Converting Industry News, Part 1

Published: March 31, 2005, By Edited by Deborah Donberg

News from: AGI/Klearfold, Hunter's Specialties, Windmoeller & Hoelscher, Flexicon, First Choice Packaging Solutions, Rollprint Packaging Products, Heartland Label Printers, BASF, Flint Ink, Scitex Vision, Esko-Graphics, Totani, Cham Paper Group, Flexible Materials div. of Bobst, Glenro, TRCM, Fischer & Krecke, Kroenert, Omron Electronics, Pira Intl., Research and Markets, Freedonia Group, and Business Communications Co.

Converting Industry News, Part 2

Published: March 31, 2005, By Edited by Deborah Donberg

News from: KBA, FTA, Michelman, Scholle, Sonoco, Chapco Carton, Smurfit-Stone Container Corp., Sherwood Technology, Davis-Standard, UCB, Sun Valley Worldwide, Michele Raymond, Messe Stuttgart, Centrexpo, Paperloop, IoPP, EMA, Arkay, Comexi, Bomac, IP, Ampac Packaging, Bosch Rexroth, Creo, and Kodak.

Why the Rush to BOPA?

Published: March 31, 2005, By Simon King, PCI Films Consulting

In the past five years, the world bi-oriented polyamide (BOPA) film market has grown faster than any other oriented speciality film, but volumes are still small when compared to its leading competitors. With average growth rates of 8%/yr, world BOPA film demand is expected to reach an estimated 126,000 tons in 2004, compared to world markets for packaging grades of BOPP film of 2.5 million tons and BOPET film of 600,000 tons.

More History in the Making

Published: March 31, 2005, By Yolanda Simonsis, Associate Publisher/Editor

If you read down to the last paragraph of my March ‘05 editorial, you may have raised an eyebrow over my reporting CMM was rumored for sale. It was, but the offer was declined, and we’re back to the CMM you’ve known in the past. . . well, not completely. There have been a few remarkable changes you’ll want to hear about.

Reporter Clips

Published: March 31, 2005, By Edward Boyle, Contributing Editor

News from: TLMI, Seal-It, Avery Dennison Industrial Products Div., Axon, and Raflatac.

Foil Stamping: Let it Shine

Published: March 31, 2005, By Debbie Donberg, Associate Managing Editor

It’s shelf appeal and security that are driving foil stamping. And it looks like there’s no end in sight.

On the Move

Published: March 31, 2005, By PFFC staff

News from: Flint Ink, Adhesives Research, Oasis Alignment Services, Parkinson Technologies, Progressive Color Media, ISRA Surface Fision, IIR, American Baler, American Envelope Co., Creo, Valéron Strength Films, Clopay Plastic Products, Spartanics, Rayven, Brückner, 100% Recycled Paperboard Alliance, Polytype, RadTech, Environmental Inks and Coatings, Omet, Shuttleworth, Axon, Fortune Plastics, Mohawk Paper Mills, Rotec, GEW, Rhodia Engineering Plastics, Green Printing and Packaging, Tresu Royse, Ceramic Technologies, Water Ink Technologies, Scitex Vision America, FKI Logistex, NDC Infrared Engineering, Black Clawson, Corus L.P. Aluminum Rolled Products, Fort Dearborn Co., Beckhoff Automation, Raflatac, Meech USA, Fusion UV Systems, Diamond Packaging, Graphic Packaging Corp., and Hammer Lithograph Corp.

New Product Digest, Part 1

Published: March 31, 2005, By PFFC staff

New products from: Valco Cincinnati, Uteco Converting, Available Plastics, AVT, Diversified Graphic Machinery, J M Heaford, Martin Automatic, Moisture Register Products, Beta Industries, Liquid Control Corp., Testing Machines, Componex, Phoenix North America, North American Mfg. Co., Applied Films, Matik North America, Cape Systems, Rad-Cure, CMC Cevenini, Zimmer Industries, UV Process Supply, Lamart, StopStatic, TAKK Industries, Joraco, MacDermid, and Flexo Concepts.

New Product Digest, Part 2

Published: March 31, 2005, By PFFC staff

New products from: Ashe Converting Equipment, Maxson Automatic Machinery, AccuWeb, Siemens Energy & Automation, Enercon Industries, Waddington Electronics, Totani America, Creo, Futec Europe, ISRA Surface Vision, ADI Trade Group, Research Inc., Bobst Group, Stanford Products, Comexi, Griffin-Rutgers, Ro•An Industries USA, Kurz Transfer Products, Rohm and Haas, Amagic Holographics, National Adhesives, INX Intl., Sun Chemical, Environmental Inks and Coatings, Hop Industries, Schober USA, and Novaflex.

On the Move...

Published: February 28, 2005, By PFFC staff

News from: ISO Poly Films, Enterprise Asset Search, Monosol, Sun Chemical, Zip-Pack, Uvitec, Eckart America, UCB, Ticona, Ivex Novacel, Impressions, CMD, Max Daetwyler, American Baler, Laminations, Curtis Packaging, Keller and Heckman, Clariant Masterbatches Div., Fort Dearborn Co., Amcor Flexibles, PIA/GATF, Rogers Corp., NPES, and Mitsubishi Lithographic Presses.

Materials

Published: February 28, 2005, By PFFC staff

New products from:INX Intl., Sony Chemicals, Rock-Tenn, Lamart Corp., ANI Printing Inks, ADM Tronics, D&K Group, Coburn Graphic Films, Ciba Specialty Chemicals, and Scapa North America.

Reporter Clips

Published: February 28, 2005, By Edward Boyle, Contributing Editor

Narrow web news from: Videojet Technologies, Freedonia Group, Galliker, Adchem Corp., MPI Label Systems, Nilpeter, and Sato America.

