Industrial Factory Automation

The Equipment Reliability Institute has announced a short course called Distribution Packaging and Testing, which will be held at Eden Prairie, Minnesota, from 13-15 September 2010. Kevin Howard will lecture on how to save money through better packaging and through better vibration and shock testing of packaged goods. The host will be DDL, a packaging test laboratory. Howard will use DDL's shakers and shock testing machines and high-speed video recording to demonstrate proper and improper testing. Theory and demonstrations will show how to reduce packaging costs and improve protection.

Reed Exhibitions has increased the available floor space at Total Processing and Packaging 2010 as companies continue to sign up to participate at the UK event. A further 745.5m of floor space is now available, according to the organiser. The first allocation of additional space that was released at the start of the year has been filled and has led to the doubling in size of the Packaging Innovation Hub, which will focus on packaging materials, containers, pack design and marketing, smart and intelligent packaging and sustainable solutions. Companies taking stands in the hub include Artenius PET Packaging, Avery Denison, BCP Fluted Packaging, Clarke Rubicon, Plastique, Sleeve Solutions and Tinplate Products. Another development resulting from the increased floor area is the new Robotics and Industrial Vision Pavilion in association with BARA and UKIVA. The pavilion will feature the latest technology solutions that enable businesses to increase productivity while also delivering effici...

Frank Wilson, founder of Ceramicx , discusses the thermoforming work involved in plastic-packaging manufacturing. Plastics-packaging thermoforming-production systems - particularly high-speed packaging lines for food and beverage applications - all have their areas of opportunity and weakness. It is easily forgotten that the thermal systems installed as part of the thermoforming process are the engine of production. Without maintenance and sufficient analysis, production output and quality will suffer. Infrared heaters, ceramic heaters, quartz heaters and ceramic elements are all based on a specific technology. The more understanding gained of infrared science, the better production will be. Plastics processors and packaging users often point to the heating system as a possible cause of packaging deformation and quality failure. However, as a general rule, heat systems are very rarely the cause of production problems. Instead, the complexity of the packaging part design, its dimensions...

Canyonwest Cases specialises in providing packaging for companies needing to ship or transport high-tech electronic equipment. Canyonwest Cases can design-in maximum protection against shock, vibration and moisture by combining custom-engineered foam inserts with rugged reusable cases. Case inserts are designed for durability while meeting individual customer specifications and budgets. Canyonwest Cases custom foam inserts are fabricated from quality materials including polyester and polyethylene. Foam is available in multiple densities to provide the best protection. Custom foam capabilities include the use of water jet cutting, steel rule die presses and CAD/CAM technology, resulting in consistent, accurate foam cuts every time.

Sirane has launched the Sira-Cook range of bags, pouches and films for packaging and cooking foods in microwaves and conventional ovens. Developed as a lightweight alternative for ready meals and marinated meat and fish, Sira-Cook will be available for an elevated temperature-resistant range of films and has been produced with a rustic and natural look. Jeremy Haydn-Davies, Sirane's sales director, said: 'The film is also available on the reel. 'It has excellent barrier properties and, in the non-cookable versions, it is compostable,' he added. Sira-Cook is available in a variety of sizes, colours and textures. The cookable versions can go to 230C and the microwaveable ones to 160C. All of the Sira-Cook films can be printed, are very low in weight and can be produced through form, fill and seal machines as well as being run as reels on flow-wrappers. Haydn-Davies continued: 'The food typically cooks inside the bags in its own juices, but where there is any excess f...