Plastics News reporter Dan Hockensmith contributed the following items from Pack Expo 2008, held Nov. 9-13 in Chicago.
Krones Inc. unveils its Wis. R&D center
Krones Inc. used Pack Expo as the venue to introduce its new blow molding manufacturing center and evaluation facility in Franklin, Wis.
The facility features an eight-cavity, three-process blow molder and a full analytical lab, Krones said in a Nov. 9 news release. Its location in the Midwest allows Neutraubling, Germany-based Krones to be closer to customers, the company said.
The center's on-site molder can run standard, relaxed and heat-set processes, allowing for a wider range of mold evaluation and bottle development, officials said. The lab offers clients the capability of measuring bottle performance and ensuring that metal components will translate into correctly sized plastic parts.
ExxonMobil Chemical showcases OPP films
ExxonMobil Chemical Co. offered converters demonstrations of its Metallyte-, Bicor- and Oppalyte-brand oriented polypropelene films for packaging applications and Label-Lyte OPP films for labeling markets.
Metallyte films in particular have been designed to offer significant sustainability benefits in addition to having greater strength than aluminum foil, Exxon spokesman Christian Candoni said in a Nov. 12 interview at the firm's booth. He demonstrated using weights on two air-filled bags — both produced by Exxon — how the Metallyte example withstood four to five times as much pressure as the aluminum-foil bag before it popped.
``This is a dramatic showing of how far the OPP technology has advanced,'' he said. Exxon has developed two barriers to offer a combination of performance and economics covering the range of protection treatments for market segments, which include sensitive dry food and beverages, he said.
Ampac increasing film, pouch capacity
Cincinnati-based Ampac Flexible Packaging LLC recently added a new Totani pouching machine in its Elk Grove, Ill., plant to increase output of three-side seal, standup and retort pouches, executives said in an interview in their booth. Ampac also installed a Windmoeller & Hoelscher extrusion system in its Auburn, Wash., plant to increase multilayer film structures for fresh and frozen food markets, as well as sealant webs to the converter industry, spokesman Sal Pellingra said at the show.
At Pack Expo, Ampac displayed its new Linear Tear technology, which provides a clean tear with low opening force and can be applied to pouches, including retort and zippered pouches where the intent is to tear off the stripe above the zipper before reclosing.
Also at the Ampac booth, potential clients could see Ampac's Apex 3739 microwaveable sealant film and PureFlex MW self-venting laminate for freezer-to-microwave applications.
Clear Lam announces eco-friendly rollstock
Clear Lam Packaging Inc., one of the largest North American extruders of polylactic acid, has added PrimaPak — a stackable, printed package with a reclosable lid produced from a single roll of printed film — to its EarthClear line of eco-friendly packaging. The new rollstock offers significant weight savings and processability over traditional food packaging, spokesman Louis Belmont said in a Nov. 10 interview at the show.
``One roll of film can last for weeks,'' he said.
Elk Grove, Ill.-based Clear Lam developed PrimaPak with Rovema Global Packaging Group LLC of Lawrenceville, Ga. Rollstock consists of coextruded or laminated polypropylene or PE; if desired, film structure may include bioplastics such as PLA or foil for added stiffness. The formal launch of the product is slated for 2009.