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Focus on Packaging and Transportation

| By Suzanne Shelley

Graphic Products

Graphic Products

Self-adhesive pipe labels improve workplace safety

ANSI/ASME A13.1 recommends the marking of all pipes to clearly communicate their contents, to improve facility maintenance and safety. This company offers a variety of premade pipe marking labels (photo), which are ready to go and easy to apply. More than 255 self-adhesive pipe labels are available, and these can be combined in thousands of variations, to clearly identify pipe contents. — Graphic Products, Beaverton, Ore.

www.graphicproducts.com

 

 

 

 

 

Schütz

Schütz

Round foil seals are peelable, allow for residue-free removal

To eliminate tampering or contamination throughout the entire supply chain, the outlet valves of intermediate bulk containers (IBCs) often include a seal foil that must be removed by cutting prior to initial product discharge. This solution can incur some problems of its own, as the product may come in contact with metal in the aluminum residues of the foil at the cut edges and the side facing the outlet valve. This new, easy-to-handle peelable seal foil (photo) protects the outlet valve of IBCs. It consists of several layers (mainly polyethylene terephthalate). In use, a flexible tab on the round seal foil is lifted, allowing the seal to be removed completely with no tools and no residue. The new seal foil is approved for use with food, says the company. — Schütz GmbH & Co. KGaA, Selters, Germany

www.schuetz.net

 

 

 

 

Southworth Products

Southworth Products

This device inverts pallet loads swiftly and safely

The PalletPal Rotator Inverter (photo) offers a fast, safe and easy way to invert a fully loaded pallet without the need for labor-intensive, time-consuming manual restacking. The most common use is for switching loads from in-house pallets to shipping pallets. Other uses include replacing broken pallets, replacing damaged boxes or bags, or turning over inventory, says the company. During operation, the load is placed into the unit with a forklift or stacker. The operator then engages the powered clamping mechanism to secure the load. At the touch of a button, an anti-friction turret bearing rotates the load a full 180 deg in about 15 seconds. The rotation can be stopped at any point during the process. The clamping mechanism features adjustable pressure to prevent the crushing of lighter loads. Models are available with a load capacity of 4,000 lb, and clamp openings accept pallet loads as large as 48x48x84 in. — Southworth Products Corp., Portland, Maine

www.southworthproducts.com

 

 

 

 

Marchesini Group

Marchesini Group

This compact machine combines labeling, cartoning

The Track Pack machine (photo) is an all-in-one solution for the tamper-evident aggregation, packing and serialization of pharmaceutical products. This compact machine (with a footprint of 3.5-x-2.3 m 2) comes with the company’s case packer PS 300 and labeler BL A415. Track Pack is versatile, allowing users to mount tamper-evidend heads or to apply self-adhesive, tamper-proof seals on the closure corners of the carton or labeling heads. The conveyor assembly includes a patented timing device that sets the cartons apart correctly on the adjustable, toothed, slip-proof belts. The Track Pack system is able to serialize and group every kind of box and carton for both pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry products, at a production rate of 120 cartons and 4 cases per minute, according to the company. — Marchesini Group, Pianoro, Italy

www.marchesini.com

 

 

 

Additive gives papers and cardboard improved strength

The Cartastrength DST.03 liquid additive allows manufacturers of packaging (including corrugated fiberboard), and tissue papers, wipes and napkins, to manufacture products that have increased wet and dry strength (even those containing recycled fibers as a main raw material), compared to competing products, according to the company. The additive replaces starch, an improvement that can improve tissue attributes while also reducing chemical oxygen demand (COD) loadings in the manufacturing effluent. —Archroma, Reinach, Switzerland

www.archroma.com

 

This cartoner is both compact and ergonomically designed

The highly automated Promatic PCI 915 intermittent motion cartoner has a very small footprint (with a length of just 3.5 m). It is used mainly for the secondary packaging of blister packs, sealed strips and bottles. It can be configured either as a standalone machine or in line with a primary packaging unit. The machine has a maximum output of 160 cartons per minute. — Romaco Group, Karlsruhe, Germany

www.romaco.com

 

One-stop shopping for international transportation

This company specializes in managing the complex logistics that are associated with managing liquid goods, to ensure the sustainable handling of resources, the precise forecasting of requirements, and efficient international and intermodal route planning. Targeted products and consulting services are available related to track-and-trace capabilities, vendor-inventory management, geofencing, smart tank management and other forms of supply chain solutions. For example, the company’s Smart Tank sensors report temperature deviations, while its track-and-trace capabilities provides information on journey time deviations. The company’s Geofencing capabilities proactively tell customers the expected loading and unloading times, while the company’s Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) supports smooth, fully automated logistics, delivery notes, certificates, invoicing and more. In-house expertise is available to help companies develop digital solutions related to intermodal supply chains. — Hoyer Group, Hamburg, Germany

www.Hoyer-Group.com

 

Cortec.

