corp. will deliver a 40-in., seven-color flexo press to a folding carton converter in the US.
The line will consist of flying splice butt-to-butt unwind with festoon; infeed group with web guide and web cleaner; in-line design of print stations; doctor chambers with self-clean feature; gearless drive system for infinitely variable print repeats; lacquering station for UV-flexo; outfeed group with decurler; flat-bed die-cutter with stacker; and print management system for data recording, automatic menu-driven press settings, self-diagnostics, and modem connection to the BHS service center.
The customer's request to have two backside colors was met without using the usual turn bars—two print decks are reversible, filling the request. The front-side print goes into the cutter top side up without turn bars.
The press is designed for water-based inks; later conversion to UV print is very possible, the co. reports.