Brave New Slitting World

Published: February 28, 2005, By Carrie Cleaveland, Assistant Editor

With run speeds in excess of 600 meters per minute, set-up times down to mere minutes, and today’s technology of laser positioning knives and cores, turret rewinds, automatic discharge onto conveyors, labeling and pre-shrinking the material to be ready for dispatch, slitting has entered a new era.

Get Out of the Scroll Business

Published: February 28, 2005, By Timothy J. Walker, TJWalker & Assoc. Inc.

Curl will kill your product. How do webs end up curly? Let’s go over the top causes and consider how to eliminate them.

Communication from the PLACE div. of TAPPI

Published: February 28, 2005, By David J. Bentley, Jr., Editor

Providing practical information to the converting and packaging industries.

UV/EB a Bright Spot in Economy

Published: February 28, 2005, By Richard M. Podhajny, Ph.D., Contributing Editor

Recent shortages of acrylic acid exemplify the problem of raw material supply and its impact on the price stability. Last year has seen various price increases in raw materials, and this trend is continuing into this year. As a result, it is anticipated raw material price fluctuations will negatively impact UV/EB products.

Hot Melt Adhesive Use

Published: February 28, 2005, By David J. Bentley, Jr., Contributing Editor

Hot melt adhesive use continues to grow due to unique properties including ease of use, adhesion to a wide variety of surfaces, strength properties, aging characteristics, etc. By some measurements, hot melts are among the fastest growing adhesives in the industry.

Is a Packaging Makeover Ahead?

Published: February 28, 2005, By Sheila A. Millar Attorney-at-Law, Keller & Heckman, Washington, DC

Two recent initiatives, a proposed tax measure in San Francisco and a voluntary industry commitment on biodegradable polymers in the European Union (EU), are of interest to the converting industry, not only because of the proposals themselves, but because they reflect different policy approaches to addressing packaging wastes.

Waste Trimmed Away!

Published: February 28, 2005, By Edward Boyle, Contributing Editor

As a 30-year veteran of the printing and converting industry, Mike Felitti proudly describes Labels & Systems, his four-year-old narrow web label company, as a "lean, mean printin’ machine." And he’s got the numbers to prove it.

Taming Plastics

Published: February 28, 2005, By Greg Zimmer, Zimmer Industries

Plastics may be flexible, brittle, or stretchable; thin, medium, or thick; clear to opaque; really easy to tear, easy to tear, tough to tear, or impossible to tear; have excellent "memory" or have no "memory"; react readily to heat or don’t react to heat at all; allow air to pass through them or actually prevent bullets from passing through them. You get the picture. So how do you cut, crease, and perforate such incredibly diverse (and perverse) materials

Technology - The Great Equalizer

Published: February 28, 2005, By Craig Thomson, Martin Automatic Inc.

Do you think you're safe because you do mostly short runs? Just look around the corner and you'll likely face a homegrown emerging competitor - the commercial printer. Commercial printers have invested in digital prepress technology and many of them are preparing either to or have already added package printing to their list of capabilities.

Long-Run Liners

Published: February 28, 2005, By Edited by Edward Boyle, Contributing Editor

Based in Oklahoma City, OK, the family-owned company has been printing and supplying trayliners and placemats for more than 27 years to fast food restaurants worldwide. The company, established in 1971 as a commercial offset printer, has emerged as a leader in cold offset printing, specializing in trayliners and placemats.

Narrow Web New Products

Published: February 28, 2005

Narrow web new products from: Arpeco, Cargill Dow, Printco, FLEXcon, Bunting Magnetics, AirTrim, and Global Vision North America.

RFID: Beyond the Mandate

Published: February 28, 2005, By Anthony Miano, SG Hart & Assoc.

Today’s challenge for the converting executive is to build a business case and strategy around meeting customer requirements for automatic identification of inventory and allied assets using radio frequency identification (RFID) technology. This challenge is unique because some suppliers are being required to supply RFID-enabled pallets and cases while others are not.

Film Opens New Markets

Published: February 28, 2005, By Steve Sargeant, PhD., Toray Plastics (America)

Since pressure-sensitive labels and tapes—and other materials such as stamps—have become more sophisticated, the market for these materials has been expanding rapidly. In such product constructions, it has been common practice to apply a release coating, typically a silicone-based material, to the paper liner from which the materials are peeled or dispensed.

New Products

Published: February 28, 2005, By PFFC staff

New products from: Plastisoft, Tidland, Precision AirConvey, Deacro, Dusenbery, Erema, ALS, Titan, Dienes, SCM, Independent Machine Co., Double E Co., W&H, Azco, Schober USA, Goldenrod Corp., American Baler, Boschert, Beta LaserMike, Davis-Standard, Tectura, Extrusion Dies Industries, Daven Industries, General, Enercon, and Warner Electric.

Time for a CMM History Lesson

Published: February 28, 2005, By Yolanda Simonsis, Associate Publisher/Editor

It’s interesting to note some CMM history from my own 27 years of personal memories, as our industry prepares for its fifteenth edition of the show.

Converting Industry News, Part 1

Published: February 28, 2005, By Edited by Deborah Donberg

News from: AWA Alexander Watson Assoc., Sonoco, Warneke Paper Box, Pactiv, Argotec, Bobst Group, and ei³ Corp.

Converting Industry News, Part 2

Published: February 28, 2005, By Edited by Deborah Donberg

News from: Intl. Paper, Michelman, Ceradyne, Apex Europe, NPES, Eastman Chemical Co., Cal Poly, AccuWeb, Klöckner Pentaplast of America, GASC, PAF, OptoSigma, and iTi.

A Communication from the PLACE div. of TAPPI

Published: January 31, 2005, By David J. Bentley, Jr., Editor

Providing practical information to the converting and packaging industries.