Cortec.

Advanced packaging safeguards machined parts

Protecting newly manufactured metal parts from rust and corrosion is a top priority for manufacturers and metalworkers who want their goods to arrive in excellent condition. Cortec VpCI papers, films and boxes are enhanced with vapor-phase corrosion-inhibiting technology (photo) to limit exposure to oxygen and moisture. Instead of applying greasy rust-prevention materials — a time-consuming and messy step — the producer of the part can simply wrap clean, dry and freshly machined parts in a sheet of VpCI paper or film, or place them in VpCI boxes. When the parts arrive at their destination, they are taken out of their packaging corrosion-free and ready to use. To guard against damage from oxygen and moisture exposure, the vapor-phase corrosion inhibitor molecules in the packaging evaporate and condense, forming an invisible, protective layer on the surface of the metal objects enclosed within the packaging. Once the machined part is removed from the package, the protective layer evaporates off the surface, with no extra step required. The used film and packaging can then be recycled. A broad array of standard and customizable paper and film variations are available, as needed. — Cortec Corp., St. Paul, Minn.

www.cortecvci.com

 

EMP Closures

EMP Closures

This broad array of caps and closures will fit your needs

This company has expanded the number of standard sizes and styles of caps and closures (photo) as part of its stock closures product line. These include closures with ribbed and smooth side walls, matte and smooth tops, continuous thread and snap lids and a tamper-evident snap lid. Both stock closures and custom packaging solutions are available for a wide range of markets, including food and beverage, personal care, chemical, pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products. A variety of liner materials can be added to most of these stock caps and closures. —EMP Closures, Div. of Erie Molded Plastics, Erie, Pa.

www.emclosures.com

 

 

 

 

 

Coval Vacuum Technology

Coval Vacuum Technology

Universal suction cup has a tender touch and a strong grip

The FPC Series Suction Cup (photo) is a universal suction cup that can be used in a variety of applications, across various industry sectors — for handling fresh fruits and vegetables, for food-processing operations, cosmetics handling, laboratory applications and more. Designed to be ultra flexible, the edges of the suction cup will conform to the product, regardless of shape or material, enabling high production rates, says the company. The FPC Series product line benefits from three major innovations: The suction cups are available with round or elliptical shapes, their thin, flexible lips mold seamlessly to the packaging, regardless of the shape and internal cleats allow for optimized vacuum while preventing any crushing and strengthen the hold of the product being handled. Its fittings feature a lateral vacuum distributor that prevents any loss in efficiency when the product is held. Food-grade silicone and plastic inserts meet FDA food standards (FDA 21CFR 177.2600) and European standards (EC 1935/2004). — Coval Vacuum Technology, Inc., Raleigh, N.C.

www.coval.com

 

Liftomatic Material Handling

Liftomatic Material Handling

This powered transport device enables safe drum transport

The Liftomatic Ergo-PWPL-750 power transporter (photo) simplifies drum handling for operators. This self-contained, powered, drum-handling transport machine engages, lifts, lowers and moves steel, plastic and fiber drums. Its power drive moves in a forward and reverse direction, and provides power lift and lowering capabilities. Depending on the model, it provides varying weight capacities between 650 and 1,000 pounds. The Liftomatic Ergo-Matic line is equipped with a fully programmable set of controls for easy operator adjustment. The company’s exclusive Parrot-Beak clamping mechanism allows the operator to safely and securely grip the drum lip throughout the pickup and release process. Additional features include regenerative braking, available in straddle leg or fully counterbalanced versions, as well as spark-resistant ratings. — Liftomatic Material Handling, Buffalo Grove, Ill.

www.liftomatic.com

 

 

 

 

The Kurz Group

The Kurz Group

These barcodes allow for hidden authenticity features

Barcodes are routinely printed in black, using thermal transfer printing (TTR), on machines, replacement and automotive parts, chemical and building materials, printed circuit boards and pharmaceutical packaging. Barcodes printed using this company’s TTR Unique Verospec thermal transfer ribbons (photo) combine special customizable coatings to provide hidden, machine-readable authenticity features that help protect original items and reveal counterfeit products. By scanning these barcodes (with their unique fingerprints) with a special reader, the authenticity of the labeled product can be verified unequivocally, says the company. Different variants of TTR Unique Verospec can be used for different delivery units or product variants, allowing the authenticity of the goods to be checked at every station of the supply chain. — The Kurz Group, Fürth, Germany

www.kurz.de

 

 

 

