Compliance Monitoring: Finding a Middle Ground
The good old days is a phrase that means something different to everyone. People usually use the term in a nostalgic sense looking for a return to previous...
Medical Packaging and Its Special Needs
Medical packaging has many applications today. They range from a simple unit dose plastic package that might contain two aspirin tablets to a plastic...
The Good and Bad Sides of Offset Powder
Many things in everyday life can be good or bad, depending on circumstance and use. We need food to sustain ourselves, but too much leads to obesity and...
A Day in the Lives of Some Very Smart Packages
The date is April 1. The location is a typical home. It could be almost anywhere. The time is 4:30 A.M., too early for the family occupying the home to...
Would You Eat That? Some Readers Say No to Edible Film
Many people have eating habits that preclude foods they do not like and will not eat. Escargot and octopus are two examples of foods that commonly are...
Overcoats Offer Protection (and You Don't Have to Button Up)
Printed paper is a key ingredient in many packages and labels. And whether the printing provides information, graphics, or both, it has to be protected....
Fundamentals Keep the Converting Industry Strong
Everyone is keenly aware of the disappearance of so many supposedly promising dot.com organizations. Fortunately, this has not occurred in the converting...
Will We Soon be Eating the Film Along with the Food?
The May issue of TECHNOLOGY REVIEW had a brief article with the heading Edible Wraps. It described a new edible film made at the Agricultural Research...
Orange Peel in a Coating Is Not Very Tasty
A friend talking about orange peel recently said he preferred his with a dark chocolate coating! Sounds delicious, but orange peel is actually a phenomenon...
Crosslinking Agents Can Improve Physical Properties
One of the key areas of ink/coating formulation is the use of crosslinking additives to improve physical resistance properties, such as ink adhesion and...
The Miracle of Coextrusion Makes Believers of Many
Coextrusion has allowed converters to make different constructions using alternate materials for new applications. Since its introduction only a few decades...
Tamper-Evident, Tamper-Proof Packaging Part of Life Today
A tamper-proof package, i.e., one that could never be opened, would mean no one could tamper with the cookies, but no one could eat them either!
What Is Converting? It Helps to Ask That Simple Question
Converting is unwinding a roll of relatively thin material, processing it in some fashion, and then rewinding it into a roll (unless it has been sheeted)....
The Sweet Smell of Success in Coatings and Adhesives
Contamination is a frequent cause of odor in adhesives and coatings applied to a substrate. This normally occurs inadvertantly in the facilities of the formulator or at the converting plant.
Some Smart Ways to Face Inevitable Price Increases
What action can a converter facing a price increase take that might be… palatable? In many cases, the answer is efficiency.
In This Industry, Green Doesn't Always Mean Go
Because green values may not be entirely indicative of final values, converters may use other techniques in an attempt to predict the final properties of a material when first made.
...There Are Many Reasons for Packaging Peculiarities
Do you ever wonder why so many different constructions can exist for a flexible packaging laminate? Do you think life would be much simpler if all items packaged in a flexible laminate product used the same laminate? Unfortunately, this will never be possible. There are many different reasons for the variety of flexible packaging laminates....
Conversing on Centuries, Computers, and Converting
The three words in the title seem to have no relationship or connection. Or do they? As we begin 2001, we start a new century. Since centuries comprise...
Impression Rolls: Their Jobs and Their Maintenance
Impression rolls play a very important part at various points in many different converting operations. They are usually small rolls that are perhaps 3-4...
Some Causes of Blocking in Heat Seal CoatingsPart II
Last month this column covered some causes of blocking when using heat seal coatings. The problem primarily addressed concerned processing conditions...
Common Causes of Blocking in Heat Seal CoatingsPart I
Heat seal coatings are formulated materials that are applied to a substrate on a coater and then wound into a roll. In a subsequent operation, the coated...
For ''Friendly'' Adhesives and Coatings, You Must Prioritize
People working with adhesives and coatings for the converting industry constantly hear the terms "environmentally friendly" and "user friendly." These...