Herma US

Herma US

This high-speed machine applies adhesive labels

The high-precision Herma 400 label applicator (photo) is available for both end users and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). The compact module features a 400-W servo drive that achieves speeds in excess of 4,000 in./min, or up to 1,000 products per minute, with label registration accuracy of 0.008 in., says the company. The versatile Herma 400 can apply any type of adhesive label to virtually any type of product or package, and is used across a wide variety of industries, including pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, logistics, food and beverages, and the automative and chemical sectors. Depending on the machine type, the applicator can be installed in a horizontal, upright or suspended position. Thanks to the wide range of ancillary modules available, the Herma 400 can be integrated into any production line, or built into a labeling machine specifically developed to suit individual requirements. — Herma US Inc., Fairfield, N.J.

www.herma.us

 

 

 

 

Omron

Omron

Traceability products extend this automation portfolio

This company offers a broad portfolio of integrated automation solutions, including robotics, sensing, motion, logic, safety and more. The HAWK MV-4000 smart camera, MicroHAWK ID-45 reader and HS-360X handheld barcode reader (photo), which enable improved traceability and inspection during electronics and automotive manufacturing, food-and-beverage packaging and other industries. — Omron, Hoffman Estates, Ill.

www.omron.com

 

Reduce the risk of landing gear collapse at loading docks

Heavy loads in front of the landing gear, uneven loads and faulty landing gear can all cause a trailer nose to drop. The Rite-Hite TS-5000 uses a wide top plate (12×66 in.), twin vertical supports and dual base plates to provide stabilizing support, which can prevent accidents during the loading or unloading of trailers at loading docks. The static load capacity of the Trailer Stabilizer is 70 tons (140,000 lb) is more than three times the combined maximum weight allowed for a forklift and load today, according to the manufacturer. Three 13-in. tires and ergonomic positioning handles allow the Trailer Stabilizer to be moved into position easily. An optional communication flag alerts worker and truck drivers that the unit is properly positioned. This versatile unit extends up to 56 in. and retracts down to 40 in. meaning it can service nearly all trailer configurations on the road. — RiteHite, Milwaukee, Wis.

www.ritehite.com

 

NJM

NJM

This machine applies pressure-sensitive labels

The Trotter Model 127 pressure-sensitive labeler operates using an operator terminal with integrated controller making it easy to use to apply clear and opaque plastic, metallic and paper labels with a web height of up to 7 in. (178 mm), it labels square, round, rectangular and oval bottles. It handles many containers and label applications. Its highly intuitive user interface features simple icons on a large, 10-in. color touch screen. With fewer controls and drive options than competing options, the Trotter 127 eases maintenance and speeds troubleshooting, says the company. — NJM, Montreal, Que., Canada

www.njmpackaging.com

 

 

 

Steel King Industries

Steel King Industries

Drive-in pallet-racking system improves storage capacity

The Drive-In Rack Systems and Drive-Through Racking (photo) requires fewer aisles and provides better cube utilization than selective racks, drive-in and drive-through racking, allowing users to store up to 75% more pallets than with selective racking, says the manufacturer. This allows for cost-effective storage in high-density storage applications. Forklifts drive directly into the rack, and flared drive-in support rails help forklift drivers enter the pallet rack by guiding the pallet into the bay. The welded-frame construction delivers high rigidity and strength, while other optional features, such as protective railings and seismic-safe designs, provide even greater safety and stability in demanding applications. — Steel King Industries, Stevens Point, Wis.

www.steelking.com

 

 

 

 

 

OnlineLabels.com

OnlineLabels.com

Online label-making tool eases global labeling compliance

This company’s new label-generator tool (photo) allows chemical process operators handling hazardous chemicals to create custom labels that are compliant with the Globally Harmonized Standard (GHS) of hazard safety. The GHS generator tool assists users with pre-written hazard statements and auto-generated pictograms, eliminating the need for time-intensive research, a designer or expensive software, says the company. To generate a GHS-compliant label, users select the substance from a predetermined list or enter their own, and then choose the appropriate GHS-approved hazard statements, details and supplier identifications, generate a PDF of the label, download a size and print it onsite. — OnlineLabels.com, Sanford, Fla.

www.onlinelabels.com

 

 

 

 

 

TAB Industries

TAB Industries

Secure drums and barrels to pallets with plastic film

The patent pending Tab Wrapper Tornado (photo) is an orbital wrapper that is used to secure drums and barrels to pallets, and create unitized pallet loads, while the pallet is raised on a forklift. This keeps drums and barrels from sliding, shifting and tumbling in transit and storage, to reduce the risk of spills and to increase worker safety. The machine wraps stretch film 360 deg around and under the pallet and over the top of the drums and barrels in multiple layers in seconds to create a tight durable wrap that promotes safe arrival without scratches, dents, pings and spills. — TAB Industries LLC, Reading, Pa.

www.tabwrapper.com